Negotiating Postmodernism

Philosophy/Critical Theory A comprehensive and interdisciplinary overview of this essential debate. No longer is there one postmodernism. Joining the modern-postmodern debate as it arrives at a critical juncture, this book suggests that the polarizing polemics of the radical postmodernists who once dominated the discussion have given way to a new "critical postmodernism" characterized by dialogue, accommodation, and synthesis. A comprehensive survey, Negotiating Postmodernism also marks the arrival of a powerful, critical presence on the scene, one that advances the idea of a late modern-postmodern social and cultural transition. Wayne Gabardi considers the relevant literatures that make up the second wave of the modern-postmodern debate, engaging the work of contemporary social and political thinkers ranging from Lyotard and Bauman to Giddens and Habermas, from Heidegger and Arendt to Foucault and Wolin. From the battle lines drawn between neo-Marxist writers and postmoderns in the early sixties to the shifting positions staked out in the eighties and nineties, Gabardi identifies the salient features of the evolving discussion and searches out common ground for the contending parties. More than a comprehensive overview and interpretation, his work also puts forward major theoretical propositions regarding the future of democracy for advanced societies. Wayne Gabardi is associate professor of political science at Idaho State University. Translation Inquiries: University of Minnesota Press