...Discourses of Postmodernism: Art and Architecture Figure 1. Marilyn Monroe This essay will look into the meaning of postmodernism, and the way the postmodern has changed the way art work has been perceived, and how it has affected specifically photography and architecture. It will be looking into the main theorist of postmodernism such as Jean Boudrillard and Marshall McLuhan to understand the history of where postmodernism originated from and how it has changed the way art and culture has been looked upon, I will be mentioning the works of William Eggleston, Andy Warhol and Cindy Sherman to clearly define some of the postmodern artists who are still very well-known today as much as they were known back in the 60s and 70s onwards. I will be explaining how postmodernism has changed and what is happening in today's society. What is the meaning of Postmodernism? Postmodernism is an exasperating term, and so are postmodern, postmodernist, postmodernity, and whatever else one might come across in the way of derivation. In the avalanche of articles and books that have made use of the term since the late 1950s, postmodernism has been applied at different levels of conceptual abstraction to a range of objects and phenomena in what we did call reality (Bertens,1995 p3). Postmodernism is also related to Modernism which refers to a certain period in Western culture, which covered the later Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries. However, others dated the movement in the 1960s after...
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...Postmodernism However in postmodernism, it holds an subjectivist ontology that reality is formed by one’s own experiences, assumptions and beliefs, which challenge the perspective of modernism (Hatch & Cunliffe 2006). Postmodernists view reality as an illusion that is formed based on language which is an instrument used by the elite to control the employee interpretation of a scenario and so lead them to satisfy their interests (Robbins & Barnwell 2002). In addition, through discourse and deconstruction, postmodernists can unveil the multiple interpretations of organizational reality, hidden power relationships, the repressed and marginalized of groups (Cunliffe 2008). It will provide a better understanding on the interpretations of the organizational reality, the influence on one thought and the constraints of the organizations. Postmodernist built their structure of organization on a horizontal level of hierarchy and they perceive power and control are integrated in everyday social relationships and organizational practices (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006). Postmodernist applies the concept of disciplinary power that was developed by Michael Foucault, a French philosopher. According to Foucault (1980), the concept of disciplinary power causes employees to engage in a self-surveillance behavior due to the anticipation of control and the self-disciplinary behavior which is view by the postmodernist as a discourse of power within the organization. He believes that disciplinary power...
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...Postmodernism is one of the three theories that offer an explanation to the changes from traditional society to the society we live in today. It has been influential in many areas, including Sociology. They argue that we are now living in an unstable, fragmented, media-saturated global village, where image and reality are indistinguishable. For postmodernists, this new kind of society requires a new kind of theory – modernist theories no longer apply. Many sociologists argue that we are now increasingly affected by globalisation which have been brought about through technological, economic, political and cultural changes. Postmodernists argue that there are no true foundations to knowledge which is known as ‘anti-foundationalism’. This view has two consequences. Firstly, although the Enlightenment project of achieving progress is true, the absence of scientific knowledge restricts them from guaranteeing their knowledge is correct, therefore they cannot use it to improve society. Sociologists would disagree and argue that knowledge can be used to solve human problems. The second consequence of their anti-foundationalism view is that postmodernists take a relativist position and reject all-embracing theories such as Marxism, and refers to them as meta-narratives that claim absolute truth. They believe that it is just someone’s version of reality, not the truth. Therefore there is no reason to accept the claims that the theory makes. Postmodernist Baudrillard argues that society...
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...‘Society has now entered a new postmodern age and we need new theories to understand to understand it.’ Assess this view. Sociologists all agree there is something called Modernity and Post Modernity-where they differ is which one they think society currently is. Theories such as feminism, Marxism, and functionalism are structural and believe society influences the individual. Whilst theories like post modernism and interactionism are non-structural and believe that the individual influences society. There are major changes that have occurred in society recently such as: the growing impact of new technology and the media, and new social and political movements (based on gender, environmental concerns and so on). What is being questioned is the nature, cause and effect of these changes which have different theories for explanation. The first argument is that the changes are so profound they represent a major shift from the modern century of the last two centuries, to a new post modern society. The second argument is that recent changes have been significant but they are still a part of modern society- just an intensification of the existing features of a modern society. The second argument is seemingly more valid, especially in terms of science and trying to prove post modernism. For post modernism argues that nothing can be proved to be true and take on a relativism method also supporting interpretivism. if this is the case the theory itself cannot be proven to be true hence...
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...Post Modern Approach Post modern approach Some of the key concepts and techniques common to both Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Narrative Therapy are: - Collaborative relationship between therapist and client - Client considered expert on own life - Focus on solutions (alternative stories) rather than problems - Positive (or optimistic) orientation - Emphasise client’s strengths rather than weaknesses - Clients set their own goals (take an active role) - Focus on the future - Use of questions - Belief that small steps lead to bigger changes - Postmodern idea that there are multiple realities and truths (they are not objective facts) - Importance of language An advantage of using both Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Narrative Therapy together is that the therapist has more techniques or strategies to draw on as they see fit for the each individual client. Due to the many similarities between the two combining seems very appropriate. Many of the basic concepts and techniques of these Postmodern approaches could be quite easily be integrated into other therapeutic perspectives. For instance, the Feminist Perspective with its focus on how gender-roles and how they affect present behaviour could benefit from the use of exception questions, the miracle question, deconstruction and the creation of alternative stories. Or the Reality Perspective with its focus on each individual being responsible for what they choose to do could benefit from the use of exception...
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...Postmodernism is dead A new exhibition signals the end of postmodernism. But what was it? And what comes next? by Edward Docx / July 20, 2011 / Leave a comment Published in August 2011 issue of Prospect Magazine I have some good news—kick back, relax, enjoy the rest of the summer, stop worrying about where your life is and isn’t heading. What news? Well, on 24th September, we can officially and definitively declare that postmodernism is dead. Finished. History. A difficult period in human thought over and done with. How do I know this? Because that is the date when the Victoria and Albert Museum opens what it calls “the first comprehensive retrospective” in the world: “Postmodernism—Style and Subversion 1970-1990.” Wait, I hear you cry. How do they know? And what was it? Postmodernism—I didn’t understand it. I never understood it. How can it be over? You are not alone. If there’s one word that confuses, upsets, angers, beleaguers, exhausts and contaminates us all, then it is postmodernism. And yet, properly understood, postmodernism is playful, intelligent, funny and fascinating. From Grace Jones to Lady Gaga, from Andy Warhol to Gilbert and George, from Paul Auster to David Foster Wallace, its influence has been everywhere and continues. It has been the dominant idea of our age. So what was it? Well, the best way to begin to understand postmodernism is with reference to what went before: modernism. Unlike, say, the Enlightenment or Romanticism, postmodernism (even as...
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...Society has now entered a new, postmodern age and we need new theories to understand it. Assess this view. (33 marks) Postmodernists argue that we are now living in a new era of postmodernity (an unstable, fragmented, media-saturated global village, where image and reality are indistinguishable.) In postmodern society, we define ourselves by what we consume. This is a fundamental break with modernity. They therefore take a relativist position. They argue that all views are true for those who hold them. No one has special access to the truth - including sociologists. All accounts of reality are equally valid and we should celebrate the diversity of views. Lyotard suggests that we have entered a new postmodern age and that new theories are required in our society. In postmodern society, knowledge is just a series of different ‘language games’ or ways of seeing the world. However postmodern society is preferable to modern society where meta-narratives claimed a monopoly of truth and sometimes sought to impose it by force, as in the Soviet Union. Postmodernity allows marginalised groups to be heard. Lyotard argues that old theories can no longer explain this society due to the fact that our postmodern society is characterised by these competing views of truth. Yet, Lyotard’s theory is self-defeating. He suggests that all theories are without truth, portraying that his theory is another that should not be believed. Baudrillard, in agreement with Lyotard, believes that society...
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...Modernism/Postmodernism A representation of belonging in the poem ''I Too'' by Hughes Williams and ''A Wife'S Story'' by Mukherjee In this essay, I compare Hughes poem ''I, too'' published in 1925 (Modernism) and Mukherjee's story ''A Wife' Story'' published in 1988 (Postmodernism). The focus of my comparison will be on belonging as I believe this theme could be attributed to both texts. First of all, the poem ''I, too'' is about a black man who belongs to and wants to be seen as an American which is especially emphasised by the poem's title ''I, too''. A similar expression is used in the last line of the poem which therefore forms a frame. Evidently, this can be understood as a statement which expresses that this person is a citizen of America because he is represented throughout the whole poem from the beginning to the end. The little difference between the first and 18th line can be interpreted as a sort of improvement which takes place within the poem because singing America means he does something to actually belong to it. The statement ''I, too, am America'' can be seen as rather passive; hence it can be argued that the narrator is accepted and finally belongs to the American culture. Furthermore, it becomes apparent that the narrator is excluded from American society by stating that ''they sent me to eat in the kitchen when company comes'' (l.3-4). This citation suggests that he is separated from the others as they do not wish to eat with him but; hence it...
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...Name: Course: Instructor: Date: It is primarily difficult to define Postmodernism literature due to its novelty in technique, versatile ideas, and its break from the traditional narrative writing. Basically “If on a winter's night a traveler” is a novel about the reading experience. When discussing the postmodern literature, Calvino’s novel of 1979 “If on a winter's night a traveler” definitely is a work that is worth to be examined within this context. While ascribing the features of the postmodern fiction to a specified work at times can prove to be an undertaking that is both controversial and challenging in nature. This novel has proven to be both fascinating and also to be innovative work of the fiction which is postmodern. “If on a winter's night a traveler” authored by Italo Calvino, is a postmodern novel since it deviates from the obvious objectivity provided by the omniscient external narration normally found in nearly all traditional books(Calvino & William, pp.13-18). All through chapter two, Calvino employs second person viewpoint, where he narrates of the readers of the novel, are the key characters in his plot. The author constantly employs the pronoun “you” in making the reader to feel more engaged in what is happening and points out directly the relationship between the author, the text, and the readers. Self-reflectivity also is found in nearly all postmodern novels are well-known to possess. Calvino’s novel portrays numerous remarkable literary devices...
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...Asses the contribution of postmodernism to sociologists understanding of crime and deviance in todays society. Some sociologists believe that we now live in a post-modern society that has a distinct set of characteristics in comparison to modern society; Postmodernists reject the views of the modernist theorists as they claim that they are metanarratives (big stories). They believe that sociology needs to develop new theories so we can fully understand postmodern society, as society is constantly changing it is marked with uncertainty and therefore society is split into a variety of groups. This essay will discuss the changes that have taken place in postmodern society and how this impacts upon our understanding of crime and deviance. Postmodernity has brought changes from modernity these changes include independence and choice. There is less focus on science, postmodernists reject scientific research methods in their research therefore postmodernists are criticised for being subjective. Lyotard argues that society is expanding due to the economic and scientific growth, knowledge is no longer a tool of the authorities, and we now have choice and freedom to believe what we want. Whereas Baudrillard argued that we are isolated and knowledge is filtered through businesses such as the media. We pursue the images attached to products; we now live in hyper-realities in which appearances are everything. This has lead to ‘death of the social’ which is a breakdown in social solidarity;...
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...“Postmodernism is a way of thinking that is reflected both in the ways texts are composed and in their exploration of challenging ideas.” Everything that is around us makes up our world and our life. It is reality, until someone asks, “Are we the players or the puppets of our lives? Or are we both?” and it is such questioning of assumed certainty that characterizes postmodernism. The Matrix is a film directed by the Wachowski Brothers in 1999 portraying the rebellion of a group of people against an artificial reality that has imprisoned their mind while A Beautiful Mind directed by Ron Howard is a 2001 film that describes a man’s journey to accept the real world and ignore the imaginary one he created in his mind. Despite their contrasting nature, both texts are able to reflect postmodernist understanding through their composition and their exploration of the challenging idea of relative truth. Through this, it demonstrates that postmodernism is a way of thinking portrayed in the forms, features and structures of texts. The life that we live today is what we consider to be reality, but this is a relative truth for what proof is there that our world is real or fake? Such a concept is emphasized upon by the Wachowskis in the Matrix in which it presents a portrayal of the possibility of our world being in fact, a simulation. During the film, references are made to external sources such as Jean Baudrillard’s book of Simulcra and Simulation and Morpheus, the Greek God of Dreams in...
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...inexistent. A thing inexistent may be existent. This shows the beauty in postmodernism because it gives us an endless possibility of expressing ourselves. Indeed, a message may be communicated by the use of signifiers which is essentially the heart of postmodernism. A thing, which may be nothing, may be something when viewed differently. Hence, something that does not exist in a work of art may be seen through the connotation of the thing in some other aspects of our lives. For instance, a sun may signify hope, which may then signify attainment of dreams, which may signify success, and so on – the possibility is infinite. From this single thing in a work of art, we may infer different things in different perspectives. However, we may convey a specific meaning in our work when we present the sun with other different things connected to it, making the items interconnected and forming distinct, closely-related messages. Nevertheless, conveyance of ideas by applying postmodernism doesn’t end in what we see, because, in truth, there are many more ideas that are yet to be seen. What strikes me the most about postmodernism is the disorientation that it incites from people. The deconstruction of what is because it is not and what is not because it is. From this, we are obviously confused for how can a thing be something when it is nothing or be nothing when it is something. Here comes the quality of postmodernism that is usually paradoxical, full of irony. What we want to impart is often...
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...Christian Response to Postmodernism in the Twenty-first Century Today, a new insidious trend is blazing its way through the twenty-first century church. In the name/guise of keeping Christianity relevant in today's culture, many churches are opening the door to a doctrine/belief system that undermines the infallibility of the Bible. Today, we will discuss postmodernism and its effects on the church. We will also discuss what Christians can do to counter its effect/attack in the spread of the gospel. The term postmodernism, has been applied to many areas such as literature, philosophy, fiction, architecture, art and so on. It is mainly our response to what is considered concrete data (scientific or objective) about the world around us. Postmodernism suggests that something is reality not only because humanity generally understands it to be so but rather that reality is built upon personal interpretation as the mind attempts to process information only in relation to that particular individual's sense of reality. What this translates to is that postmodernism allows each individual to create his or her own reality based on what their mind considers to be right for them. As a result of its definition, postmodernism feeds on the premise that there are no absolute truths. It seeks to invalidate the arguments/explanations of whole groups of people in different cultures, traditions and races and instead propagates that truth is relative to each individual. Postmodernism is fueled by today's...
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...complexity of this important subject, and this is precisely what McAuley, Duberley and Johnson have provided. They have done some sterling service in bringing together the very diverse strands of work that today qualify as constituting the subject of organisational theory. Whilst their writing is accessible and engaging, their approach is scholarly and serious. It is so easy for students (and indeed others who should know better) to trivialize this very problematic and challenging subject. This is not the case with the present book. This is a book that deserves to achieve a wide readership. Professor Stephen Ackroyd, Lancaster University, UK This new textbook usefully situates organization theory within the scholarly debates on modernism and postmodernism, and provides an advanced introduction to the heterogeneous study of organizations, including chapters on phenomenology, critical theory and psychoanalysis. Like all good textbooks, the book is accessible, well researched and readers are encouraged to view chapters as a starting point for getting to grips with the field of organization theory. Dr Martin Brigham, Lancaster University, UK McAuley et al. provide a highly readable account of ideas, perspectives and practices of organization. By thoroughly explaining, analyzing and exploring organization theory the book increases the understanding of a field that in recent years has become ever more fragmented. Organization theory is central to managing, organizing and reflecting on both formal...
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...anomie - social instability, alienation and a sense of purposelessness cause by a steady erosion of standards and values. apodictic truth - an imaginary concept of truth in which it is supposed that we know something with absolute certainty. To be an apodictic truth there must be no possibility of mistake commodification - the subordination of public and private realms to the logic of capitalism. In other words, things (e.g., friendship, women) are valued for their commercial value. With commodification aspects of our lives that are culturally conditioned take on the mythology of being "natural." critical reading - to read in a way that looks for fallacies and defects in the writing. It is to be contrasted with "reading generously." This distinction between generous and critical reading is analogous to a parallel distinction between generous and critical listening. critical theory - Although the term is sometimes used more broadly, in most contexts it refers to the school of thought represented by the "Frankfurt School," which is a school of thought that combines psychoanalysis and Marxism. deconstruction - A term that, for all practical purposes, was introduced in the literature by Derrida. It means to undermine the conceptual order imposed by a concept that has captivated our imaginations and ways of seeing things. (See Shawver, 1996) see "deconstruction quilt" discourse - sometimes this term refers to any kind of talk, but often it refers to particular unified...
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