Political modernization of non-Western countries: socio-cultural and civilizational features

Abstract

Introduction. The transition to a postmodern information society determines the intensification of modernization processes affecting almost all spheres of society, with political systems being no exception. For modern states, it is necessary to identify the features of political modernization, which are determined by the complex interaction of historical, cultural, socio-economic and geopolitical factors. Currently, there is no universal effective model of political modernization, and each country must seek its own path of development. Purpose. Analysis of modern theories and practices of political modernization and identification of features of political modernization of countries belonging to non-Western civilizations. Methods. The main theoretical methods include system analysis, socio-constructivist analysis, structural and functional method, socio-cultural analysis, institutional, neoinstitutional approaches. Results. It is revealed that the processes of modernization have significant differences depending on civilizational factors. If in the countries of Western civilization, modernization processes are determined by the historical evolutionary development of liberal values and political culture, then in non-Western civilizations, which include the civilizations of South Asia, Latin America, African-Islamic civilizations, Confucian civilizations, and Orthodox civilizations and the processes of political modernization are closely related not only to the socio-cultural, but also to the socio-economic state of the countries included in these non-Western civilizations. Conclusions. The theory of political modernization clearly shows how the gradual or spontaneous replacement of traditional socio-cultural values with civil values practically occurs during the democratization of the political system. Traditional socio-cultural values in non-Western civilizations are replaced by civil ones in various ways, which directly affects the intensity of the process of political modernization.