Rejection of meta-narratives Flashcards
Do Postmodernist support or reject Structuralism?
Reject.
PM argue directly against any structuralist approach, such as Marxism, Feminism, Functionalism
Name a Postmoderism that argues that society can no longer be understood in terms of “Grand Theories”
Michael Foucault
Do Postmodernist believe society can be understood in terms of Grand Theories”
No
PM, such as Michel Foucault argue - society can no longer be understood in terms of ‘grand theories’ – Theories that claim to have the ‘true story’ on how society is organised. Grand theories (or met-narratives – grand stories), such as Marxism and Functionalism are therefore completely rejected by PM.
What is the Relativity of Knowledge within Postmodernism?
‘relativity of knowledge’ – Everyone has viewpoints that are different, but equally valid. In PM we are not looking for absolute truths as these are irrelevant in our diverse and fragmented postmodern world
Do Postmodernists believe that there are social constraints on people?
PM do not believe that there are social constraints on people, unlike structuralist approaches. In a postmodern society, individuals as consumers, are making their own choices in education, health, family etc. and have control over their decisions and how they want to project an image of themselves onto others.
Postmodernism Knowledge/Truth.
Discuss and include one name.
KNOWLEDGE: Foucault argues there is not ‘ONE TRUTH’ (Grand theory), but many competing ‘TRUTHS’. People have become sceptical about science to change the world, ideologies such as socialism has been discredited with the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and therefore Postmodernists argue that the truth is unattainable and irrelevant in the postmodern world. Instead they stress the relativity of knowledge (yours v mine) rather than fact – knowledge, ideas and lifestyles are all different but all equal in what they are.
Postmodernism Perspective, what does it provide and what does it emphasis?
This perspective provides a new way of understanding contemporary society that moves away from scientific truth as a form of truth.
This perspective emphasises the importance of ‘freedom of choice’ when understanding human behaviour
Postmodernism argues that there is not One Truth. Which branches of sociology believe in one truth?
Marxists, Functionalists argue that there is only ‘one truth’ and that understanding society should be using scientific methods.
