Existence theory and contemporary culture

This chapter builds further on ‘existence theory,’ an approach to sociological theorizing inspired by existentialist philosophy. In particular, it examines contemporary cultural developments through the lens of this theoretico-methodological perspective. The chapter consists of two parts. First, it outlines the main tenets of existence theory, with a particular focus on key concepts such as ‘existential milestones,’ ‘existential ladder,’ ‘existential urgency,’ and ‘contradictory milestones.’ Second, it points out the unique features of contemporary culture in relation to this theoretical framework, arguing that an erstwhile rigidity as to which milestones need to be achieved and by when is less applicable in many contemporary Western societies – at least for some sectors of those societies – than it was in the past. This ‘existential problematization’ manifests itself in a variety of ways, through ‘existential individualization’ (flexibility as to whether to accept or reject milestones), ‘existential fluidity’ (ability to articulate the milestones in a unique fashion), ‘temporal flexibility’ (flexibility as to timing of the achievement of the milestones), ‘sequential flexibility’ (flexibility as to the sequence by which milestones are achieved), and ‘existential politicization’ (greater symbolic significance and display). Finally, the chapter argues that existential problematization ties in with broader issues about different forms of social inequality such as race, class, and gender.