Exploring Postmodernism

The great diversity of contexts in which the term Postmodernism is currently encountered reflects the remarkable success of a coinage that has been in circulation for only about forty years. It has been used by philosophers, sociologists, art critics and literary historians to become, finally, a household word in the language of advertising and politics. Before letting it fade to a derelict cliché, an attempt is made in this volume of essays to use its potential as a cultural concept for the analysis and understanding of contemporary literature and thought.

Revisiting Postmodernism offers an engaging, wide-ranging and highly illustrated account of postmodernism in architecture from its roots in the 1940s to its ongoing relevance today. This book invites readers to see Postmodernism in a new light: not just a style but a cultural phenomenon that embraces all areas of life and thrives on complexity and pluralism, in contrast to the strait-laced, single-style, top-down inclination of its predecessor, Modernism. While focusing on architecture, this book also explores aspects such as urban masterplanning, furniture design, art and literature. Looking at Postmodernism through the lens of examples from around the world, each chapter explores the movement in the UK on the one hand, and its international counterparts on the other, reflecting on the historical movement but also how postmodernism influences practices today. This book offers the insider’s view on postmodernism by the author, a recognised pioneer in the field of postmodern architecture and a prestigious and authoritative participant in the postmodern movement.

The philosophies of French thinkers Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault form the basis for postmodern thought and are seemingly at odds with the Christian faith. However, James K. A. Smith claims that their ideas have been misinterpreted and actually have a deep affinity with central Christian claims. Each chapter opens with an illustration from a recent movie and concludes with a case study considering recent developments in the church that have attempted to respond to the postmodern condition, such as the "emerging church" movement. These case studies provide a concrete picture of how postmodern ideas can influence the way Christians think and worship. This significant book, winner of a Christianity Today 2007 Book Award, avoids philosophical jargon and offers fuller explanation where needed. It is the first book in the Church and Postmodern Culture series, which provides practical applications for Christians engaged in ministry in a postmodern world.

Postmodernism seemed to promise an end to the grim Cold War era of nuclear confrontation and oppressive ideologies. This expanded edition brilliantly elucidates this hall of mirrors with Richard Appignanesi's witty and easy-to-follow text and the inspired cartoonist Chris Garratt.

The dean of evangelical theologians explores six evangelical responses--both positive and negative--to postmodernism.

The Cambridge Companion to Postmodernism offers a comprehensive introduction to postmodernism. The Companion examines the different aspects of postmodernist thought and culture that have had a significant impact on contemporary cultural production and thinking. Topics discussed by experts in the field include postmodernism's relation to modernity, and its significance and relevance to literature, film, law, philosophy, architecture, religion and modern cultural studies. The volume also includes a useful guide to further reading and a chronology. This is an essential aid for students and teachers from a range of disciplines interested in postmodernism in all its incarnations. Accessible and comprehensive, this Companion addresses the many issues surrounding this elusive, enigmatic and often controversial topic.

Presents the movement as not merely an aesthetic vocabulary, but also as a subversive attitude - a new way of looking at the world.

What is the political value of time, and where does that value reside? Should politics place its hope in future possibility, or does that simply defer action in the present? Can the present ground a vision of change, or is it too circumscribed by the status quo? In Qualified Hope: A Postmodern Politics of Time, Mitchum Huehls contends that conventional treatments of time's relationship to politics are limited by a focus on real-world experiences of time. By contrast, the innovative literary forms developed by authors in direct response to political events such as the Cold War, globalization, the emergence of identity politics, and 9/11 offer readers uniquely literary experiences of time. And it is in these literary experiences of time that Qualified Hope identifies more complicated--and thus more productive--ways to think about the time-politics relationship. Qualified Hope challenges the conventional characterization of postmodernism as a period in which authors reject time in favor of space as the primary category for organizing experience and knowledge. And by identifying a common commitment to time at the heart of postmodern literature, Huehls suggests that the period-defining divide between multiculturalism and theory is not as stark as previously thought.