Postmodernism vs. Marxism

Postmodernism vs. Marxism

Postmodernism is perhaps the most difficult thing to define at this point in time. That is in large part due to the fact that we are currently still in the movement, political view, or economy (to classify postmodernism as only one of the above is to have already defeated your definition). One of the few things that have been empirically proven is that it indeed focuses on culture. Jameson once argued that postmodernism was a more of a cultural dominant than anything else (Storey, p. 184). This would tend to classify postmodernism as an assimilation of all cultures, with a survival of the fittest effect. Take for example the effects of one culture, regardless of that culture's size, on mass culture ISA's. A battle occurs between the established ISA's and the new subculture ISA's until finally a victor has been declared. Which ever has gained more favor drowns the weaker, and all ISA's of the weaker genre will be discredited. Postmodernism is seen as the cultural dominant of our era, however this has not always been the case. One particular group attempted to attach cultural dominance, or rather cultural understanding, to their already established political body: the Marxists. While the cultural studies that were performed by the Frankfurt School were probably the first studies that ever addressed culture, their findings have not stood the test of time. One of the most important things to understand is that Marxism is generally a political body, while postmodernism is similar to a movement. Marxism has it's own views of culture that were developed through the Frankfurt School, but the movement of postmodernism disregards the Frankfurt school's theories. Postmodernism has in fact taken the...

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... out the Marxist theories. Will postmodernism ever end? If things remain as they are, then the answer is no. Postmodernism's dynamic refusal to be defined has to be one of its greatest qualities. It's refusal to be defined may also be the very reason of it's continued presence in our culture.

Bibliography:

Works Cited

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New York University Press, 1998.

n http://eng.hss.cmu.edu/bs/30/voices.html (Web site of regular publication, recommended for research and updated material)

Storey, John. An Introduction to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. Athens, Georgia:

The University of Georgia Press, 1998.

Zuidervaart, Lambert. Adorno's Aesthetic Theory: The Redemption of Illusion.

Cambridge: MIT Press, 1991.