Notes

All ideas are of equal values regardless of power status. We can’t know if something is true or false so we shouldn’t repress peoples opinions.

Post-Modernism has also practically criticised meta-narratives because they can lead to over arching totalitarian states like the Soviet Union based on Marxist principals which created labour camps and political repression.



- However a criticism of Post-modern views on knowledge is that how can we 'know’ that we can’t know true or false narratives of society. It’s like how we we 'know’ we don’t know anything when we know at least that we don’t know.



Chaos, uncertainty and the collapse of social structures

Structures like the family and nation state are braking down, for instance there is no such thing as the 'typical family’ any more. They suggest that things like social class, and the nation state no longer exist, these have broken down too.



Meta-narrative and the myth of truth

Lyotard (1984) agues that because society is changing so fast it can no longer be explained by the general theories like Functionalism and Marxism (meta-narrative- just one version of the truth) and people are in so many groups, interests and lifestyles are changing. Lyotard argued that people do not believe in the myth of truth and societies can no longer be understood in terms of general theories. There has been a loss of faith in superiority of science and progress.



Choice, Identity and Consumption

People now have more choice over their identities, there are less social constraints. Post-Modern society involves a media saturated consumer culture, where there are virtually limitless possibilities for identities and lifestyles from the evolving consumer goods and activities.



A Media-saturated society

Baudrillard (2001) says that the mass media is so far into our lives that it begins to shape the way we live. Our society therefore is so saturated with media imagery. Baudrillard called this ’Simulacra’ which means, media images are shown to reflect reality but in reality have no reflection of the real event, and these images are seen all over the world showing people what 'is happening’. For example media image of war zones eliminate the corpses and death before being sent home, only to show war torn streets. Because of this we become unable to reveal the reality of situations from video games and Hollywood films.

This system of Simulacra creates a ’Hyper-reality’ where the world becomes defined by the media. Giddens notes, “we are responding to media images rather than real people.”



'Pick 'n mix’ identities

Baudrillard (2001) notes that post-modernism involves the consumption of media created desires, having designed clothes which are emphasized in the media. We are no longer constrained to fulfil identities because of class, ethnicity, or gender alone. We can pick and mix between these factors as well as matching the diversity we see in society (due to globalisation) and draw identities from across the globe.



Bauman (1996) and the shopping mall - you are what you buy

Bauman argues that we aren’t so constrained by factors like ethnicity or class anymore, instead we can choose, swap and try on as many identities or variations as we want, much like strolling through a shopping mall and trying on new clothes, testing new styles and changing when they don’t fit.



Evaluation of Post-modernism

+ It has highlighted some important cultural changes in media, culture and identity

+ It recognises that identities are more fluid and can be created and changed whenever, they cannot be reduced to a response to structural factors.

+ Provides insight into modern issues; globalisation, social changes, growing risk and uncertainty and the growing power of the media

+ It has influenced the way sociologists research, making them question their assumptions and the meaning of some social changes



-Giddens: late modernity and reflexivity – he accepts that there have been some changes in society but rejects that we have moved into a new era; instead we are in a stage of late modernity or high modernity. Giddens sees Late Modernity as characterised by ’reflexivity’- knowledge we gain from society shapes how we act in it. In modern times social institutions are constantly reflecting on what they do and how they do it, and people are having to reflect on the circumstances in which they live their lives. In modern times personal reflexivity means looking at freedom and fulfilment, he calls this their ’life projects’.

- Marxists like Philo and Miller (2001) make lots of criticisms

PM ignores power and inequality. The idea that the media is unconnected with reality ignores the fact that the media is controlled by the dominant class
Saying that we have limitless choice in choosing identities ignores how poverty restricts people
PM’s are simply wrong to assume we cannot distinguish reality from media
By saying all views are equally true, it’s like defending how some people can deny the Nazis killed millions of people, which is normally an indefensible position
- Lyotard’s theory is self-defeating: Why should I believe a theory that says all theories are without truth.

- Best and Keller (1991) argue that Post-modernism is a pretty weak theory, it looks at some social changes and features of today’s society without explaining where they came from

- PM’s are accused of being too pessimistic about the Enlightenment project by saying knowledge is impossible and nothing can be done to improve society. David Harvey (1989) argues that political decisions do have an effect on all of us, and knowledge can be used to solve human problems.

- Over-emphasises the role of media and assumes people are passive to be manipulated by it.

- It exaggerates the scale of social change, factors like ethnicity and class still strongly influence us

- It assumes total free will to choose identities and make decisions however social structures still exert force against us, for example we are constrained by money or gender.

-Ollocks (2008) is simply an exhausting game for intellectuals using obscure imagery and flowery language to disguise nonsense ideas.

- Post-modernism is a meta-narrative in itself and so we can dismiss it.