Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
CHAPTER1
CrisisoftheJudeo-Christianfoundations
offamilylife
1010Transformationsoffamilylife
Wewitnessaprocessofanewcultureemerging,calledbyonegroupapost-
modernculture,1ormodernity’sreflexivitybyothers.2Pursuanttomodern
terminology,onecansaythatpresentformsoffamilyturnouttobeliquid(term
proposedbyZygmuntBauman)or,inGiddens’sterms,onecansaythatfamily
formsaresubjecttoconstantreviewsandreforms(reflexivityofmodernity).Dif-
ferenttransgressionsoffamilyformsanddemographictransitionobservedare
thosefactorswhichshapetheimageofmodernfamilyinasignificantmanner.
1Z.Bauman:LiquidModernity.Cambridge2000.
2Giddensquestionsthedefinitionofpost-modernitytodrawattentiontoanewqualityof
modernityincurrentsocialchanges:“Ratherthanenteringaperiodofpost-modernity,weare
movingintooneinwhichconsequencesofmodernityarebecomingmoreradicalisedanduni-
versalisedthanbefore.Beyondmodernity,Ishallclaim,wecanperceivethecontoursofanew
anddiferentorder,whichis“post-modern”;butthisisquitedistinctfromwhatisatthemoment
calledbymanypost-modernity”(A.Giddens:TeConsequencesofModernity.Stanford1996,
p.3).Tocontinuethisreflectiononthepresenttimesandterminologyusedtodefinethem,one
mayaddthatGiddens-whiledefiningpresentmodernityasaphaseofmodernity’sreflexivity
(“wehavenotmovedbeyondmodernitybutarelivingpreciselythroughaphaseofitsradica-
tisation”),whichcoversalsoinstitutionsandpeople(“socialpracticesareconstantlyexamined
andreformedintolightofincominginformationaboutthoseverypractices”)-statesthatinthis
sense,modernsocialpractices(institutions)continueandareingoodcondition(e.g.,modern
rationalisation,capitalism,andnation-states).Mentalchanges,crisisofideologicalandreligious
“grandnarrative,”aswellasareformofinstitutionsarejustnaturalconsequencesof“reflexivity
ofmodernity”andnotadiferentimageofthecivilisationstage.However,inaccordancewith
Giddens,aperspectiveofpost-modernityappearsonthehorizon,beingachanceforradically
diferentsocialorganisationforwhichnewsocialmovementscall,interalia.Still,suchanew
civilisationstagerequiresanewpost-capitalisticeconomicordertoemergeintheformofsocia-
lisedorganisationofeconomyandnew,centralised,globalpower(“worldgovernment”),which
wouldbeabletoreacttonew,global,ecological,political,andeconomicchallenges(seeA.Gid-
dens:TeConsequencesofModernity…,pp.38,51,168).
