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Assess the Contribution of Postmodernism to Sociologists Understanding of Crime and Deviance in Todays Society.

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Asses the contribution of postmodernism to sociologists understanding of crime and deviance in todays society.
Some sociologists believe that we now live in a post-modern society that has a distinct set of characteristics in comparison to modern society; Postmodernists reject the views of the modernist theorists as they claim that they are metanarratives (big stories). They believe that sociology needs to develop new theories so we can fully understand postmodern society, as society is constantly changing it is marked with uncertainty and therefore society is split into a variety of groups. This essay will discuss the changes that have taken place in postmodern society and how this impacts upon our understanding of crime and deviance.
Postmodernity has brought changes from modernity these changes include independence and choice. There is less focus on science, postmodernists reject scientific research methods in their research therefore postmodernists are criticised for being subjective. Lyotard argues that society is expanding due to the economic and scientific growth, knowledge is no longer a tool of the authorities, and we now have choice and freedom to believe what we want. Whereas Baudrillard argued that we are isolated and knowledge is filtered through businesses such as the media. We pursue the images attached to products; we now live in hyper-realities in which appearances are everything. This has lead to ‘death of the social’ which is a breakdown in social solidarity; people reflect the media portrayal of the individual leading to a identity crisis. While some people do live in reality, such as people in third world countries who are unable to get media. The growth of the media is due to an increase in technology which is another key feature of postmodern society. Most postmodernists argue that the hallmark of postmodern society is consumerism and

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