Postmodern Theory: Critical Interrogations

“Postmodern” is a complicated term, and so are “postmodernity”, “postmodernism” and “postmodernist”, and every other term one might come across in the way of evolution. According to Andreas Saugstad (2001) different postmodern theorists may have contrasting opinions and thinkers from different areas may have contrasting definitions of the term “postmodern”. Thus, the postmodern debates influenced the cultural and intellectual scene in many areas throughout the world. These terms have been used in literature, social studies, philosophy, arts and architecture. On the same hand on cultural level, discussions emerged whether modernism was dead or not and what kind of postmodernism was inheriting it. In the philosophical sphere, according to Steven Best and Douglas Kellner(1991), the erupted discussions were also concentrating on whether or not the traditions of modern philosophy had ended, and many theorists began praising a new postmodern philosophy related with Derrida, Jean-Francios Lyotard, Nietzsche, Baudrillard and more. Furthermore, the postmodern debates produced innovative, social and political theories, as well as theoretical struggles to define the multilayered postmodern phenomenon. On the other hand, according to The American Heritage Dictionary (1991) the postmodern can be described as “relating to art, literature and architecture, that reacts against earlier modernist principles, as by reintroducing traditional, classical or modernist elements of style to the extremes.”

According to Steven Connor(1989) the “postmodern” terminology was firstly used by a number of writers in the 1950s and 1960s, however the concept can’t be said to have taken shape until the 1980s. As Hans Bertens(1995) poin...

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