Liquid modernity and power: A dialogue with Zygmunt Bauman¹

In this discussion, Zygmunt Bauman and Mark Haugaard debate the relationship of the changing nature of liquid modernity. They analyze how power relations in liquid modernity use a fundamentally different logic from solid modernity. In the former, power is exercised by controlling limiting possibilities, while the liquid modern elites dominate through uncertainty and insecurity. The contemporary condition is characterized by insatiable consumption, mobility, the contingency of social relations and flexibility. The old elites sought ‘cultural capital’ while the new elites ‘consume’ and ‘seduce’.