Introducing Postmodernism

Here is the new expanded edition of the international bestseller Introducing Postmodernism. Has the 21st century resolved the question of 'postmodernism' or are we more than ever ensnared in its perplexities? Postmodernism seemed to promise an end to the grim Cold War era of nuclear confrontation and oppressive ideologies. Fukuyama's notoriously proclaimed 'end of history', the triumph of liberal democracy over Communist tyranny, has proved an illusion. We awoke in the anxious grip of globalization, unpredictable terrorism and unforeseen war.This book traces the pedigrees of postmodernism in art, theory, science and history, providing an urgent guide to the present. "Postmodernism seemed to promise an end to the grim Cold War era of nuclear confrontation and oppressive ideologies. Fukuyama's notoriously proclaimed 'end of history', the triumph of liberal democracy over Communist tyranny, has proved an illusion. We awoke in the anxious grip of globalization, unpredictable terrorism and unforeseen war." "Introducing Postmodernism traces the pedigrees of postmodernism in art, theory, science and history, providing an urgent guide to the present. Derrida, Baudrillard, Foucault and many other icons of postmodern complexity are brilliantly elucidated by Richard Appignanesi and enlivened by the Guardian's 'Biff' cartoonist Chris Garratt."--Jacket "Introducing Postmodernism tracks the idea back to its roots by taking a tour of some of the most extreme and exhilarating events, people and thought of the last hundred years: in art-constructivism, conceptual art, Marcel Duchamp, Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol; in politics and history - McCarthy's witch-hunts, feminism, Francis Fukuyama and the Holocaust; in philosophy - the work of Derrida, Baudrillard, Foucault and Heidegger. This book also explores postmodernism's take on today, and the anxious grip of globalization, unpredictable terrorism and unforeseen war that greeted the dawn of the 21st century"--EBL Title Page ......Page 2 Copyright ......Page 3 Part One: The Genealogy of Postmodern Art ......Page 6 Part Two: The Genealogy of Postmodern Theory ......Page 57 Part Three: The Genealogy of Postmodern History ......Page 115 Further Reading......Page 191 Biographies......Page 192 Index......Page 193 Postmodernism seemed to promise an end to the grim Cold War era of nuclear confrontation and oppressive ideologies. This expanded edition brilliantly elucidates this hall of mirrors with Richard Appignanesi's witty and easy-to-follow text and the inspired cartoonist Chris Garratt. Title Page 2 Copyright 3 Part One: The Genealogy of Postmodern Art 6 Part Two: The Genealogy of Postmodern Theory 57 Part Three: The Genealogy of Postmodern History 115 Further Reading 191 Acknowledgements 192 Biographies 192 Index 193 Introducing,Postmodernism What connects Marilyn Monroe, Disney World, The Satanic Verses and cyberspace? Answer: Postmodernism