The Death of Postmodernism and Beyond
Encyclopedia
The Death of Postmodernism and Beyond is an essay by the British cultural critic Alan Kirby
. It was first published in the British journal Philosophy Now
, no. 58 in 2006 and has been widely reproduced since. It became the basis for his book Digimodernism: How New Technologies Dismantle the Postmodern and Reconfigure our Culture, published by Continuum
in 2009. The essay argues that postmodernism
as a cultural period is over, and has given way to a new paradigm based on digital technology which he calls "pseudomodernism" (changed to "digimodernism" in the book).
The essay has been criticized for its vague reference to the 'banality' of current texts- Kirby defines pseudo-modernism as text which is created by the audience, for the audience, but then he places a wide range of texts under this category that seem not to belong- such as The Blair Witch Project and The Office. These texts, Kirby says, lack the self-aware irony that postmodernism was known for.
Kirby's essay forms part of a growing movement that emerged in the late 2000s and seeks to chart cultural developments in the aftermath of postmodernism, such as Nicolas Bourriaud
's Altermodern
(an exhibition at Tate Britain
in 2009) and Raoul Eshelman's performatism.
Alan Kirby (writer)
Alan Kirby is the author of The Death of Postmodernism and Beyond and of Digimodernism: How New Technologies Dismantle the Postmodern and Reconfigure Our Culture, a book-length study of the same subject. Along with Nicolas Bourriaud, Gilles Lipovetsky, Raoul Eshelman, Timotheus Vermeulen and Robin...
. It was first published in the British journal Philosophy Now
Philosophy Now
Philosophy Now is a philosophy magazine, published every two months and sold from news-stands and bookstores in the USA, UK, Australia and Canada. It aims to appeal to the general educated public, as well as to students and philosophy teachers. It was founded in 1991...
, no. 58 in 2006 and has been widely reproduced since. It became the basis for his book Digimodernism: How New Technologies Dismantle the Postmodern and Reconfigure our Culture, published by Continuum
Continuum International Publishing Group
The Continuum International Publishing Group is a publisher of books, with its editorial offices in London and New York City. It had been owned by Nova Capital Management since 2005...
in 2009. The essay argues that postmodernism
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
as a cultural period is over, and has given way to a new paradigm based on digital technology which he calls "pseudomodernism" (changed to "digimodernism" in the book).
The essay has been criticized for its vague reference to the 'banality' of current texts- Kirby defines pseudo-modernism as text which is created by the audience, for the audience, but then he places a wide range of texts under this category that seem not to belong- such as The Blair Witch Project and The Office. These texts, Kirby says, lack the self-aware irony that postmodernism was known for.
Kirby's essay forms part of a growing movement that emerged in the late 2000s and seeks to chart cultural developments in the aftermath of postmodernism, such as Nicolas Bourriaud
Nicolas Bourriaud
Nicolas Bourriaud is a French curator and art critic. He co-founded, and from 1999 to 2006 was co-director of the Palais de Tokyo, Paris together with Jerôme Sans. He was also founder and director of the contemporary art magazine Documents sur l'art , and correspondent in Paris for Flash Art from...
's Altermodern
Altermodern
Altermodern, a portmanteau word defined by Nicolas Bourriaud, is an attempt at contextualizing art made in today's global context as a reaction against standardisation and commercialism...
(an exhibition at Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
in 2009) and Raoul Eshelman's performatism.