ABSTRACT
Tradition and modernity are generally viewed as polar opposites in classical sociological thinking. According to the linear model of development (e.g., Lerner 1958; Rostow, 1960), as societies modernize, tradition gradually loses its significance and its role as a support mechanism. An important assumption in this model of change is that traditions are impediments to the development of a modern society and are things of the past. It is now clear, however, that neither traditional societies are homogeneous and static structures, nor are tradition and modernity mutually exclusive systems. There is an increasing awareness that the old is not necessarily replaced by the new, and the outcome of the fusion of modern and traditional forces is often a hybrid formation, rather than clash of opposites.
