Modernity

The concept of modernity has varied and complex uses but is generally used to designate one of three things: a historical era associated with a series of societal transformations that began in Europe and subsequently diffused to most of the globe, a distinctive form of consciousness or experience characteristic of that era, or an aesthetic or artistic movement (often referred to as “modernism”) concerned with exploring or representing this modern experience.

There is little agreement about the precise temporal boundaries of modernity, but its roots lay in the Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries and its development is linked to the rise of industrial capitalism in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. During this time, European societies witnessed a series of important political and economic transformations that are generally associated with the modern era, including the expansion of capitalist markets and the progressive development of a system of factory production coupled later with mass consumption; the growing importance of salaried employment and an increasingly sophisticated division of labor; a significant increase in urbanization and the growth of a cosmopolitan urban citizenry, spurred by the evolution of widespread literacy; the development of specialized forms of knowledge and expertise, including the familiar practices of governance, civil service, and planning and design; and, following the French and American Revolutions, the establishment of the modern state system, founded on principles of territorial sovereignty and some form of electoral democracy. These social and institutional transformations culminated in the form of society that characterized Western Europe and North America from the late 19th century through the 20th century. Although this particular view of modernity emerged in a specific time and place, it has nevertheless been held up by many as a more or less universal model to be emulated by societies around the world. Thus, those parts of the world labeled as traditional societies have been encouraged to foster development through the adoption of Western-style political and economic institutions, a process generally referred to as modernization.

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