POSTMODERNISM THEORY The term Postmodernism was coined by Arnorld Toynbee in the last quarter of the 19th century, when the Western civilization was in process of decline . Toynbee was the product of late 19th centurys who found a universal history, believing in totalized human history in w hich a secularity is seen as digression in what is fundamentally a circular narrative structure. The postmodernism is theorization about intellectual tendencies in postmodern condition. A variety of texts ranging from Lyotard’s Metanarratives, Baurdillard’s Simulacra, and Nietzsche’ The will to power and recent performance art are used as search of human life in recent century. Postmodernism is a dynamic style of art popular in 1980s which uses the multiple mixture of old and new forms. Its theoretical involvements were changing time and again. According to the philosopher Jean Francois Lyotard, there was no Grand Narrative exist in the world on which the writers or philophopher can depend. To him the definition of postmodern world is simply ‘incredulity towards meta narratives’. It is supposed to refer to as the term gets extended in all directions across different debates, different penalizing and discursive boundaries, a fascination for images, codes and styles, a process of cultural and existential fragmentation and de-centering of the subject, the collapse of cultural hierarchies and a sense of ‘placelessness’. As a current ‘buzzword’ postmodernism appears in very sphere of culture and media. It is characterized by skepticism, insecurity, instability, indeterminacy It is most concisely explained as above by Jean Francois Lyotard as “ incrudelity towards meta narratives” which he means rejection and disbelief in any totalizing worldview. Actually, the most dominant attitude of postmodernism is skepticism. Its narratives are skeptic of any ethical, moral or political conclusions because it establishes the legitimacy of any solitary privileged position and a particular truth. Postmodewrnism no longer rely upon the accuracy of meta-narratives rather it proposes alternative possibilities for the production of truth. If we consider postmodernism on thematic level, it is thematization of envoirenmental crises, appreciation of individual liberty and freedom, oriental visualization of the world, moreover the shifting nature of art and its forms. In fact art was started not to be looked as separated but as a part of reality, art turned closer to the people and was presented in shape of performance or show. For example, The Beat, often wrote poems not for personal reading of the
people at home but produced to be recited on public places with the company of jazz, rock bands and pop music. Art in postmodern was presented in irregular and fragmented form. paintings and sculptors were presented outside traditional and typical form. Even dead and living became objects of artistic world. many authors became postmodern by producing novels about gay and Lesbians and presented a different identity in sexual and ecological consumerism. These authors were enabled to get accessive education about science and many other publishing opportunities. This is not their eccessive education about science which made these authors postmodern but their work became postmodern because of using narrative techniques of postmodernism and portraying a different visualization of the world. Another most striking assumption of postmodernism is interditerminacy which suggests that ‘nothing is certain’. One cannot be sure and certain about anything in postmodern condition. This idea of interditerminacy is due to the logic of fragmentation. Actually the faultless whole of the Christianity and classical worlds are vanished to us. The world is fragmented with the ‘Death of God’, and this death of God, the whole universe is fragmented, the society is fragmented, the family unit is ftragmented. This process of fragmentation is not closed, it is an ongoing process. The postmodern culture is basically mass culture where all the cultures are discereditted. The culture and traditional values are de-canonized and flouted. If is true that postmodernism forced on thepleasure of the current moment, it stressed on the joys of life and things easy to be liked. The word postmodernism is characterized by an ambiguity. On one hand it is seen as a historical period. On the other hand it is simply a desire; it is a mood which looks to future. The word is ambivalent with ‘end of ideology’. Postmodernism is an attitude and an aesthetic style and post modernity is a political and cultural reality. At first, in the world of art, the term simply meant, “after” Modernism; but by the mid of 1970s, postmodernism began to refer more and more to a theoretical stance rather to a temporal event. Postmodernism was a period after Modernism but with the passage of time, the differences between two are becoming clearer. Postmodernism was a short shake, a shaking off of Modernism which rapidly aged and dated. In contrast postmodernism is a pluralistic mélange of theoretical reinterpretation of Modernist theories. Postmodernism questioned how value and norms in art are determined and answered that value was a social construct. Postmodernism accepts the idea of independent subject.
The notion of creativity and genuineness is parodied and damaged. Actually the postmodern theory produces a uncertainties in the originalties of literary texts as it focuses on the diversity of intertexual personality and meanings of the text. The focus is purely on finding the truth and construction of knowledge, ignoring the author completely. The postmodern narratives are shaped by the loss of believe in any final view.
Postmodernism is a mega term which suggests two possibilities. One is “we” have evolved out of modernism and the second prospect is that “we” have evolved out of modernism through a new purification. Ihab Hassan, one of the first to explain postmodernism in 1960s writes in 2001: “I know less about postmodernism than I did thirty years ago, when I began to write about it…. No consensus obtains on what postmodernism really means.” The past years have witnessed a postmodern turn in theory. The term Postmodernism was used in 1930 but its current sense can be said to begin late. Postmodernism are a body of philosophy and a critical review of contemporary society that encompasses multiple standpoints. Postmodernism may reject dominant narratives; it offers a great deal of insight into many social worlds. Actually, we live in the time of “post” post-humanism, post-history, post-Marxism, postindustrialism and postmodernism. The discourse of the post is connected with an apocalyptic intellect a enchantment, of passing of old and dawn of the new. As Jean Buardillard said, “Suddenly, there is a curve in the road, a turning point. Sometimes, the real scene has been lost, the scene where you had rules for the game and some solid stakes that everybody could relyon.” According to William Bergquist “The postmodern world is less a world of facts and figure and a more a world of a story and performance” (Bergquist, 1993, p. 23). Though the preliminary theorist of the postmodernism belonged to the generation of 1960s, the dissertation did not really reproduce a dominant intellectual and cultural power until 1980s. During 1980s postmodern theories circulated around the world. The postmodern discourse was part of the conservative turn toward individualism and local empowerment. We believe that knowledge and cause of new technologies and the alteration in global capitalism. History is not only continuing but it is recovery of histories and of local tradition is proceeding in such a way that a disconcerting range of possible future, up to some extent
distressing. We are not at the end of history; we are rather at the beginning of a rethinking of post modernity, a rethinking of a world under the sign of postmodernism. This term has become the most constantly used term in cultural debate recent years. Sometimes, Postmodernism is taken with ‘nihilism’ or ‘anarchism; and sometimes it is referred to a culture dominated by a banality of televisual representation. Postmodernism is related with societal and cultural transition. In culture, interpreter of this era describe the kind of cultural hybrids that rise from combining the categories of high and low cultures, and hybrids inn cultural forms that have developed in regions where neighboring identities search for definition against, or in dialogue with, Western “hegemonic” cultures. Postmodern views of history and national identity negate “master narratives” or “metanarratives” and disorder myths of national and ethnic identities. Postmodernism has also been taken on macro context of “postmodern condition” within purpose of globalization. The global cultural system has moved toward the international mixing of cultures and cultural goods. Though there is a little agreement on its origins, the concept of postmodernism began to be used in late 19th century and has been accepted by variety of fields, including architecture, literature, visual art, fashion and philosophy. Postmodernism is potentially useful approach to understanding current phenomena such as the impact of globalization on social relationships and origins and behavior of institutions and policies. It indicates both a historical period and an intellectual position in any given field. The postmodern historical period followed modernity and is related with rapid advancement in technology, increasing social disconnection between people and places and increasingly bureaucratic state. There are certain features of postmodernism given in the list below which will help describing that cultural arbitrary co-dependency is associated with postmodernism only. The first and foremost thematical expression of postmodernism is regarding the rejection of master narratives for history and culture, deconstruction of metanarratives and myth of origin. Denial of totalized theories along with quest for localizing unity is another point of focus for postmodernists.
Disunity, social pluralism, uncertain base for national unity.
Neo-Luddism, anti-technology reactions and new age religion.
Fragmentation and decentered self, conflicting identities.
Alternatives to middle class, family units, marriage models, mixing identities for coupling and child rising, experience of Poly sexuality, repressed homosexual realties in cultures.
Faith in micro politics, local politics, identity politics.
New valuation of pop culture, hybrid culture, demassified culture, niche goods, smaller group identities.
Intertextuality, art as process, art as recycling of culture legitimated by audience in subcultures sharing identity with artist.
Fragmented and partial knowledge, information organization, navigation through information overload.
Individualized, client-server, user-motivated, many to many media. Dissemination, networked, distributed knowledge.
Cyborgian mixing of inorganic and organic, machine and human and electronic.
Mass marketing of pornography, polymorphous sexuality and androgyny.
Centerless Web, transcendence of print media, inter-connected print media.
Gender inequalities are affected by postmodernism. The fundamental prototype is differentiation at the boundary between domestic sphere and social arena. This is due to progressive dissolution of male and female. Male and female gender is subdivided into many masculinities and femininities. With the beginning of postmodernism real status groups dissolve to be replaced by identifications constructed in electronic mass media which might be called ‘simulated power blocks’. Modernism shares a structure with modern culture similarly associated to wider social and cultural process. Jameson (1984) suggested the strongest Marxist appropriatio , viewing postmodernism as cultural complement of late capitalism. He argues that a prodigious expansion of culture throughout the social realm where everything from social life to economic value, to very structure of psyche can be seen as “cultural.” Postmodernism can be interpreted as fully grown up modernity that acknowledge the affect throughout history. Ethics is an indispensible part of theory of postmodernism. portrayal of modern society can leave ethical problems aside
because moral regulation is subsumed under legislative activity of global institution in which everything has become ‘privatized’ in course of full modernization. Ethical discourse has become personal issue of individuals.
Postmodernism; multicultural theory and theology Jean Francois Lyotard: The philosopher who put the first postmodern cat among the modernist pigeons was Jean Francis Lyotard. Lyotard was the French literary theorist and the most dynamic contributor to post modern theory. Acclaimed for his investigation of post modernity, his well-referenced tome The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge’ was initially an investigation into how society has re-evaluated our acquisition of knowledge in a digital age. According to Lyotard postmodernism is a multicultural movement because Lyotard believe that we can no longer talk about totalizing idea of reason, for there are no reason only reasons. He rejects those narratives which dominate society as he proposes that the ‘alternative’ to this society is scientific development in which we can globally disparage previously held beliefs. The prefix post in Lyotard take us back to legitimation which become visible as a dilemma and an article of study at the view where it is called into interrogation. In reality Lyotard is reluctant to conceive a postmodernist phase different from the age of high level modernism. The society of postmodernism falls fewer with the region of an anthropoly of Newton than a prametics of linguistic units. Lyotard started postmodern theory in eighties turning from Libidinal to pagan and then to postmodernism. He is generally considered as the theoretical spokesman for postmodernism. The Postmodern Condition challenged the assumptions and orientation of modern philosophy. Lyotard repudiated the idea of Metanarratives and Grand Narratives, promoting a postmodern reception of difference and skepticism towards unifying meta-theories. ‘The Postmodern Condition’ is closely influenced by theoretical engagement with Kant, Marx and Hegal who played and eminent role in events in Paris of May 1968. Lyotard theories of Postmodernism is
constantly disturbing classical theories of modernism as well as continuously opposing contemporary attitudes of prevalent political theory.Jean-Francois Lyotard is the highly influential twentieth century philosopher of postmodernism and has an influential impact on contemporary philosophy. Jean lyotard: philosophy and the sublime is a reassessment of his extraordinary legacy and contribution to contemporary cultural, ethical and aesthetic theory. He is the first to bring out the cat of postmodernism out of the sack of modernism. Lyotard’s Metanarratives: in postmodernism, Metanarrative or grand narrative is a global and totalizing cultural narrative representation which explains experience and knowledge. What it actually means is the prefix Meta means “beyond” and used to mean “about” and narrative means a story. A Metanarratives is a story about a story encircling other ‘little stories’ within totalizing representation. Lyotard used this term in The Postmodern Condition: Report on knowledge (1979). He referred to Metanarratives as postmodern condition. By postmodern condition he simply means, increasing skepticism towards totalizing nature: “Simplifying to the extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity toward Metanarratives” (Reference). This incredulity is undoubtedly a product of progress in the science: but that progress in turn presupposes it. To the obsolescence of Metanarratives apparatus of legitimating corresponds, most notably, the crisis of metaphysical philosophy and of the universe institution which in the past relied on it. The narrative function is losing its factors, its great hero, its great dangers, its great voyage, its real goal. It is being dispersed in clouds of narrative language elements—narrative, but also denotative, perspective, descriptive, and so on […] where, after the meta narratives, can legitimacy reside?” (Lyotard, 19………, p……) Narratives are firmly established in postmodern condition and the ‘narratives’ are ‘stories’ that make available all the values. These narratives are provided with chains of events, gives explanations and identity causes. The ‘ Grand narratives’ are the ‘big theories’ which purpose is to unfold historical movements as well as advises people how to live lives, how to think and what to think. Lyotard also gave his assumptions on the postmodern knowledge it concerns with undecideables and conflicts which are characterized by incomplete information, “fracta”, of which he means portions, sections and local issues. According to his assumptions knowledge in
the postmodern world cannot be legitimated and operated according to ‘Metanarratives’. Instead local narratives of knowledge can be utilized to represent things because knowledge can be fragmented, partial and incomplete. This is totally against the supremacy of overarching patterns as it is regarded as the new type of epistemological liberty which makes sense of the world on a grand style. Lyotard is suspicious towards all claims of truths of knowledge. Power is another fundamental term related to Lyotard postmodern world. He is skeptical towards truth of instruments which all are purchased not to find a certain truth, but to supplement power which hidden objective and purpose is ‘the exercise of terror’. So according to him legitimating of anything valuable is always matter of power and might is right. Those who have wealth and power are always right and obliged everywhere in society while less obliged are those whose hands are empty and who cannot offer any kind of profit to the high ups. Nations do not make war instruments, weapons and atom bombs to become rich, rather these things are invented to exert power and terror over other nations. Every notion and action of superpower is accepted as ‘the truth’ and no nation less privileged can challenge that ‘truth’.
Language games
Jean Baurdillard ‘s Simulation, Simulcara and Hyperreallity; Another theorist whose assumption will be considered for this research work is Jean Baudrilard who is equally prominent and is called the high priest of postmodernism. He has proven to be an influential postmodernist theorist and artist. He paints an austere portrayal of today postmodern condition, demonstrating that we have lost our ‘real’ contact with reality in a thousand ways that we are continuously distancing ourselves with reality that nothing had left behind but a constant fascination with disappearance of real world. His vision is extremely dystopic, which is an imagined world where the worst scenes are explored. Dystopian stories have great influence on postmodernism because writers create imagining effects of different aspects of postmodern condition. In his postmodern, there is no space for resistance and opposition because of high
level hegemony which is principal influence by one nation over other less privileged nations and hostility by a large community to carry out supremacy over them. Jean Baudrilard‘s apparition of postmodernism is always nihilistic and melancholic as melancholy is mode of loss of meanings and we are all in a state of constant melancholy. It’s a mode, an attitude of disappearance of real joy and happiness in the life of a postmodern man. The person living in the contemporary world is leading a luxurious life doing whatever his body demands but is devoid of real mirth in the real sense. All the meanings and values are groundless and nothing can be said and known or communicated. Furthermore the world is associated with distrust and disbelief that condemns real existence. An accurate nihilism believes in nothingness in every aspect of life and has no exact purpose, no loyalties. It’s a total denial of established institutions and laws. The total system is itself nihilistic and melancholic as it has authority to dispense everything so much so that it has power to dispense all that refuses it. Reading Baurdilard we realize that we are lost in all the ways society has gone into vague where nothing can be caught and felt certain. Furthermore Baurdilard points out many factors which contribute to the death of humanity within the postmodern world. He includes the loss of history at first point; as he nominated history as ‘A Retro Scenario’ and ‘history is our lost myth’. He asserts that the contemporary world has lost powerful referential myths of reality and rationality that led to the age of simulation. His second point is ‘mediatization’ which is playing a vital and perhaps predominating role in forgetting history because media including Television, internet and film disconnect us from real and prove to paint the world more realistically in a superficial way that it looks more real than real and in this way the real is eradicated. The third assumption is ‘ the proliferation of kitsch, by which he means that postmodern culture depends on trashy and masmarketing products as Baudrilard asserts that; “This proliferation of kitsch, that is generated by industrial reproduction and vulgarization of ready-made-signs. It has basis for like ‘mass culture’ in sociological reality of consumer society’ (Consumer society, 110). The fourth assertion is his description of ‘consumer society’ which has consumed itself and is filtered through exchange value and advertisement. He is the prime mover in the field of cultural debate which is proposed in this research. Jean Baudrilard attacks on the established beliefs, customs and traditions of the society. He makes
outrageous iconoclastic and contemptible statements about postmodern society, media and technology in his analysis of society which is veered towards a full-blown postmodern era continuously measured profoundly nihilistic. Nihilistic is a term which means ‘nothingness’ in every sphere of society as no cultural value is considered ultimate and concluding. His ideas are derived from Marxism, cybernetic, psycho-analysis, social theory, semiotic and communication theory. He followed the anti-foundational theory of Jacques Derrida and Jean Lyotard and his work is mainly on a description about the ‘the end of modernity that was dominated by industrial capitalism, production. Following Karl Marx‘s critique of political economy’, Baudrilard argues that signs are formed as convenience, semiology which is the way signs are produced and perceived. The biggest contribution of Jean Baudrilard in the field of postmodernism is characterized by ‘simulation’ and ‘simulacra’. ‘Simulation’ which consists of many previous parts is a new type of technology, society and most of all of culture. He focuses on postmodern and technology of contemporary way of communication and asserts that former cultures were dependent of face to face symbolic communication where reality was observed and facial expression had great importance, while later on, the print media has changed the whole scenario of communication. Set values, cultures, and traditions have been destroyed due to simulation because simulation has become reality. The new global electronic media has taken over the whole world under its spell with its magnetic charm of ‘foreshadowing the world’. Simulation, visual media becoming more real, simulation and real media substituting for the real life.
The electronic media is presenting the world of ‘simulacra’ in which our life style has been shaped by mere simulated opportunities and events on television, videos and computers for example online shopping by internet without visiting shops, election and vote casting by internet, are connected not only to each other but are directly involved in states issues and daily incidents through media. Gone are the days when people were even unaware of their country’s changes, now the world has become a global village due to electronic media and masses get latest news within no time. Jean Baudrilard founded three assumptions which are basic principles of his
theories. Most and foremost is his Simulation, the second one is implosion and the third one is hyper-reality. He describes simulation as the ‘deceptive representation’; by implosion he means ‘collapse of meaning’ and by the term hyper-reality he means ‘more real than real’. Simulation and Simulacra are above all notions of Baurdilard that are dominant to explain the models have taken place for the real in the postmodern society. Image saturation, simulacra seem more original than real “as seen on TV” and “as seen on MTV” are more influential than real experience.