METAMODERN SOCIOLOGY: LEGITIMIZATION OF THE PRECARIATE IN THE AESTHETIC PARADIGM

Abstract

This article is dedicated to analyzing the social foundations of metamodern culture in the context of transformations in the social space of the early 21st century. It critiques the reductive understanding of metamodernism merely as an aesthetic sensibility, emphasizing instead its deep entanglement with social transformations and structural shifts in society. The theoretical framework of the study is grounded in the works of U. Beck, A. Giddens, G. Standing, as well as in methodological approaches drawn from actor-network theory and topological analysis, which enable the interpretation of culture as a complex network of socially conditioned meanings and preferences. A key theme is the influence of socio-economic changes on the aesthetic paradigm of metamodernism. The article traces how shifts in societal structures—particularly the emergence of the precariat—shape new forms of aesthetic demand. Special attention is given to the legitimization of new cultural forms by art institutions. The study also examines the consequences of the post-ideological era, the ideological crises of multiculturalism, the rise of imagined communities, and cultural responses to global migration processes.

The article further analyzes symbolic expressions of contemporary identity through the lens of the 60th Venice Biennale of 2024, where the theme of "the Other" acquired profound cultural significance. At the center of analysis is the ambivalence of the contemporary West, which simultaneously reproduces colonial narratives and seeks critical reflection upon them. The article concludes that metamodernism is not merely an aesthetic phenomenon but primarily a social one, representing a networked logic of cultural formation in the new post-industrial age. It argues that within metamodern culture, aesthetics serves not only a representational function but also a legitimizing one—responding to a social reality shaped by new classes, altered labor markets, and global identities.