Multiple studies have indicated that there are huge cultural change and the persistence of unique cultural tradition in the recent years. The theory and research on socioeconomic development in the current years have resulted in two opposing schools of thought regarding the factors influencing cultural change in modern society. One school places emphasis on the persistence of traditional value, which is not influenced by the political and economic changes. This school indicate that the values are independent hence not affected by the political and economic changes. On the other hand, the other school indicate that “modernization” has resulted in significant changes in culture. This school indicate that the political and economic forces promotes cultural change and thus are replacing traditional values with modern values. Therefore, the central thesis states that cultural change is majorly driven by political change and economic development.
Literature Review
Inglehart argues that cultural change is facilitated by economic growth and political change. Economic growth has been associated with universal cultural change. Industrialization fosters a decline in traditional values and replace it with modern values. The rise modernization generates a change towards a more post materialist, well-being, tolerance, and trust values. It is argued that economic growth tends to drive societies in a different direction leading to a decline in traditional value systems. Despite the cultural changes, Inglehart indicates that the traditional value systems are less likely to disappear but continue to demonstrate extraordinary durability and resilience. As much as the values can change, they also continue to reflect on the cultural heritage of a society. This is because these values are independent and generate distinctive value systems that continue after the impacts of economic growth are controlled. Inglehart argues that the modernist theorist are relatively right because the emergence of industrial society is associated with the shift from traditional value systems (Inglehart & Baker, 2000).
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Inglehart points out that although the economic development pushes societies in a common direction, they tend to move on parallel paths rather than converging. These parallel trajectories influenced by their cultural heritage. Inglehart points out that the forces of modernization may not generate a homogenized universal culture in the near future. Although he agrees with the modernists view, he proposes various modifications to be done on the modernization theory. He states that the emergence of service sector and the changes to a knowledge society are associated with a diverse set of cultural changes from the industrialization characteristics. Thus, this means that modernization does not take a linear path. Additionally, argues that prolonged economic collapse can change the impacts of modernization, which could contributes to a return to traditional values. Secondly, Inglehart suggests that the thesis of secularization is over-simplified (Inglehart & Baker, 2000). He points out that according to their evidence, this secularization thesis applies majorly to the industrialization phase in industrial societies that were advanced. The third proposal includes the modernist argument that the cultural change seems to take a dependent path. However, based on Inglehart evidence, he points out that the economic growth tends to generate persistent cultural changes, which remain distinctive throughout the wide range of attitudes and values because they are shaped by the cultural heritage that impact on the subsequent development. The fourth proposal is based on the argument that the modernist view is misleading. According to Inglehart, the industrializing societies are not becoming like America but rather it is people who hold differing beliefs and values thus United States is not a good example to use in cultural change. He indicates that societies that should be used to exemplify the cultural change include those of Nor-dic countries. Finally, Inglehart argues that modernization is not deterministic rather than probabilistic because the economic development changes a certain society in a predictable direction however, the path and the process are not inevitable. He points out that several factors are involved and thus any projection must be dependent on the cultural and historical context of the society in question (Inglehart & Baker, 2000).
Haller (2002) argues against the interpretation of Inglehart about the modernist theory. He states that, Inglehart misinterprets the modernist theory and fails to provide validity in his central theses. Haller argues that the modernist theory dose not focus on the concept of industrialization but rather focuses on capitalism. Capitalism is composed in tow levels including production relations and productive forces. He points out that the modernist theorist emphasized cultural change are determined ultimately by the productive relations and not the way Inglehart has interpreted. Inglehart theory has simplified this relationship whereby he indicates that the cultural changes are determined by the social groups who invent and develop ideologies based on the technical-economic changes. However, Haller points out the cultural values are the economic system and technological levels of a society and not social groups as stated by Inglehart. They are influenced by the bare technical-economic conditions that generate certain types of values. Therefore, Haller argues that Inglehart’s thesis should be questioned from the perspective of the current socio-economic trends.
According to Haller (2002), Inglehart hypothesis of the concept of industrialization is weak. The reason for this is because, Inglehart has included various activities in the concept of industrialization including the patterns of thinking and values, the development of knowledge, the level of technical development, the standards of living, and the occupational division of labour. Haller indicates that the use of all these characteristics seems to be a poor tool establishing specific hypotheses regarding the determinants of cultural change from traditional to modern societies. Therefore, he dismisses Inglehart theory arguing that it is weak and the approach to determining his central thesis is poor.
References
Haller, M. (2002). Theory and method in the comparative study of values: Critique and alternative to Inglehart. European sociological review , 18 (2), 139-158.
Inglehart, R., & Baker, W. E. (2000). Modernization, cultural change, and the persistence of traditional values. American sociological review , 19-51.
