Imaginary (sociology) - Taylor

Taylor

Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor expands on the concept of Western imaginaries in his book "Modern Social Imaginaries" (2004). He attempts to describe modernity and modern morality as a system of mutually beneficial spheres, in particular the public sphere of Habermas, market economy, and the self-government of citizens within a society.

While Taylor considers that '"social imaginary" usefully names a reciprocity of the individual and the community, as well as a reciprocity of understanding and behaving in the social world' applicable to all societies, he emphasizes above all 'the basic features of the modern social imaginary - virtuality, self-constitution, reflexivity...the social contract, market exchange, public opinion'.

Taylor has acknowledged the influence of Benedict Anderson in his formulation of the concept of the social imaginary. Anderson treated the nation as 'an imagined political community...nation-ness, as well as nationalism, are cultural artifacts of a particular kind'.

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