Postmodern Theory: Critical Interrogations (Critical Perspectives) - Tapa dura

"It's a clear, useful anthology. Excellent for classroom use." --Dr. Paul Swann, Temple University; Course: Postmodern Criticism; Graduate "Postmodern Theory covers the difficult, sometimes treacherous, and always labyrinthine terrain of modern critical theory about as well as it can be done. This text explores the intricate--and often dense--discourses of writers like Foucault, Baudrillard, Jameson, and Habermas with admirable clarity and insight. If a good deal of postmodern theorizing is opaque and unreadable, this volume is eminently coherent and readable. If postmodernism seems all too often to be engaged in a flight from politics, Best and Kellner manage to bring the theoretical enterprise back to its political moorings. And this is no easy task. This book is highly recommended for any student of social and political theory." --Carl Boggs, National University "The most detailed introduction to postmodern social theory I have yet seen, including valuable critical readings of the major debates.'' --Fredric Jameson, Duke University "Offers a significant engagement with many of the leading figures in current philosophical debates about contemporary history, culture, and politics. Postmodern Theory's rigor, insight, and unique focus make it an important work to be reckoned with....An invaluable resource and example for anyone interested in media theory and cultural studies.'' --Lawrence Grossberg, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

In this timely volume, the authors systematically analyze postmodern theory to evaluate its relevance for critical social theory and radical politics today.

Best and Kellner provide:

* An introduction and critique of the work of Foucault, Deleuze and Guattari, Baudrillard, Lyotard, Laclau and Mouffe, and Jameson, which assess the varying contributions and limitations of postmodern theory

* A discussion of postmodern feminist theory and the politics of identity

* A systematic study of the origin of the discourse of the postmodern in historical, sociological, cultural, and philosophical studies.

The authors claim that while postmodern theory provides insights into contemporary developments, it lacks adequate methodological and political perspectives to provide a critical social theory and radical politics for the present age.