| Summary: | The paradigm of multiple modernities proposes that alternative modernities have formed across the globe as a result of social change. This paradigm stands in contrast to evolutionary and modernization theories, as well as theories of globalizing modernity, which argue that all societies are moving in the similar direction and that Western modernity is universalizing. Focusing on two specific trends, which are the closure of the political sphere for students and young people in general versus the growing role of women in the political sphere, it is suggested in this case study that Namibia is one of the societies that is characterized by distinctive social change. Particular attention is paid to the interrelationships between customs, invented traditions and the modern Western condition drawing on quantitative and qualitative data on Namibian university students and an extensive literature review to demonstrate that Namibia has an alternative type of the modern.
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