Do We Live in a Postmodern Do We Live in a Postmodern Society?Society?

Lecture by Dr Christopher KollmeyerLecture by Dr Christopher Kollmeyer

Outline for LectureOutline for LectureKey Question: : Do we live in a postmodern society?

Postmodernism Defined: Things characterised by a rupture with, and movement beyond, modernism.

Possible Realms where Postmodernism Manifests

1. Time, Space, and Social Relations2. Arts, Pop Culture, and Aesthetics 3. Epistemology4. Societal Structures

• Economy• Politics• Geo-political affairs

First, What is Modernity?First, What is Modernity?• It’s a historical period that began in the

1700s in Western Europe.• It resulted in massive social change in

which long-standing, traditional societies were rapidly and thoroughly transformed.– Economy: agrarian industrial– Human settlements: small & rural large & urban – Polity: empires nation-states– Epistemology: traditional, dogmatic rational,

scientific

• It spread unevenly across the world’s societies.– Imperial expansion (e.g. India, the Americas)– Imitation (e.g. Japan, Turkey)

Human Population GrowthHuman Population Growth: Example of Massive Social Change

Occurring During Modernity

Summary of Selected Social Summary of Selected Social Changes Occurring During Changes Occurring During

ModernityModernitySphere of Society

Pre-modernity

Modernity

Economy •Feudalism•Agrarian

•Capitalism•Industrial

Polity •Empire•Monarchy

•Nation-State•Democracy

Human settlements

•Rural•Small-scale

•Urban•Large-scale

Population •High birth rate•High mortality

•Falling birth rate•Low mortality

Knowledge •Dogmatic, traditional, stable

•Scientific, rational, changing

Time-Space Compression: Time-Space Compression: Technology Shrinks Our WorldTechnology Shrinks Our World

Source: David Harvey. 1990. The Condition of Postmodernity. Pp. 241

Sailing ships (1500s – 1840s)

Trains and stream ships (1840s – 1920s)

Propeller airplanes (1920s-1940s)

Jet airplanes (1940s –present)

Information Age and time-Information Age and time-space compressionspace compression

Intel Corp invents micro-chip in 1972

Information tech becomes generalized throughout society

Information now travels at light speed so-called ‘Death of Geography’

Time-Space Compression Occurs Time-Space Compression Occurs UnevenlyUnevenly

Source: Peter Dicken. 1998. Global Shift. Pp. 153.

Social Consequences of the Social Consequences of the Separation of Time and SpaceSeparation of Time and Space‘Dis-embedding’ of social relations:

Removing social activity from its localized context. Co-presence not required.

Globalized Social Interdependence: Distant events increasingly have local consequences

Ontological Insecurity: Declining stability and continuity in one’s personal identity and one’s surrounding social environment.

Source: Anthony Giddens. 1990. The Consequences of Modernity.

PoMo in Fine Arts and Pop PoMo in Fine Arts and Pop Culture:Culture:

Dominance of Signs and Dominance of Signs and SymbolsSymbolsSignified

Signifier

An actual man

Symbol representing a man

PoMo:PoMo:De-linking of Signifier and De-linking of Signifier and

SignifiedSignified‘Empty' or 'floating' signifiers:

Signifiers with vague, highly variable, or little connections to their signified.

≠

Perfume: Signified

Advert for Perfume: Signifier

Postmodern SignsPostmodern Signs

• Simulacrum: Simulacra are copies without originals. Or representations that bear little relation to any reality. Disneyland as Simulacrum par excellence

PoMo in the Fine Arts:PoMo in the Fine Arts:Andy Warhol and the Blurring of High and Low Culture, of Near and Far, of Past and

Present

PoMo in the Fine Arts:PoMo in the Fine Arts:The Many Identities of Cindy The Many Identities of Cindy

ShermanSherman

Modern vs. Post-modern TV Modern vs. Post-modern TV AdvertsAdverts

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6122785873351184363&q=genre%3Aad_promo

Modern

Post-modern

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A08HQP_SlOA