Degree Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
1991
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Sociology
First Advisor
Betty A. Dobratz
Abstract
Habermas argues that modernity leads to a rationalization of the lifeworld, resulting in a variety of crises or disturbances at the cultural, societal and individual levels. This has implications for the ability of the state to maintain legitimacy. Recent research has called for revisiting the notion that ideology is created within an interactive context, much like Habermas suggests. This project develops a structural equation model incorporating various operationalizations of the "colonized lifeworld" and then uses the model to explore what impact modernity, and more specifically, rationalization, has on political context and political participation. The utility of the model is examined for two birth cohorts in 1965, 1973 and 1982. The findings suggest that rationalization, as manifested in selected aspects of the lifeworld, has implications for selected elements of political context (discourse, interest, knowledge, and ideological sophistication) and political participation. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the legitimacy crisis for the state.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31274/rtd-180813-9273
Publisher
Digital Repository @ Iowa State University, http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/
Copyright Owner
Timothy Lee Buzzell
Copyright Date
1991
Language
en
Proquest ID
AAI9212133
File Format
application/pdf
File Size
228 pages
Recommended Citation
Buzzell, Timothy Lee, "Habermas and rationalization: an empirical model linking social integration, political context and political participation " (1991). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 9631.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/9631
Included in
Political Science Commons, Social Psychology Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons
