Crook, S.A. (2001) Social theory and the postmodern. In: Ritzer, G., and Smart, B., (eds.) Handbook of Social Theory. Sage Publications, London, UK, pp. 308-323.

PDF (Published Version) - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only

Abstract

[Extract] The idea of the postmodern is no longer a novelty in social theory. Themes that had been the recondite concerns of an avant-garde in the 1980s and exploded into an intellectual crazecum-publishing bonanza in the early 1990s are now part of the standard repertoire of social theory and cognate disciplines. Undergraduate students in cultural studies and sociology learn to distinguish the postmodern from other theoretical ‘frameworks’ or ‘perspectives’, ably assisted by the textbooks, readers and websites now available. At the same time, the idea of the postmodern sits at the heart of contemporary ‘culture wars’, where it is attacked variously as the bearer of cognitive relativism, ethical nihilism, political quietism, aesthetic triviality and historical anachronism, The question arises, now that the postmodern has become both such a familiar and such a contentious part of the intellectual landscape, of how we should assess its significance for social theory. The assessment developed in this chapter can be summarized in four linked propositions.

Item ID:	14322
Item Type:	Book Chapter (Research - B1)
ISBN:	0-7619-5840-1
Keywords:	postmodernism; social theory
Date Deposited:	12 Jul 2017 04:55
FoR Codes:	16 STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY > 1608 Sociology > 160806 Social Theory @ 100%
SEO Codes:	95 CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING > 9599 Other Cultural Understanding > 959999 Cultural Understanding not elsewhere classified @ 100%
	More Statistics