A term coined by the sociologist, George Ritzer, to describe the way contemporary societies are increasingly pervaded by bureaucratic modes of existence. Bureaucratic modes of existence entail high levels of control, predictability, efficiency, and quantifiability. The sociologist, Emile Durkheim, described preindustrial societies as being held together by the similarity of worldviews of their members. Preindustrial societies were typically agrarian, geographically limited, closed to extra-cultural influences, and morally cohesive. These traits of preindustrial societies Durkheim referred to as mechanical solidarity.
Modernism has a broad meaning base as it is used in various contexts.
Economists, political scientists, sociologists, psychologists, and anthropologists all speak of modernism, yet each with a different emphasis corresponding to the field of study. Literally, a story. A commonly accepted set of beliefs with which individuals and groups identify themselves. For example, every culture tell stories, or constructs narratives, of what it means to be member of that culture. American cultural narratives convey images of independent, rugged individuals, democracy, freedom, etc.