Assessing The Subject Of The Postmodernism Sociology Essay

In the following essay I will be describing post modernism and analysing the impact it has had on class and inequality.

Modern means something up to date and a break away from the past. Modernity is a historical term which refers to the era that follows the ‘Middle Ages’ or feudalism. Modernity was the emergence of a modern industrial civilisation and manufactured society in the 1950s and 1960s. It was non-feudal. This industrial and political revolution changed society’s outlook on the world. Individuals were separated into classes.

Modernization “This term is often used to refer to the stages of social development which are based upon industrialization. Modernization is a diverse unity of socio-economic changes generated by scientific and technological discoveries and innovations…” (Sarup 1993)

In sociology modernism refers to the period dominated by theories that claimed there were patterns to social behaviour and these could be investigated and understood i.e. Functionalism and Marxism.

The key influence of post modernity is individualism. A contemporary society is characterised by endless choices; identity can be constantly up dated or altered according to current wants or needs through the cultural commodities we consume. This increasing diversity has led to fragmentation of collective social identity especially social class. Also society can develop uncertainty leading to the break down of franchises and social structures.

Postmodernism rejects the stratification theories and focuses upon identity and difference. Previous terms of identity such as class and ethnicity become extinct. Subjective individual identity is now more important than objective collective identity.

According to postmodernists class is not as important as it was and not the chief source of identity. They argue that identity is now derived from leisure and consumption and not from work or production.

Best (1995) argues that through post modernity we are all cast in the role of consumers. He believes that post modern stratification is about life style choices, fragmented association and the seduction into consumer spending through advertising and control change. This theory is very similar to the Marxist theory in which it is believed that media superstructure controls and dominates image and consumer spending.

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Pakulski and Waters published a book “The Death of Class” in 1996 which announces the end of social classes in today’s post-modern societies. The authors mention that social class is a historical phenomenon that appears in the 19th century. In the beginning of the 20th century, factors such as the state and political parties changed the nature of class relations, resulting in class losing its validity. They define the decline in the importance of class as “status convention” and they use this term to indicate that although social inequalities are still present the differences in life style and status are the more important factor.

They also conclude that contemporary societies are still stratified and this stratification is achieved through cultural consumption not class position and the “division of labour”. Pakulski and Waters agree with the theory that we now live in an individual society where people no longer see themselves in social terms and say that “consumption is now central” and example of this is how we spend money and organise our everyday lives.

Sociologist Ray Pahl questioned whether class is still a useful concept in attempting to understand contemporary societies.

Rosemary Crompton criticises Pakulski and Waters. She agreed that traditional definitions of class have neglected cultural factors such as gender but states that Pakulski and Waters definition is unhelpful and confuses class and status.

John Scott and Lydia Morris also argue for a need to make distinctions between the class and positions of individuals: there location in a division of labour.

In conclusion there are still significant differences between social classes in terms of educational attainment, leisure pursuits and health. Modern social theories such as Feminism and Marxism can still offer insight as to why social inequalities exist.

Because today’s society is changing so rapidly and is so diverse there is no possible way of measuring it.

Qualitative approaches to measuring class such as mobility studies and inequalities of wealth indicate that class is not dead; it is more complex. Simply because aspects of class are now more dominant it does not mean that they do not exist. Social mobility is the degree to which an individual’s family or group’s social status can change throughout the course of their life through a system of social hierarchy or stratification. Subsequently, it is also the degree to which an individual’s or group’s descendants move up and down the class system. The individual or family can move up or down the social classes based on achievements or factors beyond their control.