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Modernization
Modernization is a process of political, social, economic, and cultural change as countries move toward more differentiated and complex forms of social and political organization. The main theoretical contribution to the study of modernization has been that of American postwar sociological theories. These theories are typically developed around the implicit or explicit dichotomy between two ideal types: “modern” societies, which are depicted as urban, developed, or industrialized, and “traditional” societies, which are usually portrayed as rural, backward, or underdeveloped. An evolutionary process that follows certain laws or, at least, discernible general patterns of development connects these two types of social structure. The underlying assumption of the postwar modernization theories is that all societies follow a similar historical course of development, eventually leading to increasing differentiation ...
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