image: Len Stomski, River Flow Zygmunt Bauman advocates for the thought of "liquid modernity" ( Liquid Modernity ). This see em...
Zygmunt Bauman advocates for the thought of "liquid modernity" (Liquid Modernity). This see emphasizes the fact of alter inside society; together with it argues that alter is occurring to a greater extent than together with to a greater extent than chop-chop inwards the "modern" world. Here is an observation past times Bauman almost the modern world:
Forms of modern life may differ inwards quite a few respects – but what unites them all is exactly their fragility, temporariness, vulnerability together with inclination to constant change. To ‘be modern’ agency to modernize – compulsively, obsessively; non so much just ‘to be’, allow lone to travel on its identity intact, but forever ‘becoming’, avoiding completion, staying underdefined. Each novel construction which replaces the previous ane equally before long equally it is declared old-fashioned together with past times its use-by engagement is exclusively to a greater extent than or less other momentary settlement – acknowledged equally temporary together with ‘until farther notice’. Being always, at whatsoever phase together with at all times, ‘post-something’ is also an undetachable characteristic of modernity. As fourth dimension flows on, ‘modernity’ changes its forms inwards the mode of the legendary Proteus . . . What was to a greater extent than or less fourth dimension agone dubbed (erroneously) 'post-modernity' together with what I've chosen to call, to a greater extent than to the point, 'liquid modernity', is the growing conviction that alter is the exclusively permanence, together with uncertainty the exclusively certainty. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 hundred years agone 'to live modern' meant to chase 'the final nation of perfection' -- directly it agency an infinity of improvement, amongst no 'final state' inwards sight together with none desired. (kl 82)
This is an evocative paragraph, but it is of import to live specific inwards reading what it does together with does non assert. Plainly Bauman underscores the fact of alter inwards modern social life. "Change is permanent." But Bauman makes no assertion hither almost discontinuity, randomness, or consummate absence of "structure". Indeed, the quotation explicitly allows that at that topographic point are structures -- which implies that they persist over to a greater extent than or less catamenia of time; together with it observes, reasonably enough, that structures alter together with extinguish. As he puts the betoken a few pages later:
The master copy campaign of the solids melting was non resentment against solidity equally such, but dissatisfaction amongst the grade of solidity of the extant together with inherited solids: purely together with simply, the bequeathed solids were constitute non to live solid plenty (insufficiently resistant or immunized to change) past times the standards of the order-obsessed together with compulsively order-building modern powers.... Flexibility has replaced solidity equally the ideal status to live pursued of things together with affairs. (kl 97)
I stimulate got argued quite a few times inwards this weblog for the thought that social phenomena are plastic, heterogeneous, together with contingent. And these ideas look to converge to to a greater extent than or less extent amongst the thought of a "liquid" society. Here are a few statements of these ideas:
On the core thought of plasticity of the social (link):
I keep that virtually all social entities are "plastic": their properties alter significantly over time, equally a final result of the purposive together with unintentional conduct of the socially constructed individuals who brand upward a society. Organizations, undertaking unions, universities, churches, together with social identities all demo a substantial grade of flexibility together with fluidity over time, together with this fact leads to a substantial grade of heterogeneity amid groups of similar social organizations together with institutions. This points to a full general together with of import observation almost the constitution of the social world: The properties of a social entity or exercise tin alter over time; they are non rigid, fixed, or timeless. They are non jump into consistent together with unchanging categories of entities, such equally "bureaucratic state," "Islamic society," or "leftist undertaking organization." Molecules of H2O save their physical characteristics no thing what. But inwards contrast to natural substances such equally gilt or water, social things tin alter their properties indefinitely. This interpretation interprets “plastic” equally the reverse to “static together with fixed”. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 2nd way inwards which an entity mightiness live unchanging is equally a dynamic equilibrium. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 social construction mightiness live a self-correcting scheme that restores its equilibrium characteristics inwards the confront of disturbing influences. The temperature inwards this room is dependent area to external influences that would final result inwards change; but the thermostat provides cool or warm air equally needed to convey the business office temperature dorsum to the equilibrium value. When I say that social entities are plastic, I also hateful to say that they are non to a greater extent than often than non determined inside a dynamic equilibrium (as sociological functionalism maintains, perhaps), amongst powerful homeostatic mechanisms that right for disturbing influences. There is no “essential” cast to which the construction tends to homecoming inwards equilibrium.
On gradual institutional alter (link):
The number of the internal processes of alter inside an establishment is of involvement hither for several reasons. But cardinal amid them is the thought of plasticity that has been described inwards before posts (link, link, link). The basic thought of plasticity is that institutions together with organizations are the production of diverse kinds of structured human action, together with that they tin alter over time. So nosotros shouldn't recollect of institutions equally having fixed characteristics, or equally though they were equilibrium systems that tend to homecoming to their master copy states after perturbances. Mahoney together with Thelen's volume demonstrates to a greater extent than or less of the ways inwards which this plasticity emerges; they essay an line of piece of occupation organisation human relationship of the mechanisms of gradual institutional change. And this approach makes plainly the high grade of path-dependency that institutions display.
On irksome institutional alter (link):
So what happens when institutions change? Mahoney together with Thelen categorize gradual alter into 4 types: displacement, layering, drift, together with conversion (kl 444). And they debate that these categories are pregnant given the different roles that actors together with strategies play inwards each of them. (This categorization seems to stimulate got something inwards mutual amongst the way geneticists together with ecologists mightiness characterize different modalities of adaptation inside a changing environment.) They furnish a 2x2 tabular array that predicts the sort of adaptation that volition occur, depending on combinations of strong/weak veto possibilities together with low/high levels of discretion inwards interpretation of rules. For example, they assert that potent veto associated amongst high discretion produces drift rather than layering or conversion. They offering a similar analysis of different types of alter agents, together with attribute different kinds of strategies to the different categories of alter agents. How does this framework relate to the topics of "actor-centered" social scientific discipline together with "meso-level causation" that stimulate got been considered inwards before posts? The theoretical framework Mahoney together with Thelen depict is clearly actor-centered. They are focused on identifying the ways inwards which different categories of actors are empowered to interact amongst diverse features of a laid of institutional rules. This moving painting seems to fit to the ascending together with descending links of the macro-micro analysis proposed past times Coleman's boat.
On the contingencies of economical evolution identified past times Sabel together with Zeitlin (link):
One of Sabel together with Zeitlin's most basic arguments is the thought that firms are strategic together with adaptive equally they bargain amongst a electrical current laid of line of piece of occupation organisation challenges. Rather than an inevitable logic of novel technologies together with their organizational needs, nosotros come across a highly adaptive together with selective procedure inwards which firms pick together with withdraw amid alternatives, often mixing the choices to hedge against failure. They consider carefully a hit of possible changes on the horizon, a laid of possible strategic adaptations that mightiness live selected; together with they oft hedge their bets past times investing inwards both the one-time together with the novel technology. "Economic agents, nosotros constitute over again together with over again inwards the course of report of the seminar's work, do non maximize so much equally they strategize" (5).
On the plasticity of technical practices (link):
A especially interesting inquiry is the grade to which technical practices are “plastic” over fourth dimension together with space. How readily do they morph over fourth dimension together with infinite (akin to the way inwards which messages morph inwards the game of “telephone”)? Is at that topographic point an analogy betwixt a exercise together with a gene, inwards which the cistron encodes instructions for the phenotype—producing a next-generation genotype? The stability of species through biological evolution depends on the fact that cistron transcription is a highly accurate process, so the offspring is highly probable to encode the same bits of data equally the parent. Is at that topographic point the requisite stability inside the domain of practices, or are nosotros to a greater extent than probable to uncovering pregnant differences inwards ostensibly similar practices across the villages of a region? The stability inquiry turns on the mechanisms of replication that social practices embody. Traditional social practices are non embodied inwards criterion "handbooks" of best practice; instead, they are transmitted through networks of preparation together with imitation. So changes are probable to occur during the replication of the exercise at the local level. Innovation occurs equally local illiterate but intelligent farmers or builders uncovering enhancements. These innovations are imitated together with reproduced past times neighbors together with changes accumulate. Naturally, at that topographic point is nil inherently optimal or progressive almost such a process. Good ideas together with innovations decease out; mediocre practices persist; together with sometimes genuine advances occur.
And on continuity (link):
It is evident that this expectation of gradual, continuous alter is non ever a valid guide to events. Abrupt, unexpected events occur -- revolutions, volume cultural changes similar the 1960s, sweeping political together with legislative changes along the lines of the Reagan revolution. And of course of report nosotros stimulate got the electrical current instance of abrupt declines inwards fiscal markets -- come across the graph of the Dow Jones Industrial Average for the calendar week of September 23-30, 2008 below. So the expectation of continuity sometimes leads us astray. But continuity is in all probability amid our most basic heuristic assumptions almost the hereafter when it comes to our expectations almost the social the world together with our plans for the future.
The deeper inquiry is an ontological one: what features of social causation together with processes would either back upward or undermine the expectation of continuity? We tin say quite a flake almost the features of continuity together with discontinuity inwards physical systems; famously, "non-linearities" occur inwards to a greater extent than or less physical systems that Pb to singularities together with discontinuities, but many physical systems are safely linear together with continuous all the way down. And these mathematical features follow from the fundamental physical mechanisms that underlie physical systems. But what almost the social world?
These arguments together with others interspersed over the past times 8 years add together upward to a see of the realm of the social that attempts to brace betwixt stability together with change, continuity together with discontinuity, together with to sympathize both construction together with agency equally the effects of social actors pursuing their plans. States, belongings systems, constitutions, religious institutions -- all these persisting social frames are themselves dependent area to strategic interventions past times the actors who inhabit them, together with their properties alter over time.
So how tin nosotros resolve the apparent conundrum presented here: is the social the world solid or liquid? Do structures constitute a more-or-less stable context for action, or is the social monastic say just a shifting play of forces together with powers that resolves differently at different moments?
We know that the social the world changes, together with that these changes extend to deep structures equally good equally to a greater extent than superficial characteristics. Department stores alter owners, so my local Marshall Fields becomes a Macy's. More fundamentally, shopping patterns alter together with downtown subdivision stores unopen for skillful inwards favor of suburban shopping malls. And inwards the terminate Amazon eventually replaces them all. So both superficial together with deep-structure characteristics of the social the world alter over time. Is this "liquid modernity" or is it "change overlaying structural persistence"?
The key to the respond lies inwards formulating a to a greater extent than nuanced agreement of the temporality of change. It is of import non to assume all-or-nothing liquidity: either the social the world is wholly labile, from minute to moment; or else at that topographic point are "determinate" structures that are impervious to change. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 ameliorate respond mightiness live couched inwards damage of different temporal scales (along the lines of Paul Pierson's ideas; link). Rather than taking social structures or cultural systems equally "static", nosotros are ameliorate off thinking of these structural components equally having a tempo of alter that is many times the tempo of actors' choices. An investor considers purchasing a belongings inwards a neighborhood. He or she determines the electrical current marketplace seat toll of the belongings but also takes into line of piece of occupation organisation human relationship the fact that marketplace seat weather condition alter over time. So the existent estate values of this neighborhood may rising or autumn significantly inwards the medium term -- say, 30 years. This is non "permanence," but it is plenty temporal hit to acknowledge of confident action.
Introducing this alter of linguistic communication casts a flake of incertitude on the validity of the metaphor of "liquid". Bauman emphasizes the instantaneous malleability of a liquid:
What all these features of fluids amount to, inwards uncomplicated language, is that liquids, dissimilar solids, cannot easily agree their shape. Fluids, so to speak, neither create infinite nor bind time. While solids stimulate got clear spatial dimensions but neutralize the impact, together with hence downgrade the significance, of fourth dimension (effectively resist its flow or homecoming it irrelevant), fluids do non travel on to whatsoever shape for long together with are constantly ready (and prone) to alter it; together with so for them it is the flow of fourth dimension that counts, to a greater extent than than the infinite they travel on to occupy: that space, after all, they fill upward but ‘for a moment’. (lc 311)
COMMENTS