The Concept of Modernity in the Work of Anthony Giddens

U radu autor problematizira sociološke diskurse pojma modernosti kao ključnog koncepta sociološke teorije. Cilj mu je ukazati na temeljne postulate moderno ustrojenog društva, pri čemu se referira na koncept modernosti koji je u svojim djelima razvio Anthony Giddens analizirajući raznovrsne promjene u društvu, ekonomiji, politici, kulturi, religiji, znanosti i tehnici u posljednjih nekoliko stoljeća. U prvom dijelu rada autor predstavlja osnovne karakteristike predmodernog i modernog društva u kontrastu tradicije i modernosti te ustanovljivanje jednog bitno drukčijeg načina percepcije i organizacije društvenog života. Zatim se referira na glavna obilježja modernih multidimenzionalnih društvenih poredaka koja se tiču brzine i širine promjena. U nastavku su izložene Giddensove fundamentalne teorijske koncepcije modernosti: fenomenologija modernosti, nesigurnost i rizici upravljanja »Molohom« modernosti i pojam »radikalizirane modernosti«, kojim nastoji osporiti postmodernističku interpretaciju društva o istrošenosti »velikih narativa« i transformaciji iz modernog u postmoderno društvo. Zaključne misli analitički i kritički sumiraju Giddensove futurističke projekcije »utopijskog realizma« i viziju postmodernosti.In this paper the author deals with social discourses of modernity as a principal concept of sociological theory. His aim was to indicate the fundamental postulates of modern society by referring to the concept of modernity as laid out by Anthony Giddens in his work when analysing a multitude of changes in society, economics, politics, culture, religion, science and technology in the past few centuries. In the first part of the paper, the author presented the elementary features of pre-modern and modern society contrasted by tradition and modernity and the rise of an essentially different way of perceiving and organising social life. Then he proceeds to the main characteristics of contemporary multidimensional social orders concerning the speed and width of transformation. This is followed by the author’s reference to the main characteristics of modern, multidimensional social orders in terms of the dynamics and extent of change. Giddens’ fundamental theoretical concepts of modernity are laid out next: the phenomenology of modernity, insecurity and the risks of the management of the “Moloch” of modernity and the term “radicalised modernity”. The latter concept was used by Giddens to challenge the postmodernist interpretation of society in terms of uselessness of the “great narratives” and the transformation from modern to postmodern society. Concluding remarks summarised analytically and critically Giddens’ innovative projections of “utopian realism” and his vision of postmodernity