In his study Modernity and the Holocaust, Zygmunt Bauman contrasts the hopes and expectations of the modernising world of the nineteenth century with the real outcomes of the twentieth century, where the very conditions of modernity have led to the mass destruction of humanity and of those early hopes for the betterment of humankind. This volume explores the possibilities left to those once modernising societies, not only in terms of the worlds they have constructed but also in discerning the novel conditions which the closure of modernity entails. That closure, in part the completion of industrialisation and the social order that went with it, and in part the dislocation of the kinds of social knowledge used to understand it, has raised profound and disturbing questions about the character of this brave new world and the ways in which its governance and the goal of the good society can be understood. This volume explores some of the current vicissitudes of modernity, especially in relation to the crises of the political, and the political consequences of new technologies.

What happens to politics in the postmodern condition? The Politics of Postmodernity is a political tour de force that addresses this key contemporary question. Politics in postmodernity is carefully contextualized by relating its specific sphere - the polity - to those of the economic, social, technological and cultural. The authors confront globalization and the notion of postmodernity as disorganized capitalism. They analyze the role of the mass media, the changing ways in which politics is used, the role of the state and the progressive potential of politics in postmodern times. Closing with a postscript on the future of the discipline of political science, this book offers a profound yet highly accessible account of how politics is undergoing a shift from the modern to the postmodern.

The Politics of Postmodernity outlines in a clear and coherent manner the implications for political theory that are inherent in philosophical hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is not only a general theory of human understanding, it is also, in terms of its practical consequences, a general Theory of Democracy. This book demonstrates, with reference to current debates, how hermeneutical theory provides the ultimate philosophical justification for democratic practice and universal human rights. One of the book's most significant features is the way in which it attempts to work through postmodernism and the way in which throughout it shows how hermeneutics, while fully a form of `postmodern' thought, is nevertheless distinctive in this regard in eschewing all forms of relativism and in resolutely defending a nonessentialist universalism. This book will be of interest to all those concerned with the fate of the core values traditionally defended by philosophy and, indeed, with the future of philosophy itself after postmodernity.

In this critique of globalization, Burbach (director of the Center for the Study of the Americas) asserts that institutions such as the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund, and the transnational corporations are intent upon exercising a new hegemony over our lives while the role of the traditional nation state is transformed. He builds his case by showing how a group of high-tech robber barons at the center of this power shift dominate the information age and exploit the technologies of globalization for their own narrow interests. Drawing on contemporary historical experiences, he discusses the emergence of an array of movements comprising the marginalized, the dispossessed, and those who refuse to accept the rule of the transnational elites. Distributed by Stylus. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR

Internationally acclaimed theologian Graham Ward is well known for his thoughtful engagement with postmodernism. This volume, the fourth in The Church and Postmodern Culture series, offers an engaging look at the political nature of the postmodern world. In the first section, "The World," Ward considers "the signs of the times" and the political nature of contemporary postmodernism. It is imperative, he suggests, that the church understand the world to be able to address it thoughtfully. In the second section, "The Church," he turns to practical application, examining what faithful discipleship looks like within this political context. Clergy and those interested in the emerging church will find this work particularly thought provoking.

This timely and assured book provides a unique guide to critical legal studies which is one of the most exciting developments within contemporary jurisprudence. It is the first book to systematically apply a critical philosophy to the substance of common law. The book develops a coruscating and interdisciplinary overview of the politics and cultural significance of the institutions of the law.

Explores the politic of representation, focusing on both mass media and high art forms.

In this book, Honi Haber offers a much-needed analysis of postmodern politics. While continuing to work towards the voicing of the "other," she argues that we must go beyond the insights of postmodernism to arrive at a viable political theory. Postmodernism's political agenda allows the marginalized other to have a voice and to constitute a politics of difference based upon heterogeneity. But Haber argues that postmodern politics denies us the possibility of selves and community--essential elements to any viable political theory.

This book explores the origins of the academic culture wars of the late 20th century and examines their lasting influence on the humanities and progressive politics. It puts us in a position to ask this question: what to make now of those furious debates over postmodernism, multiculturalism, relativism, critical theory, deconstruction, post-structuralism, and all the rest? In an effort to arrive at a fair judgment on that question, the book reaches for an understanding of postmodern theorists by way of two genres they despised and hopes, for that very reason, to do them justice. It tells a story, and in the telling, advances two basic claims: first, that the phenomenological/hermeneutical tradition is the most suitable source of theory for a humanism that aspires to be universal; and, second, that the ethical and political aspect of the human condition is authentically accessible only through narrative. In conclusion, it argues that the postmodern moment was a necessary one, or will have been if we rise to the occasion and seize the opportunity it offers: a truly universal humanism might yet be realized even in—or perhaps especially in—this atavistic hour of parochial populism.

We are not yet at a moment that could be called postmodernity, and may never be, says leading sociologist Ben Agger in his newest book. Modernity is still our history, our framework. Nevertheless, Agger shows how postmodern theory can enhance understanding of the self, everyday life, and culture in the early 21st century. Changes in culture, commerce, and communications, such as the internet, require "postmodern" modes of knowing. Agger borrows from French postmodern theory and from the Frankfurt School's critical theory in addressing the utility and shortcomings of postmodern theory for understanding identity, culture, race, gender, and power. He explains postmodern theory clearly, borrowing creatively from postmodernism in order to theorize about daily life and social structures heavily reliant on information technologies like the internet and the Web.