The Political Sociology of Late Modernity: Political Individualization

Abstract

The form of neoliberal capitalism outlined in the Introduction both exists under and gives shape to the condition of late modernity. These two are not intended to be synonyms; late modernity encompasses the logic of social processes while neoliberalism classifies a type of capitalist economy. Since both focus upon claims of globalization and individualism, it may seem plausible that there is an ‘elective affinity’ between them. However, as this chapter suggests, this relies upon a myopic reading of late modernity. Here I will outline the challenges that the emergence of late modernity has posed for sociology — more specifically, political sociology. The three ‘representatives’ of this argument will be Zygmunt Bauman, Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens. This discussion will discuss the centrality given to individualization by all three in both their analytical theory and their normative alternatives. This has been, in various ways, problematic in each case, so I will also outline a way of rethinking individualization based upon empirical research in the field.KeywordsTheoretical BackgroundPolitical ActionLife PoliticsConsumer MarketRisk SocietyThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.