The problem of modernization of traditional societies. Traditional society and the problem of modernization

03.03.2020

The historical situation at the end of the 20th century is characterized by a complex ethnocultural situation. The fundamental problem of the modern era is increasingly becoming the confrontation between traditional and modernized (modern) cultures. It is this confrontation that has an increasing influence on the course of the cultural and historical process. The confrontation between “modern” and “traditional” arose as a result of the collapse of the colonial system and the need to adapt countries that had newly appeared on the political map of the world into the modern world, modern civilization. However, in fact, the processes of modernization began much earlier, back in colonial times, when European officials, firmly convinced of the beneficence and usefulness of their activities for the “natives,” exterminated the traditions and beliefs of the latter, which, in their opinion, were harmful to the progressive development of these peoples . Then it was assumed that modernization primarily meant the introduction of new, progressive forms of activity, technologies and ideas; it was a means of accelerating, simplifying and facilitating the path that these peoples had to go through anyway.

The destruction of many cultures that followed such violent “modernization” led to an awareness of the depravity of such an approach, and to the need to create scientifically based theories of modernization that could be applied in practice. In the middle of the century, many anthropologists attempted and balanced analyzes of traditional cultures, based on the rejection of the universalist concept of culture. In particular, a group of American anthropologists led by M. Herskowitz, during the preparation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, held under the auspices of the UN, proposed to proceed from the fact that in each culture standards and values have a special character and that therefore every person has the right to live according to that understanding freedom, which is accepted in his society. Unfortunately, the universalist point of view, which stemmed from the evolutionary approach, prevailed; it was the evolutionary paradigm that formed the basis of the theories of modernization that appeared then, and today this declaration states that human rights are the same for representatives of all societies, regardless of the specifics of their traditions. But it is no secret that the human rights written there represent postulates formulated specifically by European culture.

According to the prevailing point of view at that time, the transition from a traditional society to a modern one (and it was considered obligatory for all cultures and peoples) was possible only through modernization. This term is used today in several senses, so it should be clarified.

Firstly, modernization means the entire complex of progressive changes in society; it is synonymous with the concept of “modernity” - a complex of social, political, economic, cultural and intellectual transformations that have taken place in the West since the 16th century and have reached their apogee today. These include the processes of industrialization, urbanization, rationalization, bureaucratization, democratization, the dominant influence of capitalism, the spread of individualism and motivation for success, and the establishment of reason and science.

Secondly, modernization is the process of transforming a traditional, pre-technological society into a society with machine technology, rational and secular relations, and highly differentiated social structures.

Thirdly, modernization refers to the efforts of backward or underdeveloped countries to catch up with developed countries.

Based on this, modernization in its most general form can be considered as a complex and contradictory sociocultural process, during which the institutions and structures of modern society are formed.

Scientific understanding of this process has found expression in a number of concepts of modernization, heterogeneous in composition and content and not representing a single whole. These concepts seek to explain the process of a natural transition from traditional societies to modern ones and further to the post-modern era. This is how the theory of industrial society (K. Marx, O. Comte, G. Spencer), the concept of formal rationality (M. Weber), the theory of mechanical and organic modernization (E. Durkheim), the formal theory of society (G. Simmel) arose, which, differing in their theoretical and methodological settings, they are nevertheless united in their neo-evolutionist assessments of modernization, arguing that:

1) changes in society are unilinear, therefore, less developed countries must follow the path of the developed ones;

2) these changes are irreversible and are heading towards an inevitable ending - modernization;

3) changes are gradual, cumulative and peaceful;

4) all stages of this process must inevitably be completed;

5) internal sources of this movement are of great importance;

6) modernization will improve the existence of these countries.

In addition, it was recognized that modernization processes should be initiated and controlled “from above” by the intellectual elite. In essence, this is a conscious copying of Western society.

Considering the mechanism of modernization, all theories claim that this is a spontaneous process and if interfering barriers are removed, everything will go by itself. It was assumed that it was enough to show the advantages of Western civilization (at least on television), and everyone would immediately want to live the same way.

However, reality has refuted these wonderful theories. Not all societies, having seen the Western way of life closer, rushed to imitate it. And those who followed this path quickly became acquainted with the other side of this life, faced with increasing poverty, social disorganization, anomie, and crime. Recent decades have also shown that not everything in traditional societies is bad and some of their features are perfectly combined with ultra-modern technologies. This was proven primarily by Japan and South Korea, which called into question the previous firm orientation towards the West. The historical experience of these countries forced us to abandon theories of unilinear world development as the only true ones and formulate new theories of modernization that revived the civilizational approach to the analysis of ethnocultural processes.

Among the scientists who have dealt with this problem, it is necessary to mention, first of all, S. Huntington, who named nine main characteristics of modernization, which are found in an explicit or hidden form in all the authors of these theories:

1) modernization is a revolutionary process, because it presupposes the radical nature of changes, a radical change in all institutions, systems, structures of society and human life;

2) modernization is a complex process, because it is not reduced to any one aspect of social life, but embraces society as a whole;

3) modernization is a systemic process, because changes in one factor or fragment of the system encourage and determine changes in other elements of the system, leading to a holistic systemic revolution;

4) modernization is a global process, since, having once begun in Europe, it has embraced all countries of the world that have either already become modern or are in the process of changing;

5) modernization is a long process, and although the pace of change is quite high, it requires the life of several generations to be carried out;

6) modernization is a stepwise process, and all societies must go through the same stages;

7) modernization is a homogenizing process, since if traditional societies are all different, then modern ones are the same in their basic structures and manifestations;

8) modernization is an irreversible process; there may be delays and partial retreats along the way, but once it begins, it cannot fail to end in success;

9) modernization is a progressive process, and although peoples may experience many hardships and suffering along this path, in the end everything will pay off, since in a modernized society the cultural and material well-being of a person is immeasurably higher.

The immediate content of modernization is several areas of change. From a historical perspective, this is synonymous with Westernization, or Americanization, i.e. movement towards the type of systems that has developed in the USA and Western Europe. In the structural aspect, this is the search for new technologies, the movement from agriculture as a way of subsistence to commercial agriculture, the replacement of animal and human muscular power as the main source of energy with modern machines and mechanisms, the spread of cities and the spatial concentration of labor. In the political sphere - the transition from the authority of the tribal leader to democracy, in the educational sphere - the elimination of illiteracy and the growth of the value of knowledge, in the religious sphere - liberation from the influence of the church. In the psychological aspect, this is the formation of a modern personality, which includes independence from traditional authorities, attention to social problems, the ability to acquire new experience, faith in science and reason, aspiration for the future, a high level of educational, cultural and professional aspirations.

The one-sidedness and theoretical shortcomings of modernization concepts were realized quite quickly. Their fundamental provisions were criticized.

Opponents of these concepts noted that the concepts of “tradition” and “modernity” are asymmetrical and cannot constitute a dichotomy. Modern society is an ideal, while traditional society is a contradictory reality. There are no traditional societies at all, the differences between them are very great, and therefore there are not and cannot be universal recipes for modernization. It is also incorrect to imagine traditional societies as absolutely static and motionless. These societies are also developing, and forced modernization measures can come into conflict with this organic development.

It was also not entirely clear what was included in the concept of “modern society.” Modern Western countries undoubtedly fell into this category, but what about Japan and South Korea? The question arose: is it possible to talk about modern non-Western countries and their differences from Western ones?

The thesis that tradition and modernity are mutually exclusive has been criticized. In fact, any society is a fusion of traditional and modern elements. And traditions do not necessarily hinder modernization, but can in some way contribute to it.

It was also noted that not all the results of modernization are good, that it is not necessarily systemic in nature, that economic modernization can be carried out without political modernization, that modernization processes can be reversed.

In the 1970s, additional objections were raised against modernization theories. Among them, the most important was the reproach of ethnocentrism. Since the United States played the role of a model to strive for, these theories were interpreted as an attempt by the American intellectual elite to comprehend the post-war role of the United States as a world superpower.

A critical assessment of the main theories of modernization ultimately led to the differentiation of the very concept of “modernization”. Researchers began to distinguish between primary and secondary modernization.

Primary modernization is usually viewed as a theoretical construct that covers a variety of sociocultural changes accompanying the period of industrialization and the emergence of capitalism in individual countries of Western Europe and America. It is associated with the destruction of previous, primarily hereditary, traditions and the traditional way of life, with the proclamation and implementation of equal civil rights, and the establishment of democracy.

The main idea of primary modernization is that the process of industrialization and development of capitalism presupposes as its prerequisite and main basis individual freedom and autonomy of a person, an expansion of the scope of his rights. Essentially, this idea coincides with the principle of individualism formulated by the French Enlightenment.

Secondary modernization covers sociocultural changes occurring in developing countries (third world countries) in a civilized environment of highly developed countries and in the presence of established patterns of social organization and culture.

In the last decade, when considering the process of modernization, the modernization of former socialist countries and countries that freed themselves from dictatorship has attracted the greatest interest. In this regard, some researchers propose to introduce the concept "tertiary modernization" denoting to them the transition to modernity of industrially moderately developed countries, which retain many features of the previous political and ideological system, which hinder the very process of social transformation.

At the same time, the changes that have accumulated in countries of developed capitalism required new theoretical understanding. As a result, theories of post-industrial, super-industrial, information, “technotronic”, “cybernetic” society appeared (O. Toffler, D. Bell, R. Dahrendorf, J. Habermas, E. Gudzens, etc.). The main provisions of these concepts can be formulated as follows.

The post-industrial (or information) society is replacing the industrial one, in which the industrial (ecological) sphere is predominant. The main distinctive features of post-industrial society are the growth of scientific knowledge and the movement of the center of social life from the economy to the sphere of science, primarily to scientific organizations (universities). It is not capital and material resources that are the key factors in it, but information, multiplied by the spread of education and the introduction of advanced technologies.

The old class division of society into those who own property and those who do not (characteristic of the social structure of industrial society) is giving way to another type of stratification, where the main indicator is the division of society into those who own information and those who do not own it. The concepts of “symbolic capital” (P. Bourdieu) and cultural identity emerge, in which the class structure is replaced by a status hierarchy determined by value orientations and educational potential.

The old economic elite is being replaced by a new intellectual elite, professionals with a high level of education, competence, knowledge and technologies based on them. Educational qualifications and professionalism, and not origin or financial status, are the main criteria by which access to power and social privileges is now achieved.

The conflict between classes, characteristic of industrial society, is replaced by a conflict between professionalism and incompetence, between the intellectual minority (elite) and the incompetent majority.

Thus, the modern era is an era of dominance of science and technology, educational systems and mass information. In this regard, key provisions have also changed in the concepts of modernization of traditional societies:

1) it is no longer the political and intellectual elite that is recognized as the driving force of modernization processes, but the broadest masses, who begin to act actively if a charismatic leader appears, pulling them along;

2) modernization in this case becomes not a decision of the elite, but a mass desire of citizens to change their lives in accordance with Western standards under the influence of mass communications and personal contacts;

3) today, not internal, but external factors of modernization are emphasized - the global geopolitical balance of power, external economic and financial support, the openness of international markets, the availability of convincing ideological means - doctrines that substantiate modern values;

4) instead of a single universal model of modernity, which the United States had long considered, the idea of driving centers of modernity and model societies appeared - not only the West, but also Japan and the “Asian tigers”;

5) it is already clear that there is not and cannot be a unified process of modernization; its pace, rhythm and consequences in various areas of social life in different countries will be different;

6) the modern picture of modernization is much less optimistic than the previous one - not everything is possible and achievable, not everything depends on simple political will; it has already been recognized that the whole world will never live the way the modern West lives, therefore modern theories pay a lot of attention to retreats, retrogressions, failures;

7) today modernization is assessed not only by economic indicators, which have long been considered the main ones, but also by values and cultural codes;

8) it is proposed to actively use local traditions;

9) today the main ideological climate in the West is the rejection of the idea of progress - the main idea of evolutionism; the ideology of postmodernism dominates, and therefore the very conceptual basis of the theory of modernization has collapsed.

Thus, today modernization is seen as a historically limited process that legitimizes the institutions and values of modernity: democracy, market, education, sound administration, self-discipline, work ethic. At the same time, modern society is defined either as a society that replaces the traditional social structure, or as a society that grows out of the industrial stage and carries all its features. The information society is a stage of modern society (and not a new type of society), coming after the phases of industrialization and technologization, and is characterized by a further deepening of the humanistic foundations of human existence.

Seminar lesson plan

1. Peculiarities of perception and thinking in traditional cultures.

2. Review of the main theoretical concepts of traditional thinking.

3. The main features of traditional culture, its features in comparison with modern culture.

4. The specifics of the functioning of things in traditional culture.

5. Custom and ritual in traditional culture. Specifics of ritual in modern culture.

6. Problems of modernization of traditional societies. Basic provisions of modernization theories.

Topics of reports and abstracts

1. L. Levy-Bruhl about the features of traditional thinking.

2. K. Levi-Strauss on primitive culture.

3. M. Cole and S. Scribner on the connection between thinking and culture.

4. Rite and ritual in the system of symbolic means of culture.

Literature

Bayburin A.K. Ritual in traditional culture. - St. Petersburg, 1993.

Belik A.A. Culturology. Anthropological theories of cultures. - M., 1998.

Bromley Y.V. Essays on the theory of ethnicity. - M., 1983.

Ionin L.G. Sociology of culture. - M., 1996.

Clix F. Awakening Thinking. - M., 1983.

Cole M., Scribner S. Thinking and culture. - M., 1994.

Lévy-Bruhl L. The supernatural in primitive thinking. - M., 1994.

Lévi-Strauss K. Primitive thinking. - M., 1994.

Mead M. Culture and the world of childhood. - M., 1988.

Sikevich 3. V. Sociology and psychology of national relations. - St. Petersburg, 1999.

Shtompka P. Sociology of social change. - M., 1996.

Ethnographic study of cultural symbols. - L., 1989.

Ethno-sign functions of culture. - M., 1991.

2. globalization of the economy and financial system

3. informatization of society becomes widespread

4. there is an increase in the working class

5. the main surplus product is produced in the agricultural sector of the economy 6. high birth rate

11. Read the statements below, each numbered.

D. Diderot: “If there is no goal, you do nothing, and you don’t do anything great if the goal is insignificant.”

A.I. Herzen: “The animal believes that its whole business is to live, but man takes life as an opportunity to do something.”

I.V. Goethe: “Behavior is a mirror in which everyone shows his own face.”

L.N. Bogolyubov: “Man is a biological being endowed with consciousness.” Determine which provisions of the text are:

A) factual nature B) nature of value judgments

12. Read the text below, in which a number of words are missing. _____ (1) is a small social _____ (2) based on consanguinity, marriage, whose members are united by joint housekeeping, living together, and close emotional ties. Family is also called social ____ (3), that is, a stable form of relationships between people that ensures the physical survival of its members, procreation, and ensuring the safety of members of their social group. The family provides primary ____ (4) children. In society, family relations are regulated by both moral and ethical standards and _____ (5). Well-being in the family depends largely on the state of the ____(6).

A) team B) socialization C) society D) group E) marriage

E) institute G) law 3) family

1. What meaning do social scientists give to the concept of “freedom”? Based on your knowledge and life experience, compose two sentences that reveal the meaning of the term “freedom” using specific examples.

2. In philosophy, the debate about what should be considered criteria for social progress is still ongoing. What criteria for progress do you know? Specify at least three criteria.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Russian publicist and thinker of the 19th century. V. G. Belinsky wrote: “A living person carries the life of society in his spirit, in his heart, in his blood: he suffers from its ailments, suffers from its suffering, blooms with its health, blissfully enjoys its happiness, outside of his own, his personal circumstances." Based on the author's judgment, knowledge of the course of social studies and history; personal social experience, give three explanations (arguments) to justify the inextricable connection of a person with society.

4. The English philosopher G. Buckle wrote: “In the old days, the richest countries were those whose nature was most abundant; Today the richest countries are those in which people are most active.” How does this statement, uttered nearly two centuries ago, reflect an understanding of the evolution of human society? Determine the main vector of development of society. What, in your opinion, are the core values of modern society? Please indicate any two values.

5. Industrialization in the USSR led to the development of modern industry, but was accompanied by infringement of the rights of citizens. What property of social progress is illustrated by this example? Give two examples of your own that illustrate this property.

6. According to researchers, in the 80s of the XX century. the totality of such benefits of civilization as a house or apartment, transport, communications, education, regular recreation and social security was used by about 40% of earthlings, whereas at the beginning of the 20th century. - only 1%. Draw three conclusions from the given data.

7. The modern world is called networked. Many scientists note that the computer and the Internet have become symbols of the modern world and man. Formulate your point of view on the role of the computer and the World Wide Web in the life of modern society. Give two arguments to support it.

8. American political scientist S. Huntington concluded that “it is easier to destroy a traditional society than to modernize it.” What is the understanding of modernization in social science? What problems of modernization of traditional societies does the author have in mind? Specify any two problems.

9. Traditional societies are characterized by patriarchal social relations. List any three manifestations of patriarchal social relations in traditional society.

10. A well-known contemporary public figure said that in the era of globalization, isolation within national borders is “tantamount to mass suicide.” Based on your knowledge of the social science course, give three arguments to support your stated position.

11. Globalization entails not only positive but also negative consequences. Thus, in particular, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger emphasizes that globalization has had a serious impact on the security of the world community. What three arguments can confirm the truth of Kissinger's words?

12. Many prominent scientists and public figures believe that the leading value of modern society is innovation. Apple founder Steve Jobe said, “Innovation makes a leader.” Give any three arguments to support your point of view.

13. Population growth in developing countries has made the food problem more acute. To solve this problem, an extensive path of agricultural development is used - the development of ever new lands. This leads to the deforestation of large areas of tropical forests. The intensive development of agricultural production associated with the use of modern technology is often inaccessible to these states due to their economic backwardness. What global problems are interconnected here? List three problems.

OPTION 5

1. A system of generalized views on the world, on a person’s place in this world, a person’s attitude to the world, as well as beliefs and views based on this, a person’s life position, his feelings and ideals, principles of behavior and value orientations is called

2. Mythology is

1. a form of worldview based on the belief in the presence of supernatural, fantastic forces influencing human life

2. a form of social consciousness, the worldview of ancient man, a society that combines the features of a fantastic and realistic perception of the surrounding reality

3. philosophical worldview, which is based on an explanation of the surrounding world, natural phenomena through the power, omnipotence and infinity of cosmic forces

4. a type of philosophical worldview that explains the existence of reality through the dominance of a single supernatural force - God

3. Which of the proposed statements are true?

A. The statement: “The historical process is a natural phenomenon that has its own objective laws” is true from the point of view of rationalist philosophers.

B. Statement: “the historical process cannot be considered as a chain of natural phenomena in the life of society, it is only a chain of accidents.”

1. only A is true 3) both statements are true

2. only B is true 4) both statements are incorrect

4. Fill in the blank in the diagram:

5. The process of purposeful, active reflection of reality in the human mind is called cognition, the term “the doctrine of knowledge” corresponds to

1. agnostic

2. gnostics 3) agnosticism 4) epistemology

6. Below are a number of terms. All of them, with the exception of two, relate to the rational form of knowledge.

Reason, reason, instinct, experience, inference, intuition.

7. The main means of philosophical knowledge (or methods of philosophy) are:(Use the Internet)

1. dialectics 2. Epistemology 3. Dogmatism 4) eclecticism

5) medieval studies 6) oriental studies

1. What meaning do social scientists put into the concept of “worldview”? Using the knowledge of the social science course, compose two sentences, one revealing the structure of the worldview, and the second the form of the worldview.

2. You are instructed to prepare a detailed answer on the topic “Society and its systemic structure.” Make a plan according to which you will cover this topic. The plan must contain at least three points, of which two or more are detailed in subparagraphs.

3. Make a complex plan for a detailed answer on the topic “Society and Nature.”

4. Make a complex plan for a detailed answer on the topic “Basic institutions of society.”

5. Make a complex plan for a detailed answer on the topic “Social progress as a set of progressive changes in society and its contradictions.”

6. Make a complex plan for a detailed answer on the topic “Traditional society and its features.”

7. Make a complex plan for a detailed answer on the topic “Information society and its features.”

8. Make a complex plan for a detailed answer on the topic “The process of globalization and its contradictions.”

9. Make a complex plan for a detailed answer on the topic “Scientific and technological revolution - a sharp leap in the development of society.”

OPTION b

1. Science that studies a system of generalized views on the world, a person’s place in this world, a person’s attitude to the world, as well as beliefs and views based on this, a person’s life position, his feelings and ideals, principles of behavior and value orientations is called

1. philosophy 2. Worldview 3) religion 4) morality

2. Are the following judgments true?

A. Worldview has a greater degree of scientificity and theoretical validity than philosophy.

B. Worldview is based on common sense and worldly wisdom of a person, his practical experience; worldview does not require theoretical justification. 1. only A is true 3) both judgments are correct

3. Dialectics - in the philosophy of Ancient Greece, this term, introduced into circulation by Socrates, meant exactly this -(Use the Internet)

1. a development process inherent in matter, manifested in a variety of forms and contradictions 2. a development process inherent only to man

3. a developmental process inherent only to biological species

4. the art of arguing

4. The sphere of life of people as biological organisms is called

1. stratosphere 2. Atmosphere 3) lithosphere 4) noosphere

5. Are the following statements true?

A. Human knowledge is divided into positive, associated with specific sciences and corresponding to what actually exists, and ideological, focused on establishing order, norms, values, ideals, and rules of human behavior.

B. Knowledge of specific sciences is true because it can be verified, clarified, and is subject to logical criteria of truth. 1. only A is true 3) both judgments are correct

2. only B is true 4) both judgments are incorrect

6. Read the passage below in which a number of words are missing. Select from the list provided the words that need to be inserted in place of the gaps.

_____ (1) is a form of conscious human activity, and freedom is purposeful activity, where the goal is determined by _____ (2) itself without outside influence. _____ (3) achieving a goal - actions that the individual chooses based on available capabilities. Freedom is, first of all, the need to achieve ____ (4). Freedom is also a philosophical _____ (5), understood by the individual as a perceived necessity, which means making a choice in accordance with one’s interests and goals. Although a person cannot choose an objective reality for activity, and this means the absence of absolute freedom, a person can retain the ability to choose the goal and means of achieving the goal - and this is ____ (6) freedom.

A) activity B) relativity C) personality E) goal D) means

Answer:

Traditional (agricultural);

Industrial;

Post-industrial (informational).

American political scientist S. Huntington concluded that “it is easier to destroy a traditional society than to modernize it.” What is the understanding of modernization in social science? What problems of modernization of traditional societies does the author have in mind? Specify any two problems.

Answer:

1) Modernization - the transformation of a traditional society from an agricultural one to a modern one, characterized by rapid growth rates, the role of industry, the service sector, modern modes of transport and communications.

2) problems of modernization of traditional societies:

Dynamic system

C 6. List any three features that characterize a society - an open dynamic system.

Answer:

connection between society and nature,

the presence of subsystems and other structural units (spheres of society, public institutions),

the relationship of parts and elements of the social structure,

constant changes in the life of society.

PROGRESS

7. The English philosopher G. Buckle wrote: “In the old days, the richest countries were those whose nature was most abundant; Today the richest countries are those in which people are most active.” How does this statement, uttered nearly two centuries ago, reflect an understanding of the evolution of human society? Determine the main vector of development of society. What, in your opinion, are the core values of modern society? Specify any two values.

ANSWER:

– curtailment of the development of new fields, etc.

2) the main one is determined social development vector, For example:

– development of technology, methods of human influence on the environment, ways to satisfy growing human needs.

3) values of modern society:

A person’s initiative, free implementation of his requests;

Dynamic development, the ability of society to quickly master innovations;

Rationalism, scientificity, technology

C 5. Explain what social scientists call “social progress.” Write two sentences using this concept in the context of social science knowledge.

Answer:

1) Social progress is the progressive development of society or social progress is the process of social development;

2) directions of social progress: “Social, progress is directed towards improving society”;

criteria for social progress: “For a long time, social progress was associated with the development of material technologies”;

the contradictory nature of social progress: “Manifestations of social progress are contradictory - the development of some spheres and institutions, as a rule, is accompanied by the decline and crisis of others.”

C6. Name any three characteristics of society as a dynamic system.

Answer:

1) integrity;

2) consists of interconnected elements;

3) elements change over time;

4) changes the nature of the relationship between systems;

5) the system as a whole is changing.

C 5. What meaning do social scientists put into the concept of “social relations”? Using knowledge from the social science course, compose 2 sentences containing information about social relations.

Answer:

Social relations are diverse connections that arise between and within social groups in the process of practical and spiritual activities of people.

1) Social relations develop in all spheres of people’s lives.

2) Not all connections that arise between people relate to social relations.

C 6. American political scientist S. Huntington concluded that “it is easier to destroy a traditional society than to modernize it.” What is the understanding of modernization in social science? What problems of modernization of traditional societies does the author have in mind? Specify any two problems.

Answer:

1) Modernization - the transformation of a traditional society with an agricultural economy into a modern one, characterized by rapid growth rates, the leading role of industry, services, modern types

transport and communications.

2) problems of modernization of traditional societies,

– the predominance of statics in traditional society, the dominance of the attitude towards the reproduction of the old;

– wary attitude towards new things, difficulty in perceiving and mastering them.

C7. Russian publicist and thinker of the 19th century. V.G. Belinsky wrote:

“A living person carries in his spirit, in his heart, in his blood the life of society: he suffers from its ailments, is tormented by its sufferings, blooms with its health, blissful with its happiness, outside of his own, his personal circumstances.”

Answer:

P explanations connections between man and society

1) a person “suffers from the ills of society,” for example, in fascist Germany, many Germans supported Hitler and his activities, or silently accepted what was happening without trying to resist, thereby becoming accomplices of the fascists;

- a person “suffers from the suffering of society,” for example, at the beginning of the 20th century, many representatives of the intelligentsia were aware of the crisis state of society, the failure of the autocracy, were in a painful search for a way out, and were thinking about what to do. In this case, different solutions were found, they went into the revolution, into the liberal opposition, the split and turmoil of the country were transferred to the minds and souls of individual people;

- a person “blooms with the health of society, enjoys its happiness,” for example, there are times of general joy, triumph, unity of a person with society as a result of some common victories, for example, every Soviet person was involved in the victory over fascism, the first manned flight into space. In this case, the joy of society becomes the joy of the individual.

The confrontation between traditional and modernized (modern) cultures is increasingly becoming a fundamental problem of the modern era. It is this confrontation that has an increasing influence on the course of the cultural and historical process. The confrontation between “modern” and “traditional” arose as a result of the collapse of the colonial system and the need to adapt the countries that had newly appeared on the political map of the world to the modern world, Modern civilization. But in fact, the processes of modernization began much earlier, back in colonial times, when European officials, being firmly convinced of the beneficence and usefulness of their activities for the “natives,” exterminated their traditions and beliefs, which, in their opinion, were harmful to the progressive development of these peoples It was then assumed that modernization primarily meant the introduction of new, progressive forms of activity, technologies and ideas, that it was a means of accelerating, simplifying and facilitating the path that these peoples still had to go through.
The destruction of many cultures that followed violent “modernization” led to an awareness of the depravity of such an approach and the need to create scientifically based theories of modernization. In the middle of the 20th century. Many anthropologists have tried to analyze traditional cultures in a balanced manner without resorting to a universalist concept. In particular, a group of American anthropologists led by M. Herskowitz, during the preparation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, held under the auspices of the UN, proposed to proceed from the fact that in each culture standards and values have a special character, therefore every person has the right to live according to that understanding of freedom, which is accepted in his society. Unfortunately, the universalist point of view, stemming from the evolutionary approach, prevailed, and today this Declaration states that human rights are the same for representatives of all societies, regardless of their traditions. But it is no secret that the human rights written there represent postulates formulated specifically by European culture. And it was the evolutionist paradigm that formed the basis of the theories of modernization that appeared then.
It was believed that the transition from a traditional society to a modern one (and it was considered obligatory for all cultures and peoples) was possible only through modernization. This term is used today in several senses, so it should be clarified.
Firstly, modernization refers to the sum of all progressive changes in society; it is synonymous with the concept of “modernity” - a complex of social, political, economic, cultural and intellectual transformations that have taken place in the West since the 16th century. and reached its apogee today. These include the processes of industrialization, urbanization, rationalization, bureaucratization, democratization, the dominant influence of capitalism, the spread of individualism and motivation for success, and the establishment of reason and science.
Secondly, modernization is the process of transforming a traditional, pre-technological society into a society with machine technology, rational and secular relations, and highly differentiated social structures.
Thirdly, modernization refers to the efforts of backward or underdeveloped countries to catch up with developed countries.
Based on this, modernization in its most general form can be considered as a complex and contradictory sociocultural process, during which the institutions and structures of modern society are formed.
Scientific understanding of this process has found expression in a number of heterogeneous concepts of modernization, seeking to explain the process of a natural transition from traditional societies to modern ones and further to the post-modern era. This is how the theory of industrial society (K. Marx, O. Comte, G. Spencer), the concept of formal rationality (M. Vsber), the theory of mechanical and organic modernization (E. Durkheim), and the formal theory of society (G. Simmel) arose. Differing in their theoretical and methodological settings, they are nevertheless united in their neo-evolutionist assessments of modernization, arguing that:
- changes in society are unilinear, therefore, less developed countries must follow the path of the developed ones:
- these changes are irreversible and lead to the inevitable finale - modernization;
- changes are gradual, cumulative and peaceful;
- all stages of this process must inevitably be completed;
- internal sources of this movement are of particular importance;
- modernization will improve life in these countries.
It was also recognized that modernization processes must begin and be controlled “from above” by the intellectual elite. In essence, this is a conscious copying of Western society.
All theories considered the mechanism of modernization as a spontaneous process. It was assumed that if the interfering barriers were removed, everything would go by itself; it was enough to show the advantages of Western civilization (at least on TV), and everyone would immediately want to live the same way.
But reality has refuted these wonderful theories. Not all societies, having seen the Western way of life closer, rushed to imitate it. And those who followed this path quickly became acquainted with the other side of this life, faced with increasing poverty, social disorganization, anomie, and crime. In addition, the decade has shown that not everything in traditional societies is bad and some of their features coexist perfectly with ultra-modern technologies. This was proven primarily by Japan and South Korea, which cast doubt on the previous firm orientation towards the West. The historical experience of these countries forced us to abandon theories of unilinear world development as the only true ones and formulate new theories that revived the civilizational approach to the analysis of ethnocultural processes.
Among the scientists who studied this problem, S. Huntshton should be mentioned first of all. Studying various theories of modernization, he identified nine main characteristics that are found in explicit or hidden form in all authors:
1) modernization is a revolutionary process, because it presupposes the radical nature of changes, a radical change in all institutions, systems, structures of society and human life;
2) modernization is a complex process, because it is not reduced to any one aspect of social life, but embraces society completely;
“L) modernization is a systemic process, because changes in one factor or fragment of the system determine changes in other elements of the system and lead to a holistic systemic revolution;
4) modernization is a global process, since, having once begun in Croatia, it has embraced all the world’s entities that have either already become Modern or are in the process of change;
5) modernization is a long process, although the scope of changes is quite large. ,voi its implementation requires the life of several generations;
6) modernization is a stepwise process, and all societies must go through the same stages;
7) modernization is a homogenizing process: if traditional societies are all different, then modern ones are the same in their basic structures and manifestations;
8) modernization is an irreversible process; there may be delays and partial retreats along the way, but... once begun, it cannot fail to end in success;
9) modernization is a progressive process, but although peoples may experience a lot of hardships and suffering along this path, in the end everything will pay off, since in a modernized society the cultural and material well-being of a person is immeasurably higher.
The immediate content of modernization is several areas of change. 13 from a historical perspective, this is synonymous with Westernization or Americanization, i.e. movement towards the type of systems that have developed in the USA and Western Europe. In the structural aspect, this is the search for new technologies, the movement from agriculture as a way of subsistence to commercial agriculture, the replacement of animal and human muscle power as the main source of energy with modern machines and mechanisms, the spread of cities and the spatial concentration of labor. In the political sphere - the transition from the authority of the tribal leader to democracy, in the educational sphere - the elimination of illiteracy and the growth of the value of knowledge, in the religious sphere - liberation from the influence of the church. In the psychological aspect, this is the formation of a modern personality, which is characterized by: independence from traditional authorities, attention to social problems, the ability to acquire new experience, faith in science and reason, aspiration for the future, a high level of educational, cultural and professional aspirations.
The one-sidedness and shortcomings of the fundamental provisions of modernization concepts were realized quite quickly.
Critics have noted that the concepts of “tradition” and “modernity” are asymmetrical and cannot constitute a dichotomy. Modern society is an ideal, while traditional society is a contradictory reality. There are no traditional societies at all; there are very great differences between them, and therefore there cannot be universal recipes for modernization. It is also incorrect to imagine traditional societies as absolutely static and motionless; they also develop; and forced modernization measures may come into conflict with this organic development.
In addition, it was not clear what was included in the concept of “modern society.” Modern Western countries certainly fell into this category, but what to do with Japan and South Korea? The question arose whether it was possible to talk about non-Western modern countries and their differences from Western ones.

The thesis that tradition and modernity are mutually exclusive was also criticized. In fact, any society is a fusion of traditional and modern elements. And traditions do not necessarily hinder modernization, but can in some way contribute to it.
It was also noted that not all the results of modernization are good, that it is not necessarily systemic in nature, that economic modernization can be carried out without political modernization, that modernization processes can be reversed.
In the 1970s Additional objections have been raised against modernization theories. () Among them, the most important 6i.lt reproach is ethnocentrism. Since the United States played the role of a model to strive for, the theories were interpreted as an attempt by the American intellectual elite to comprehend the post-war role of the United States as a world superpower.
A critical assessment of the main theories of modernization ultimately led to the differentiation of the very concept of “modernization”. Researchers began to distinguish between primary and secondary modernization.
Primary modernization is usually considered as a theoretical construct that covers a variety of sociocultural changes accompanying the period of industrialization and the emergence of capitalism in individual countries of Western Europe and America. It is associated with the destruction of previous, primarily hereditary, traditions and the traditional way of life, the proclamation and implementation of equal civil rights, and the establishment of democracy.
The main idea of primary modernization is that the process of industrialization and development of capitalism presupposes as its prerequisite and main basis individual freedom and autonomy of a person, an expansion of the scope of his rights. Essentially, this idea coincides with the principle of individualism formulated by the French Enlightenment.
Secondary modernization covers sociocultural changes occurring in developing countries (third world countries) in a civilized environment represented by highly developed countries and in the presence of established patterns of social organization and culture.
In the last decade and a half, the greatest interest has been in the modernization of former socialist countries and countries that have liberated themselves from dictatorship. In this regard, some researchers propose to introduce the concept of tertiary modernization, denoting the transition to modernity of industrially moderately developed countries that retain many features of the previous political and ideological system that hinder the very process of social transformation.
At the same time, the changes that have accumulated in countries of developed capitalism required new theoretical understanding. As a result, theories of post-industrial, super-industrial, information, “technotronic”, “cybernetic” society appeared (O. Toffler, D. Bell, R. Dahrendorf, J. Habermas, E. Guddens, etc.). The main provisions of these concepts are as follows.
Industrial society is being replaced by post-industrial (or information) society. Its main distinguishing feature is the growth of scientific knowledge and the movement of the center of social life from the economic sphere to the scientific sphere, primarily to scientific organizations (universities). It is not capital and material resources that are the key factors in it, but information multiplied by knowledge and technology.
The old class division of society into those who own property and those who do not (characteristic of the social structure of industrial society) is giving way to another type of stratification, where the main indicator is the division of society into those who own information and those who do not own it. The concepts of “symbolic capital” (P. Bourdieu) and cultural identity emerge, in which the class structure is replaced by a status hierarchy determined by value orientations and educational potential.
The old economic elite is being replaced by a new intellectual elite, professionals with a high level of education, competence, knowledge and technologies based on them. Educational qualifications and professionalism, and not origin or financial status, are the main criteria by which access to power and social privileges is now achieved.
The conflict between classes, characteristic of industrial society, is replaced by a conflict between professionalism and incompetence, between the intellectual minority (elite) and the incompetent majority.
Thus, the modern era is an era of dominance of science and technology, educational systems and mass information. In this regard, key provisions have also changed in the concepts of modernization of traditional societies:
It is no longer the political and intellectual elite that is recognized as the driving force behind modernization processes, but the broadest masses; if a charismatic leader appears, they become active.
Modernization in this case depends not on the decision of the elite, but on the mass desire of citizens to change their lives in accordance with Western standards under the influence of mass communication and personal contacts.
Today, the emphasis is not on internal, but on external factors of modernization - the global geopolitical balance of power, external economic and financial support, the openness of international markets, the availability of convincing ideological means - doctrines that substantiate modern values.
Instead of the single universal model of modernity that the United States had long considered, the idea of driving epicenters of modernity and model societies emerged - not only the West, but also Japan and the “Asian Tigers.”
It is already clear that there cannot be a unified process of modernization; its pace, rhythm and consequences in different areas of social life in different countries will be different.
The modern picture of modernization is much less optimistic than the previous one - not everything is possible and achievable, not everything depends only on political will; it is recognized that the whole world will never live the way* the modern West lives, therefore modern theories pay a lot of attention to retreats, reversals, failures.
Today, modernization is assessed not only by economic indicators, which have long been considered the main ones, but also by values and cultural codes.
It is proposed to actively use local traditions.
Today, the main ideology in the West is the rejection of the idea of progress (the main idea of evolutionism), the ideology of postmodernism dominates, and therefore the very conceptual basis of the theory of modernization has collapsed.
So today modernization is seen as a historically limited process that legitimizes the institutions and values of modernity: democracy, market, education, reasonable administration, self-discipline, work ethic. At the same time, modern society is defined in them either as a society that replaces the traditional social structure, or as a society that grows out of the industrial stage and carries all of these features. The information society represents a stage of modern society (and not a new type of society), coming after the phases of industrialization and technologicalization and characterized by a further deepening of the humanistic foundations of human existence.

LITERATURE
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The destruction of many cultures that followed such violent “modernization” led to an awareness of the depravity of such an approach, and to the need to create scientifically based theories of modernization that could be applied in practice. In the middle of the century, many anthropologists attempted a balanced analysis of traditional cultures, based on the rejection of the universalist concept of culture. In particular, a group of American anthropologists led by M. Herskowitz, during the preparation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, held under the auspices of the UN, proposed to proceed from the fact that in each culture standards and values have a special character and that therefore every person has the right to live according to that understanding freedom, which is accepted in his society. Unfortunately, the universalist point of view, which stemmed from the evolutionary approach, prevailed; it was the evolutionary paradigm that formed the basis of the theories of modernization that appeared then, and today this declaration states that human rights are the same for representatives of all societies, regardless of the specifics of their traditions. But it is no secret that the human rights written there represent postulates formulated specifically by European culture.

Firstly, modernization means the entire complex of progressive changes in society; it is synonymous with the concept of “modernity” - a complex of social, political, economic, cultural and intellectual transformations that have been carried out in the West since the 16th century and reached their apogee. These include the processes of industrialization, urbanization, rationalization, bureaucratization, democratization, the dominant influence of capitalism, the spread of individualism and motivation for success, and the establishment of reason and science.

Secondly, modernization is the process of transforming a traditional, pre-technological society into a society with machine technology, rational and secular relations.

Thirdly, modernization refers to the efforts that backward and underdeveloped countries make to catch up with developed countries.

Scientific understanding of this process has found expression in a number of concepts of modernization, heterogeneous in composition and content and not representing a single whole. These concepts seek to explain the process of natural pe-; transition from traditional societies to modern ones and further - to the post-modern era. This is how the theory of industrial society (K. Marx, O. Comte, G. Spencer), the concept of formal rationality (M. Weber), the theory of mechanical and organic modernization (E. Durkheim), the formal theory of society (G. Simmel) arose, which, differing in their theoretical and methodological settings, they are nevertheless united in their neo-evolutionist assessments of modernization, arguing that:

1) changes in society are unilinear, therefore, less developed countries must follow the path of the developed ones;

2) these changes are irreversible and are heading towards the inevitable finale - modernization;