What is
Modernization?
According to the Merriam-Webster
dictionary, modernization is the state of being modernized; having
characteristics of the present or most recent period of development. It is a
revolutionary transition from an old-fashioned society to one that is
considered ‘modern’. The teleology of modernization is described in social
evolution theories followed by the societies which are now known as
‘modernized’.
Historians and sociologist may link
modernization to the processes of urbanization, rationalization and
industrialization. As sociologist say, “When modernization increases within a
society, the individual becomes that much more important, eventually replacing
the family or community as the fundamental unit of society.”
Modernization has been used widely by today’s
rapidly developing societies and communities to aid in their development. In
countries like China, modernization is said to be the most useful framework in
their history.
Traditional beliefs and
old-fashioned cultural traits become less important in societies undergoing the
process of modernization. Instead of being cooped up in conventional practices,
modernized societies tend to arrive at governance dictated by abstract
principles and greater appreciation of innovations.
Some believe that science,
technology and education are the best ways to make a society modernized, some
believe in the importance of a “special path” or standing out, and some has
tried isolation.
It has also been said that democracy
follows modernization. As Seymour Martin Lipset said, “All the various aspects
of economic development--industrialization, urbanization, wealth, and
education--are so closely interrelated as to form one major factor which has
the political correlate of democracy.”
Each society can transcend from
traditionalism to modernization and those who do usually follow more or less
similar paths. More modernized societies are wealthier, more powerful, has a
visibly higher standard of living and the citizens experience more freedom and
privileges brought about by modernization.
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