, what makes a theory postmodern? This is a tough question and one that really shouldnt be answered in the limited space available in this paper.. But, I am going to attempt to do it anyway. The quickest answer is that postmodern theories/theorists are those that are labeled by modernists. Most of the people that we associate closely with postmodern theory, in Sociology, would reject the label for themselves, including Michel Foucault, Jean-Francois Lyotard, and Baudrillard. Modernists are the ones who assign the labels. However, there must be a reason for the assignation. What do these theorists have in common that makes them susceptible to the label of postmodernist? Well, there seem to be some common themes that run through postmodern literature (aside from often thinly veiled ties to modern theory). These are very generic, but it should give you an idea of what to expect. Rejection of the Grand Narrative, an idea which runs through most modern literature. Critique of Modernity. While there is interest in critiquing modernity, seldom is an alternative offered. Interest in "low-culture" (television, movies, sex). Obsession with text (Lyotards term, Foucault uses the term gaze). There are three perspectives that attempt to define the phenomenon of post modernity in relation to modernity. That is a next stage, one that has replaced modernity. That it is the only stage, and modernity was just an attempt to force history into a pattern that didnt exist. That it is a theoretical perspective, like modernity, that can be used to examine social phenomenon. The third perspective, I think, proves to be the most useful. There are many things that modern theories explain better than postmodern theories can. On the other hand, there are some things that can be explained only by postmodern theory. For instance, look at the Internet, it is a collection of millions of individual computer users who communicate with each other and each has defined his ...
