Post Modernism Assess Question 33 Marker

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Post modernism is based on ideas by a sociologist called Foucault, One of the main assumptions which postmodernists reject is relativism, which claims that there is no such thing as objective, valid knowledge. They don’t see this to be desirable. postmodernists are critical of the metanarratives of grand theories on grounds that theyve helped to create oppressive states that distort their version of the truth on people e.g. Soviet Union/Marxism = slave labour camps.

Baudrillard like lyotard, sees society as having entered postmodernity and he relates this change to language and knowledge. However, unlike Lyotard, he is pessimistic about this change. Baudrillard sees society as having moved away from buying and selling of good to the buying and selling of signs and images. Baudrillard calls these signs simulacra – they are not signs of something real e.g. Tabloid newspaper articles about fictitious soap opera characters are signs about signs rather than about reality. Baudrillard describes this situation as hyper-reality; where the signs appear more real than reality. However, as the signs do not represent anything real they are literally meaningless. For this reason Baudrillard is very critical of the Mass media especially TV.

Postmodernists argue that culture and identity in postmodern society differ fundamentally from modern society, especially because the role of the media in creating hyper reality, the media present an endless stream of ever changing images, values and versions of the truth. As a result culture is fragmented and unstable, so there is no fixed shared set of values by members of society.

This also undermines people’s faith in metanarratives – confronted by so many versions of the truth people struggle to believe in one truth. Further people fail to believe in the possibility of delivering a better society and rational progress. We now construct our own identity from a range of images and lifestyles on offer in the media. This can be easily changed by changing our consumption patterns – simply picking and mixing something different. Post modernism is good because it makes some important points about today’s society, such as the significance of the media for culture and identity. Some also argue that its rejection of all embracing meta-narratives is valuable.

Some criticisms of postmodernism are - MARXISTS like PHLO AND MILLER state that it Ignores power and inequality, e.g. the idea that media images are unconnected with reality ignores the ruling class’ use of the media as a tool of domination. Similarly, the claim that we freely construct our identities through consumption overlooks the effect of poverty in restricting such opportunities. POSTMODERNISTS are simply wrong to claim that people cannot distinguish between reality and media image. BEST AND KELLNER point out that postmodernism is a particularly weak theory: while it identifies some important features of today’s society (such as the importance of the media and consumption) it fails to explain how they came about. POSTMODERISM are criticised for their pessimism about the Enlightenment project- their view that objective knowledge is impossible and that nothing can be done to improve society.

Unlike postmodernism, theories of late modernity argue that the rapid changes we are witnessing are not the dawn of a new era, postmodern era. Instead they are part of modernity.

They recognise something important is happening. In their view things have just become more intensified.

If this is true modern theories are still useful- unlike postmodernists. Giddens claims we are now at the stage of late or high modernity. We are experiencing rapid changes – often on a global scale. This is because of two key features of modernity – Disembedding and reflexivity, Disembedding – today we no longer need face to face contact in order to interact

We are forced to become reflexive – we are all continually re-evaluating our ideas and theories – nothing is fixed or permanent.

Some strengths of late modernity are they provide a sociological alternative to postmodernism. They show that rational analysis of society remains possible. They also recognise that, while our knowledge may never be perfect we can still use it to improve society and reduce the risks we face/risk society. However they are criticised for the concept of relexity because it suggests that we reflect on our actions and then are free to re-shape our lives accordingly to reduce our exposure to risks. HOWEVER, not everyone has this option. E.g. the poor generally are exposed to more environmental risks because they are more likely to live in heavily polluted areas, but may be unable to afford to move to a healthier one.

Marxists believe in the Enlightenment project like Beck and Giddens of achieving objective knowledge and using it to improve the world.

However, Marxists Jameson and Harvey believe we have moved form a modern to a postmodern era.They differ from postmodernists in that they see postmodernism as a stage of capitalism rather than a break with the past. They refer to flexible accumulation – a new way of achieving profit and how this brought about changes in consumption. It turned leisure, culture and identity into commodities. They become an important source of profit. Thus, postmodernism is a more developed version of capitalism.

They also argue flexible accumulation has brought political changes – weakening oppositional parties and bringing in a new variety of parties e.g. Green party. Harvey argues that this more developed form of capitalism also leads to another feature of postmodernism which is the compression of time and space. What do you think this means? Thus, Marxist theories of postmodernism differ on two grounds; 1. They retain Marxist theory to explain changes – capitalism and 2. They claim the goal of Enlightenment to change society for the better can still be achieved. However, this does mean Marxist have abandoned the idea of a revolution achieved by the working classes.

In conclusion in my opinion we have entered a post-modern age but the original modernism theories we have are still valid and useful at understanding society they just need updating slightly to make them more suitable for todays evolved society. Also, I believe that before thatcher we were still living in late modernity but after thatcher brought great changes to suggest that we are now living a new era, and new theories isn’t crucial or necessary.

‘Society has now entered a new, postmodern age and we need new theories

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