Introduction

In a discussion on the value framework of social action the importance of the theories of modernization and postmodernization cannot be overestimated. They provide two powerful theoretical approaches to study of social change in contemporary society. One may ask: are people of less developed countries, or those not yet fully modern, modernizing, or they are simultaneously or directly postmodernizing? What is the direction of social change here? What can we learn additionally from the theory of postmodernization which was missing in the theory of modernization? To answer these questions we have to first define modernization and postmodernization more precisely and distinguish clearly between these two concepts. Finally, one may ask a pertinent question: where is man more happy, in a traditional society, in a modern society or in a postmodern society? Did postmodernization make man happier than modernization?

For the beginners, modernization is a common term loosely used for development and progress. For a long time the people of the developing countries wanted to be modern as an individual as well as the nation. Modernization is still the most attractive goal of planning in most countries. The term postmodernization is not so well defined. It is used in several senses. It refers to advanced modernization, to post-industrial society, to knowledge society, to service society, to reflexive modernization, to plural societies and to risks and uncertainties of the contemporary modern societies. In several countries of the world the processes of modernization and postmodernization are overlapping and this complicates the exploration of pre-modern, modern and post-modern tendencies.