The Modernisation of Germany: an Unfinished or Radicalised Project?
The Modernisation of Germany: an Unfinished or Radicalised Project?

Summary/Abstract: The modernisation of Germany coincided with the most important phase of urban development. With the upcoming industrialisation, the emergence of modern urban life was based on a modern class formation rooted in professional and occupational status. The city has thus become the place where different social groups integrate, and it allows the individual some freedom to choose intimate relationships. Today, this logic of integration is under great pressure as neither work nor the traditional neighbourhood currently plays this role. The transformation to a radicalised modernity is worked out in this article with regard to the integration of the ethnic “other”. It shows that contemporary urban life in Germany is characterised by a double-edged process: ongoing segregation on a micro-level and adaptation towards a generalised stranger.

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