Postmodernism

Historical Development

As the ‘post’ indicates, postmodernism is in part a response to the positions of modernism. Some theorists view postmodernism as a continuation of modernism in its pursuit of individual truths and blurring of high and low culture. Others view postmodernism as a distinct divergence or correction to modernism because of its more self-aware contextualization, its more thorough scepticism and the rejection of progression or any foundational truths—individual or collective.

Postmodernism rose in prominence during and following the Cold War decades as traditional structures and institutions of meaning continued to lose standing. Especially in Western Europe and the USA, people increasingly lost confidence in their governments through war and scandals and lost faith in religion as the old cultural traditions for the pursuit of a meaningful life suffered in competition with increased individual freedoms and opportunities, however constrained. These cultural changes occurred at a time when easier travel, increased migration and the expansion of broadcast and interactive media were crumbling traditional boundaries.

The events of September 11, however, signalled to many an end to the rise of postmodernism. The consequences of a relativist view of truth became more problematic in a world where differing versions of truth contributed to terrorist acts. While the blurring of boundaries and the fusion of entertainment and reality that distinguished the attacks were considered the [Page 634]hallmarks of postmodernism—the news footage frequently was said to resemble that of a Hollywood disaster film—the stakes were far greater than the weight of postmodern theory. Still, postmodernism remains widely influential within critical theory.

Key Figures and Contributions