Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
18
I.CultureataCrossroads
Temostpredictableidentityappearedinthepre-industrialstageofso-
cialdevelopment,althoughinthemodernsocietyitwasstillvalid.Yet,the
successivestageswerebecomingmoreandmoreunpredictable,whichgave
identityissuescentralpositioninthescientificinvestigations.Predictability
increatingidentityprojectswasaconsequenceoftheexistenceoftwosocial
conditions:
•sustainabilityofsocialstructuressurroundingtheunit,whichmostlydidnot
changealongthelifetrajectoryofindividuals,
•thesestructureseńectivelyresistedreforms,tendencytowardschange,individ-
ualandcollectivefashions.
Televelofmacro-socialphenomenawasindependentofwhathappened
atthemicro-level.Tespatialandsocialmobilityoftheunitsalsodidnot
havethefeaturesofrevolution,hencetheidentityoftheunitwasakindof
focusinglensoftheelementsofsocialisationtakingplaceinafixedcultural
andsocialstructure.Teymarkedtheplace(territory)oflifeoftheunit,
usuallywithinasmallcommunityinwhichthetrajectoriesofhumandes-
tiniesrun.AdescriptionofthefateoftheinhabitantsofTelIlanvillagein
Israel,writtenbyAmosOz,mayserveasanexample.Hedepictsthejoysand
tragediesofhumanlifeinvolvedincalmand,atthesametime,mysterious
countrylife(Oz2010).
duringthetransitionfrommodernitytopostmodernity,workwasslowly
losingitscentralplaceinfavouroffreedomandindividualismoftheunit.A
man,previouslyattachedtoaterritoryandconnectedbyasocialbondwith
otherunits,becameamanlookingfornewexperiences.uTis[…]progressive
strengtheningofthemotif,[was]organisingthemajorityofhumanactivities
andshapingtheaspirationsandlifeplansoftheunits”(bokszański2007:10).
Tismeans-accordingtoUlrichbeck-thatu[…]industrialsocietygrows
weakerintheprocessofself-realisation[…]”(beck2002:22)andindividuals
havethedesiretolivetheirownlives,manifestedinmakingunfettereddecisions
invariousareasandundertakingtheirownautonomousactions.Freedomof
choiceoftheunit,combinedwiththeflexibilityofsocialstructures,allowsthe
formationofindividualidentityinlatemodernity(postmodernity).AsNicolas
Rosewrites:uContemporaneityisbuiltontheassumptionthataunituninhibited
inhislherdecisionsandchoicesofcoursesofactionisitsfundamentalelement”
(Rose1996:320).Amanhasbecomethestartingpointofaction,itsinitiator,
ratherthanbeingexclusivelyresponsivetostimuliandembeddedintheassigned
placeofbirthwithintheculturalandsocialstructure.Inthiscontext,theplace
becomesmeaninglessinthefaceoferadicatingmechanisms,andtheprimary
factorchangingthisstateofańairsisnottheintensificationofmobility,butthe
factthattheplacesbecamecompletelypenetratedbythesemechanismswhich
combinedlocalactivitiesinspace-timerelationshipsofanever-growingrange.
Aplacebecomesanillusion(Giddens2001),whichmaybedescribedbythe
