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This book introduces the concept of global modernity as a paradigm for the analysis of the contemporary era. Building on Parson´s distinction between social, cultural, personal and organismic systems, it presents a four-dimensional scheme that aims to identify modernity´s key structural components.

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1. Introduction 2. Phases of Modernity 3. Epistemological and Methodological Challenges 4. A Four-dimensional Scheme of Modernization 5. Global Modernization in Context 6. Two Aspects of Polycentric Modernity 7. Conclusion

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"To say this book is impressive would be an understatement. It gets at the heart of a matter that is central to the social sciences and that has been discussed for a long time. Highly thoughtful and extremely well written, the book combines a wealth of insights from a multitude of sources and disciplines. It thereby makes a major, fascinating contribution to our understanding of the contemporary world. A must read for anyone interested in social theory today." - Zaheer Baber, Professor of Sociology, University of Toronto, Canada

"One of the most rewarding books I´ve read in years, Global Modernity. A Conceptual Sketch offers a tour de force that can stand as a benchmark for future discussions of the subject. Its ideas are original and authoritative, well-formulated, and wondrously usable. The author treats major contributors to the debate on modernity deftly, respectfully, and creatively thereby manifesting a kind of civilized inquiry that is regrettably rare in academic discourse. Overall, I find Volker Schmidt´s book to be one of the very few statements in general sociological theory today worthy engaging with seriously." - Donald N. Levine, Peter B. Ritzma Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Chicago, USA

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Volker H. Schmidt is Associate Professor of Sociology at the National University of Singapore. He was formerly a Kennedy Memorial Fellow at Harvard University, USA, and he has held several fellowships at the University of Münster, Germany. Most recently, he was a Fellow at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Bielefeld, Germany.

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