Post Modern; Post Modernity; Postmodernism

I have to tell you I looked at dozens and dozens of definitions – and found post modernity to be a general, far-reaching, wide ranging term that can be applied to philosophy, literature, art, architecture, music, sandwiches, technology, culture, ideology, belief systems, raisin bran, politics (why do I hesitate to include politics but not raisin bran?), . . . Ok, Ok . . . so we might be able to apply it to almost anything and everything in culture and society – even challenging those socio-cultural values and traditions - and then again maybe not.

If that’s not clear enough, maybe we could look at some of the definitions I found and see what others have to say.

postmodern

adj : of or relating to postmodernism

http://dictionary.die.net/postmodern

It's simple but kind of says it all – don’t your think?

Another of my favorites:

Postmodernism: pseudo-intellectual Trojan Horse of tyrants everywhere in the western world. Began in Arts faculties in various universities under "thinkers" like Derrida, Baudrillard, Foucault and Irigaray, and spread like a cancer into at least the "soft" sciences, if not further afield. It works insidiously by establishing in the minds of the faithful that there are no ultimate truths in either a moral or a scientific sense, and dressing up bullshit in flowery language.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Baudrillard

In the above definition the reference to Bullshit kind of resonates – doesn’t it? I guess we can kind of see how some might view post modernity in such a fashion. However, it discounts the wonderfully rich, wonderfully compelling body of architecture, art, music and literature that is clearly associated with Post Modernism. One of the things I liked best about this source is that the definition of Post Modernity is found on the same page as their definition of PORNO – but I digress.

What about this definition from InfoPlease:

postmodernity: applies more generally and describes a version of Zeitgeist, if not a “different historical condition”, perhaps suggesting that “the cultural configuration of postmodernism may itself be a constitutive element or a larger socioeconomic and political constellation."

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0839876.html

Now if doesn’t explain it all – I don’t know what does. Wow – another definition where you need to find a definition for elements in the definition – very Post Modern when you come to think of it.

Believe it or not one of my favorite and effective definitions of Post Modernity was provided by a respondent to a question posted on Ask.com:

Post Modernity is made up a few basic concepts:

1) We're in an age made up of empty representations, and can no longer access the 'true' signified (ie, everything we see is mediated by the previous representations of it that we've seen in pictures/ads/movies/tv/books).

2) Points of view are all relative, constructed by society.

3) We are (or should be) self-conscious about all of this meaninglessness/relativism, which leads to the prevalence of irony, nihilism, paranoia, etc. Traditions -- genres, literary form, ideologies, convention, institutions... everything, really -- are scrutinized for what they obscure and what they leave out.

Hope that's helpful!

posted by Marquis at 3:31 PM on January 18, 2004

http://ask.metafilter.com/4735/What-does-the-word-postmodern-mean-What-is-postmodern-literature

Thank you Marquis – that was helpful and in so many ways very appropriate. One thing I like about this definition is the reference to ‘Constructed Meanings.’ We give meaning to the things around us and with Post Modernity – I feel this representation is especially important. In addition and as my colleague Dr. McGee will attest, Post Modernity often seems to have a playfulness and humor that really appeals to me. I would also add the following elements from this PBS.ORG definition:

postmodernism, In general, the postmodern view is cool, ironic, and accepting of the fragmentation of contemporary existence. It tends to concentrate on surfaces rather than depths, to blur the distinctions between high and low culture, and as a whole to challenge a wide variety of traditional cultural values.

http://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/gengloss/postm-body.html

Here, I especially like the references to Post Modernity representing a challenge to traditional cultural values. And for that reason, I selected this clip of the Sudanese woman who was arrested and sentenced to prison and a beating for challenging her societies cultural prohibition against women wearing pants.

Constructed Meanings – challenging traditional values – aided by digital technology in the dissemination of the message to a Global community that helped effect awareness and perhaps change. Global Digital Post Modernity.