Theory of Modernity:

The main focus of the writing of Giddens is on the current period of

late modernity. He refers to the current as a continuation of the modern, rather than as post-
modern or post-structuralist or post-industrial. At the same time, he identifies some important
changes that characterize the current period – global influences and connections that have
created a more interdependent world and developments in communication and technology that
alter our perceptions of, and the influence of, time and space.

While Giddens does not deny that tradition is still an important influence in modern life, he
considers modernity to represent a qualitative change from earlier periods. Much along the same
lines as argued by critical and world – system theorists, he argues that the modern era is
characterized by continuous change, the expansion of capitalism, and the development of
industrialism or “machine technology to control and transform nature” (Adams and Sydie, p. 49).
The traditional social setting involved religion, community, and family as dominant forces guiding
individuals and group action and interaction in local settings. While these traditional features still
carry influence. Their dominance has been displaced by new systems and structures related to
capitalism, industrialism, and communication.
While Giddens draws on the insights of world – system and critical theorists, he adopts a more
optimistic point of view about our period of late modernity. At one level the new structures and
systems act as constraints on human actions, or at least individuals and groups must alter ideas
and action to deal with the new social realities. At the same time, it is through enacted social
practices that these systems and structures are reproduced. This creates the possibility of
change, as human action and interaction alter these ongoing practices – while some aspects of
system and structure are reproduced in unaltered form, others change as new social practices
emerge. In examining modernity in this setting, Gidden argues that social structures and systems
can also be considered to constitute opportunities within which individuals and groups can
exercise greater freedom and flexibility than in traditional settings.