Episode 118 - A Basic Look At Post-Modernism
Episode 118 - A Basic Look At Post-Modernism
This episode looks at the moment when structuralism, once a powerful way of understanding culture and thought, starts to face serious challenges—both from critics and from within its own framework. As thinkers began applying structuralist methods to structuralism itself, they exposed its limitations and contradictions. This led to the rise of post-structuralism and eventually postmodernism, a movement that questions the Enlightenment’s core ideas: objective truth, fixed identity, and universal theories. Postmodernists argue that what we call “truth” is always shaped by culture and history, and that attempts to create grand, unified explanations often do more harm than good. The episode explains how postmodern thinkers push for fragmentation over unity—breaking down rigid categories and centralized worldviews in favor of multiple, shifting perspectives. By tracing these ideas, the episode sets up a deeper conversation about how postmodernism rethinks meaning, truth, and identity in the modern world.
Further Reading:
An Introductory Guide to Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism by Madan Sarup (1993)
Postmodernism, or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism by Fredric Jameson (1991)
The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge by Jean-François Lyotard (1984)
See the full transcript here.
Thank you to everyone who makes this podcast a possibility in the future.
I could never do this without your support! :)