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M. Peltonen Modernization Theory and the Problem of Historical Time

Abstract: The paper considers important and changing ideas about the qualitative characteristics of various periods of time and of the transitions between them. Soon after the Second World War a new social science theory emerged in the United States. It gained a hegemonic position in Western social thinking for the following decades until at least the 1970s. And some of its basic assumptions proved even more enduring. Here I try to assess the meaning of modernization theory on how we think of historical time. Historical time is a difficult concept (as are all concepts of time), because it is used implicitly. For me it means collective ideas about time that differ from physical time and calendar time. Often we discuss notions of historical time as periodization and use quite abstract labels for long periods of time (e.g. Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Modern Times). In addition, we have important and changing ideas about the qualitative characteristics of various periods of time and of the transitions between them


Keywords:

Modernization theory, historical time, modern society, industrialization, World-Economy.


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