Abstract

HUNT, Lynn. Modernity: Are Modern Times Different?^*. hist.crit. [online]. 2014, n.54, pp.107-124. ISSN 0121-1617.

"Modernity" has recently been the subject of considerable discussion among historians. This article reviews some of the debates and argues that modernity is a problematic concept because it implies a complete rupture with "traditional" ways of life. Studies of key terms are undertaken with the aid of Google Ngrams. These show that "modernity," "modern times," and "traditional" -in English and other languages- have a history of their own. A brief analysis of the shift from a self oriented toward equilibrium to a self oriented toward stimulation demonstrates that modernity is not necessary to historical analysis.

Keywords : Modernity; modern times; traditional; history of the self.

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