Modernity Studies

Social and cultural devices originating in Western Europe with the arrival of the modern period, such as the political principle of the nation-state, the economic principle of the market, the literary genre of the novel, and the artistic technique of perspective, have served to shape the basic framework of our contemporary world. Today, however, these principles constituting the Western European idea of "modernity" are being shaken to their roots along with the progress of globalization. This situation demands a reexamination of the meaning of "modernity" and an accurate reading of just where the world is heading in the prevailing upheaval. In its endeavor to cultivate firmly grounded capabilities of cogitation that are required for tackling actual issues, the Modernity Studies Group carefully analyzes modern and contemporary social thought, economic thought, political thought, esthetic discourse, and representative culture.