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In this new book, Bauman examines how we have moved away from a'heavy' and 'solid', hardware-focused modernity to a 'light' and'liquid', software-based modernity. This passage, he argues, hasbrought profound change to all aspects of the human condition. Thenew remoteness and un-reachability of global systemic structurecoupled with the unstructured and under-defined, fluid state of theimmediate setting of life-politics and human togetherness, call forthe rethinking of the concepts and cognitive frames used to narratehuman individual experience and their joint history. This book is dedicated to this task. Bauman selects five of thebasic concepts which have served to make sense of shared human life- emancipation, individuality, time/space, work and community - andtraces their successive incarnations and changes of meaning. Liquid Modernity concludes the analysis undertaken inBauman's two previous books Globalization: The HumanConsequences and In Search of Politics. Together thesevolumes form a brilliant analysis of the changing conditions ofsocial and political life by one of the most original thinkerswriting today.… (more)
User reviews
Particularly striking is Bauman's hypothesis that liberalism has lead us to this world of individuality which, while allows us to make our own way in the world and find our own purpose, when things go wrong, it is equally up to us to take care of ourselves. Social safety nets and a sense of community have all been reduced to near nothingness and this hyper-individuality removes our connection to the concept of the citizen while yearning to be part of something greater.
He leaves me thinking about how we can find a middle ground between communitarianism and individualism, how we can rekindle the spirit of citizenship and involvement, and turn the concept of competition to something that benefits ALL people, not just the winners.