Revisiting Modernization: Theory, Critique, and Contemporary Perspectives

This research investigates the classical frameworks of modernization as a theoretical framework and a process of social transformation. In addition, alternative approaches such as dependency theory, world systems theory, and current approaches to modernity have been taken into account. This study uses qualitative analytical methods to investigate frameworks like structural functionalism and evolutionary theory. In this regard, analysis reveals that conventional framework view modernization as a linear and universal process in the context of Western experiences. This viewpoint is criticized as being Eurocentric as it ignores colonial and global disparities, and oversimplifies the distinction between traditional and modern societies. The study also shows that modernization is not linear; instead, this process is influenced by historical and structural contexts. This study also reveals that globalization has accelerated modernization owing to increasing interconnectedness that impacts cultures, causing heterogeneity, and resulting in hybridization in the social development process. Additionally, secularization, considered as a part and parcel of modernization by the traditional modernization framework, has been taken into account. The analysis of this study refutes this argument by revealing that religion continues to play an important role in modern societies. Finally, the analysis of Islam and modernization demonstrates that Islam does not oppose modernization as it approaches reason, governance, and social organization in unique ways. This study concludes that modernization is a complex and diverse process, and factors such as religion, cultural and social diversity, and historical context should be taken into account while explaining the framework of modernization in the global world.