Second modernity

Second modernity is a concept coined by the German sociologist Ulrich Beck. According to Beck, we have, since the 1960s, slowly moved away from a first, linear industrial phase of modernity into a second, reflexive phase, which he calls second modernity. The shift from first to second modernity reflects a transformation from industrial to risk society. Second modernity is a concept coined by the German sociologist Ulrich Beck. According to Beck, we have, since the 1960s, slowly moved away from a first, linear industrial phase of modernity into a second, reflexive phase, which he calls second modernity. The shift from first to second modernity reflects a transformation from industrial to risk society.