The current discourse of modernity has produced many new terms to reflect the multiple conditions of social change. However, they do not automatically suggest a direct transition from the traditional but rather support a recursive modality in which present changes are not construed as fully independent of reclaimed past beliefs and actions. By comparing these terms in relation to globality, reflexivity and multiplicity, the fate of traditions is once again given due attention through a focus on their revival and reinvention. This attention is vital for elucidating the privileging of tradition rather than its displacement in social change.