What is postmodernism?

Two time periods - ‘GOOD OLD DAYS’ – baby’s get christened, life was predictable, firm beliefs, clear identity, things were well structured.

Modern age ‘Good old days’ Postmodern age Production, community life, social class, family, a belief in continuity and situation, role of education, a one way media, overt social control, nationhood, science aided progress, finding the truth

Consumption, fragmentation (individualism), identity from other sources, families (many options), breakage with past/tradition, education for what, duality of life (interchange / choice),covert control (cctv), global, science is only one source of knowledge – plurality of truths now

Structure/security/place/stabilityYou know who you were

Confusion/lack of structure/incessant choiceYou create who you want to be

Key features – Truth is relative Consumerism is all ‘want, want, want!!’ society – children xmas –

MATERIALISM Transformation of the self (pick ‘n’ mix) / globalisation Disillusionment with the idea of progress / impact of ICT on social

life Uncertainty, incessant choice / fragmentation of social life

Post Modernism – Modern age has lost desire for enlightenment (don’t want to know

truth) People less likely to follow ridged ideology Greater pluralism is modern life – no absolutes Cultures/structures are fragment – less predictable Tradition labels or categories - loss relevance We recreate the past and blend it with the present (films) – think it’s

true Globalisation has narrowed time and space

Jacques Derrida Logocentrism = all forms of thought are based on an external point

of reference which is held to exist and given a certain degree of authority

Modernism = logocentrism Post modernsits this and argue that trying to tell the ‘big story’ is

now impossible Social structure is in a state of flux (flowing)

All meaning is now relative and socially constructed – individual tellsyou what in means; you believe it.

Reality is fragile and confusing

Jean Francois Lyotard (1984( Society has helped destroy the metanarratives All metanarratives are simplistic and reductionist We should focus on playing language games to explore the many

narratives that exist Knowledge is no longer a tool of the authorities – we have

choice/freedom Actions/ideas are now judged on how useful they are – rather than

how true they are Metanarrative or grand narrative or mater narrative is a term coined

by Lyotard to mean a theory that tries to give a totalizing, comprehensive account to various historical events/’creation’

Jean Baudrillard ‘We are constantly surrounded by an ecstasy of communication

and that communication is sickening’ We are now just customers whose desires are created by the

media We pursue the images attached to the products ‘Simulacra’ – make believe goods which bear no relationship to

the real world We live in hyper-realities in which appearances are everything IMAGE IS EVERYTHING

Reality TV Illustrates the interchange between the consumer and the media They are ‘real people’ who can be observed and scrutinized They do not entertain – rather than exist… mish mash of cctv

surveillance and game show In the real world they are talentless nobodies who are treated as

stars