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Interrelationship among Postmodernity, Postmodernism and Postmodern Social Theory!

Normally, ‘postmodern’ is the term used by most of the society scientists. However, there is also use of the terms ‘postmodernism’ and ‘postmodern social theory.’ Best and Kellner – the postmodern thinkers – have made a differentiation between these three terms.

The term ‘postmodernity’ means that the era of modernity has ended and the postmodern era has come. Historical meaning is also attached to postmodernity. Such a meaning was given by Arnold Toynbee. He mentioned about it in his six-volume book A Study of History (1947). D.C. Somervell suggested that Toynbee’s focus on history could be called ‘postmodern age’. Toynbee thus took it up, and in his subsequent volumes of his work, he put forward the notion of a postmodern age.

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Lamert is yet another postmodernist who traces the origin of modernity from history. But his history is only symbolic. He recalls the moment which took place at 3.32 p.m., July 15, 1972 at St. Louis when the modernist architecture of Pruit-Igoe housing project was destroyed.

The massive housing project which represented modernist architecture was constructed with the belief that by building the biggest and best public housing, the poverty and human misery would be eradicated. But, the bulldozing of the project was the destruction of modernity.

Lamert says that symbolically at least postmodernity emerged with the destruction of this project in 1972. The destruction raises the issue whether postmodernity can solve the problems created by modernity. To conclude, it could be said that postmodernity emerged on the scene at different times at different places. It is all a historical phenomenon.

The term ‘postmodernism’ is used to denote the cultural products which appeared newly in the already existing modem culture. Popular culture in the form of remix photography and new forms of art are some of the examples of new postmodern culture.

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In the realm of television some untraditional and unconventional serials have come to screen. Same has happened in the music of movies and entertainment programmes. Postmodernism, thus, can be defined as a movement that rejects or moderates the ideas of a previous movement considered modernist often encompassing a reinterpretation of classical ideas, forms and practices.

However, the term has gained a specific definition with reference to western art and architecture after the decline of modernism in 1995. Particularly associated with post-industrial society and the ‘cultural topic of late capitalism’, it suggests multiple quotation, cultural crossover and multicultural borrowing. It is a generalized term for the knowing of hi-tech pluralist character of contemporary society.

The term ‘postmodern social theory’ has special relevance for sociology. Before the beginning of postmodernity, sociology used to have sociological theory. It was classical contemporary and modern. Such a theory was foundational which developed in a cumulative way from Durkheim, Weber, Marx and others to Parsons and Merton.

Postmodernism calls these foundational theories merely as metanarratives. These are rejected. It is argued that the foundational theories tend to privilege some people and downgrade the significance of others, or in other words, give some groups power and render other groups powerless.

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Take the case of India: the functional theory which has been an obsession for Indian sociologists and which very rigidly draws from foundational theory, hardly takes into consideration the issues and problems with which the scheduled tribes, scheduled castes and women struggle. They kept themselves engaged in maintaining the status quo of the privileged groups.

The postmodernists use the term ‘social theory’ instead of sociological theory. It shows that they have thrown away the yoke of foundational theory. They have crossed the boundaries of sociology. And, they argue that the postmodern social theory is not essentially a sociological theory.

It is interdisciplinary and is inclusive of philosophy, linguistics, communication, knowledge and aesthetics. For instance, Jean-Francois Lyotard begins by identifying modern (scientific) knowledge with the kind of single grand synthesis.

To close the discussion on the meaning of postmodernity, let us at the end quote Lyotard:

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Simplify to the extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity to metanarratives . Let us wage war on totality. Let us activate the difference. Postmodern knowledge is not simply a tool of authorities; it refines our sensitivity to differences and reinforces our ability to tolerate in commensurable.

In terms of Lyotard’s definition sociology has moved beyond the modern period, into the postmodern period, in its search for a range of more specific synthesis. The postmodern society provides us with ‘smallish,’ ‘localized’ narratives instead of grand or metanarratives.

Interestingly enough, while Lyotard rejects the grand narratives in general, Baudrillard rejects the idea of the social. For another, rejecting the social leads to a rejection of the metanarratives of sociology that is associated with modernity.

George Ritzer argues that a larger number of sociologists today operate within postmodernist perspective making social theory a part of classical sociological tradition. For instance, they analyze Georg Simmel and C. Wright Mills who are key figures in sociology, from postmodern perspective.

Modernity

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