{"product_id":"modern-social-imaginaries-paperback","title":"Modern Social Imaginaries - Paperback","description":"One of the most influential philosophers in the English-speaking world, Charles Taylor is internationally renowned for his contributions to political and moral theory, particularly to debates about identity formation, multiculturalism, secularism, and modernity. In \u003ci\u003eModern Social Imaginaries, \u003c\/i\u003e Taylor continues his recent reflections on the theme of multiple modernities. To account for the differences among modernities, Taylor sets out his idea of the social imaginary, a broad understanding of the way a given people imagine their collective social life. \u003cp\u003e Retelling the history of Western modernity, Taylor traces the development of a distinct social imaginary. Animated by the idea of a moral order based on the mutual benefit of equal participants, the Western social imaginary is characterized by three key cultural forms--the economy, the public sphere, and self-governance. Taylor's account of these cultural formations provides a fresh perspective on how to read the specifics of Western modernity: how we came to imagine society primarily as an economy for exchanging goods and services to promote mutual prosperity, how we began to imagine the public sphere as a metaphorical place for deliberation and discussion among strangers on issues of mutual concern, and how we invented the idea of a self-governing people capable of secular \"founding\" acts without recourse to transcendent principles. Accessible in length and style, \u003ci\u003eModern Social Imaginaries\u003c\/i\u003e offers a clear and concise framework for understanding the structure of modern life in the West and the different forms modernity has taken around the world. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Duke University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48710429081817,"sku":"9780822332930","price":26.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0787\/3121\/5065\/files\/9780822332930.jpg?v=1778805344","url":"https:\/\/www.blacknectarbooks.com\/products\/modern-social-imaginaries-paperback","provider":"blacknectar","version":"1.0","type":"link"}