Postmodern Theory. Critical Interrogations (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Theory and Politics of Postmodernism: By Way of an Introduction
Postmodernism and Society, 1990
Many sociologists, cultural commentators, literary theorists and philosophers have been intrigued by the idea of postmodernity for some time now, and this interest is reflected in the considerable outpouring of writing on the topic which has appeared over the last year or two. There seems, however, to be scant agreement on how the crucial terms in these discussions are to be understood. 'Modernity' and 'postmodernity', 'modernism' and 'postmodernism' appear and reappear in philosophical, literary and other texts in what is at first sight a bewildering array of guises. Combined, especially in Britain, with a scepticism towards fashionableespecially French-debates as well as resistance to what are seen as trendy neologisms, particularly in the realm of culture and aesthetics, there is a danger that much of the debate about postmodernism will remain on the academic and cultural margins, the property of an avant-garde but held generally in deep suspicion and even derision by the rest. This collection is offered in the belief that the debate about postmodernism addresses issues that are actually of crucial significance to the humanities and the social sciences and, more
Capital & Class, 1991
The claims currently being made on behalf of post modernism are nothing if not diverse-everything from architecture through formal theoretical developments to the organisation of the economy is now said to be post-modernist. Strange perhaps, then, that outside of the aesthetic sphere we heard so little, relatively speaking, about modernism. Still the very diversity of the arguments in its favour suggest that 'postmodernism' denotes something more than a passing fancy. Reactions on the Left to the phenomenon have varied from the openly hostile, dismissing the case as no more consequential than the cultural coke of metropolitan intellectuals, to the enthusiastic embrace, identifying postmodern identities as the bearers of a new decentralised and potentially democratic 'New Times'. What is involved in these contrary assessments and what, precisely, is the condition of postmodernity or the postmodern condition? At one level, 'postmodernism' is a term of cultural analysis, referring to changes in the forms of production, media of distribution and modes of consumption of artistic creation.
Playing Games with Postmodernism
Is ‘ postmodernity’ anything more than something dreamed up by sociologists? Has the term any salience as a description of a stage in the development of society after capitalism? Has the cultural phase, ‘modernity’, actually reached its end allowing ‘post-‘?Here, the agrument is that ‘postmodernity’ and thus postmodernism and postmodernists are products of a series of moves in a game played by sociologists. The purpose of the game is to establish the centrality and importance to society of this group of authors who lay claim to features of ‘postmodernity’ like ‘identity’ and ‘belonging’ and to their sole abilities to identify these for ‘society’. An account is offered of the moves, of the implementation and of the outcome. The account is itself a critique of ‘theorising’ and appeals to symbolic interactionists and ethnomethodologists, not to be distracted and to focus on getting sociology’s work done.
This material has been published in American Literature in Transition, 1990-2000 edited by Stephen J. Burn. This version is free to view and download for personal use only. Not for redistribution , resale or use in derivative works.
A CRITIQUE OF THE THEORY OF POSTMODERNISM
Postmodernism as a theory stems from the critical school, though many critical scholars often dissociate themselves from the postmodernist view. This essay is an attempt to critique the theory of postmodernism in the international system. The essay traces postmodernism to the widespread ideas of literary critics where it expanded to architecture, and geography. As an intellectual movement, it represents the thoughts of Focault, Derrida and Baudrillard among others. The essay points out the nature of post modernism in the international system and the criticisms of the theory. The paper is divided into an introductory part, a conceptual clarification, and a brief discussion of the history of Postmodernism. The use of postmodernism in international relations analysis is equally attempted. The criticisms of the theory are equally explained. The essay ends in a conclusive note that summarizes the main content of the paper.
Postmodernism Revisited: Current Trends and Interpretations
2013
In the contemporary vocabulary, the term “postmodern” has a central significance. It became a kind of cultural extension, a general milieu favourable for polemics. Postmodernism was theorized in many fields, such as architecture, philosophy, art, literature, geography, but its wide use does not mean that it is also strictly defined or general accepted. Postmodernism is rather a paradoxical concept, with many contradictions that cause hermeneutic difficulties. We can’t talk about a unitary theory, a set of principles and postulates or a unique definition, albeit there are some thinkers who consider that besides differences, the disparate trajectories of postmodern meet in a consistent paradigm. Anyhow, the identity of this phenomenon is still controversial and a lot of interrogations are open: is postmodernism a cultural movement, an academic field or just an evanescent fashion/trend? Does it represent an overcoming of the modern perspective, a radicalization, a negation or just a pa...