Postmodernism Flashcards
Postmodernism
Postmodernism – the world is now characterised by Globalisation – increased interconnectedness across the globe.
Mass media – new forms of media infiltrating every aspect of life. ‘Hyper-reality’ – a lot of our lives are based on signs and images which don’t reflect reality.
Consumer society – everything is a product to be bought and sold. We create our identity through what we consume.
Cultural diversity and hybridity – difference is everywhere, fusions of different cultures
Rapid social change – things are no longer fixed (work / family / norms and values etc) e.g. how have norms around family changed?
Postmodernism continued
They argued that
Economies could no longer be classified as industrial as they were now post-industrial
The political, social and economic importance of class was in decline.
Rational scientific thought and methodologies couldn’t provide unquestionable truths.
Postmodernism attacked what it saw as the meta-narratives or ‘big stories’ of previous theories
Bauman
Bauman said change is the only permanence and uncertainty the only certainty”
“social forms decompose and melt faster than the time it takes to cast them”
Lyotard
Postmodernism means no more meta-narratives (big explanations or theories of how the world works)
Society is too complex for one single explanation
We have given up on hope of achieving progress through science.
We also no longer trust theories that claim to have THE truth about society. They are each just one version of reality
Baudrillard – media and identity
The media produce an ever changing stream of images, values and versions of the truth. Culture therefore becomes fragmented and unstable and there is no longer a fixed set of values for society.
People have a limited direct knowledge of the world and rely on the media for the vast majority of their knowledge.
The media leaves us unable to distinguish between image and reality and this means we have lost our power to improve society.
Hyper-reality
Baudrillard refers to such objects as “sign objects” and argues that so much of our lives are based around signs that have no basis or reality in themselves that we now live in a state of hyperreality – a world of image
Foucault – knowledge and power
Foucault – knowledge and power
Our sources of knowledge change over time. We used to look to religion for the answers and now we may look to science or experts.
However, there is no way of proving a particular source of knowledge as true – each discourse is true for those that believe it. There is no such thing as truth anymore.
evaluation of postmodernism
Postmodernism gives an important account of the big changes in today’s society, like the power of media and fragmented identities
Many argue change is possible and society can be improved
Ignores the significance of power structures like class and gender
Postmodernists argue all claims to truth are wrong and we no longer trust theories or ‘metanarratives’ so why should we believe Postmodernism?
