Study on Multiple, Selective and Entangled Modernities

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In recent years there is an increasing support for the thesis that the modernity and modernization must be thought in plurals, in other words, that what happened and is happening really must be recognized as multiple modernities. The conception of multiple modernities are shared especially by those theoreticians of modernity and modernization who are working in historical connection with the religious sociology of Max Weber and who are leading a critical dialogue with the modernization scheme of Jurgen Habermas. On the other way we are confronted with the provocative approach of some post-colonialists who are proclaiming the conception of entangled modernities. The emphasis lies on the assumed underlying direct connection between the colonial modernity and modernity of western metropolis. In addition to those two interpretations of modernity there is also a productive attempt of those sociologists stemming from the theoretical tradition of Elias to connect two approaches above mentioned with a comparative studies of civilization. From this point of view modernity shows not only in non-European regions, but also in Europe itself the striking variety and multiplicity. Along with it the civilization related view reveals modernity itself as a civilization on its own. This modern civilization entails so many contradictions and tensions as so many other civilizations. And this variety of contradictions and tensions in the modernity itself is an important factor in the encounter of non-western civilization with a expanding western modernity, a factor which has its expression in so many options which another civilizations underwent and so many institutional realization of modernity. In a series of workshops we could have with this research program we could exemplify this new paradigm by using many concrete studies on various countries and regions.