Postmodern Theory 1st Edition by Steven Best (PDF)

Description

In this timely volume, the authors systematically analyze postmodern theory to evaluate its relevance for critical social theory and radical politics today. Best and Kellner provide:* An introduction and critique of the work of Foucault, Deleuze and Guattari, Baudrillard, Lyotard, Laclau and Mouffe, and Jameson, which assess the varying contributions and limitations of postmodern theory* A discussion of postmodern feminist theory and the politics of identity* A systematic study of the origin of the discourse of the postmodern in historical, sociological, cultural, and philosophical studies.The authors claim that while postmodern theory provides insights into contemporary developments, it lacks adequate methodological and political perspectives to provide a critical social theory and radical politics for the present age.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “It’s a clear, useful anthology. Excellent for classroom use.” –Dr. Paul Swann, Temple University; Course: Postmodern Criticism; Graduate”Postmodern Theory covers the difficult, sometimes treacherous, and always labyrinthine terrain of modern critical theory about as well as it can be done. This text explores the intricate–and often dense–discourses of writers like Foucault, Baudrillard, Jameson, and Habermas with admirable clarity and insight. If a good deal of postmodern theorizing is opaque and unreadable, this volume is eminently coherent and readable. If postmodernism seems all too often to be engaged in a flight from politics, Best and Kellner manage to bring the theoretical enterprise back to its political moorings. And this is no easy task. This book is highly recommended for any student of social and political theory.” –Carl Boggs, National University “The most detailed introduction to postmodern social theory I have yet seen, including valuable critical readings of the major debates.” –Fredric Jameson, Duke University “Offers a significant engagement with many of the leading figures in current philosophical debates about contemporary history, culture, and politics. Postmodern Theory’s rigor, insight, and unique focus make it an important work to be reckoned with….An invaluable resource and example for anyone interested in media theory and cultural studies.” –Lawrence Grossberg, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill”Postmodern Theory: Critical Interrogations is perhaps the most comprehensive introduction to postmodern social theory on the shelves…. This book not only interrogates the past, but more importantly, it demands and inspires the production of new perspectives and solutions to our present social demise.” ― Harvard Educational Review Published On: 1991-11-17 From the Publisher Also from Best and Kellner: The Postmodern Turn, ISBN 1-57230-221-6, 1997. About the Author Steven Best, Ph.D., is a Professor of Humanities and Philosophy at the University of Texas, El Paso. He has published articles on Marx, postmodern theory, Baudrillard, Debord, Jameson, film, television, and cultural theory.Douglas Kellner is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin and is the author of Karl Korsch: Revolutionary Theory; Marxism and Modernity; Jean Baudrillard: From Marxism to Postmodernism and Beyond; Camera Politica: The Politics and Ideology of Contemporary Hollywood Film (with Michael Ryan); and Television and the Crisis of Democracy Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I am an accounting academician, who has recently gotten into the application of post-structuralism/post-modernism to financial modeling and reporting. This text gave a good overview to some of the major contributors to post-modernism. I had a much better understanding, particuarly of Baudrillardian thought, after reading this. The only thing that I was hoping the text would do better was to differentiate between post-structuralism and post-modernism. I still do not understand the difference, if there is one. While the author briefly addresses this, I do not see much of a difference. I have asked many of my colleagues in liberal arts, and they have difficulty explaining the difference as well.

⭐This is the third Best and Kellner work on postmodernism that I’ve read and actually it should be read before the others because it treats the major thinkers in the field. As always with these authors there’s a bit of the “smartest guys in the room” stuff going on but it’s not obtrusive. Maybe most academics just can’t help it.– the seemingly trivial point-scoring against other writers. Solid background for further reading in postmodern philosophy. It’s pretty hard going if you didn’t major in philosophy as I didn’t. When it bogs down, just move on.

⭐This is likely one of the best introductions to an arguably incongruent set of beliefs. Drs. Best and Kellner are wonderful researchers and writers. This book has been helpful for both school writings/research and my own vested interest in understanding PMT and related ideas.

⭐Received in time and without problems. Now it is being used for the class of modern theories in sociology.

⭐Excellent

⭐Great introduction into post-modern thought.

⭐Best and Kellner have written an excellent book that covers the ideas and works of the more prominent postmodern philosophers of last half-century. It offers both analyses and responses by the authors, pointing out the pros and cons of each one. Instead of general praise of postmodernism, they kept things nicely balanced. The sections are thorough enough that I’ve come away with an interest in reading some of the primary works, and have a nice mental snapshot of each of the major players. Focault (power). Deleuze and Guattari (rhizomes). Baudrillard (playing with the pieces). Lyotard (crazy).The reason I gave the book four stars is because I believe the authors were unnecessarily repetitive in regards to their choice of phrasing. There will always be catchwords and jargon in any field, but the endless march of the same words (discourse! privilege! normative!) seemingly over and over is a bit much. Also, I would have liked more concrete, real-world examples. While the authors’ writing is far from indecipherable, the few examples linked to the world we live in only serve to highlight how helpful it is to ground philosophy in those things which we can directly relate to.Nonetheless, it’s vital for anyone concerned about philosophical and social issues to understand this new era we find ourselves in, and despite the fact that ‘Postmodern Theory’ is about twenty years old, it holds up extremely well and even the last bit of foreshadowing at the end is very astute. Feminism, race and gender issues, the world of art, and to a lesser extent politics, have all benefited from the “pomo” movement, and its focus on uncovering social constructs and new modes of being are a welcome rebuttal to the hard lines and power-mongering of modernism. While there are common human themes, to ignore individual experiences and the needs of “local” groups leads to the very rebellions we’ve seen over the last century – so perhaps postmodernism was inevitable?But Best and Kellner also take a solid stance against the more ridiculous aspects of postmodern theory, especially the rejecting of metanarratives while at the same time creating a totalizing theory that’s supposed to be the ‘correct’ way to live/think/act. And while multiplicities and such are nice, to take them to the extreme is a mistake – human subjects cannot live in a constant state of diversity and changing subjectivities (nor can the social and political structures we rely on for a certain standard of living), not to mention the problem with allowing everything for the sake of allowing anything.The abstractions of academic philosophy will always trickle down to the masses in broad ideas and easy catchphrases. If you look to your left, then to your right, you’ll probably see someone who has no idea where the new values of their current culture originated. They could do much worse than sampling what Best and Kellner have dutifully offered up.

⭐I concur with the majority of the reviews here that this book deserves a solid four stars for its academic strength and scope. It is an excellent starting point for delving into postmodern theory and critical theory. Chapters read like a serise of encyclopedia articles. They are focused on theoretical content with little in the way of biographical sketch. After an enlightening introduction. Best and Kellner start with Foucault, Deleuze/Guattari, Baudrillard, and Lyotard. Towards the end there is a chapter that focuses on the debate between postmodern theory and critical theory. Habermas represents critical theory in opposition to the postmodernism of Lyotard. Postmoderns hold Nietzsche as a common starting point and promote anti-totalizing philosophies in opposition to Enlightenment modernism. Habernas would accuse postmoderns of throwing the baby out with the bathwater and attempt to salvage some characteristically modern theorizing and progress. Overall, the book is a nice starting point for delving into the pool of postmodern and critical theory. The book makes reference to over a hundred mostly french works of postmodern and critical theory, but I would have appreciated more lengthy quotations from primary texts in order to support claims as opposed to taking an authoritarian tone. Analyses of various potions in general place one theorist against the other and aim at consensus, which could be taken as sympathy for Habermas. A good deal of work and scholarship went into this work. It is a worthwhile read.

⭐needed this book for studies – excellent material

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