Postmodern Theory Research Articles

Postmodernism: A Revolt Against Victorianism in Tess of the d’Urbervilles

Postmodernism embraces ambiguity, and challenges fixed meanings and universal truth. Tess of the d’Urbervilles represents the morality of the time. Tess of the d’Urbervilles can be read as a pointer to this problem. Hardy pleads, like the postmodernists, to employ more than one hermeneutic approach to decipher the meaning and purpose of Victorian morality. Hardy portrays Tess as a postmodern woman who rejects socially constructed values and truth in order to attack Victorian morality. Tess is more postmodern than Victorian in the sense that she opposes Victorian chastity and virginity as meta-narratives. Tess believes what she believes to be right or wrong, disregarding Victorian society and societal norms. Because postmodern theory is applied to the text, the proposed study is qualitative. The novel is the primary source of data collection. Secondary data sources include books and journal articles. Selected passages from the text are interpreted with a view to postmodern theory to address research questions. The research technique is interpretive content analysis.

Re-thinking the Future of the English Preparatory Program in the Context of Higher Education in Kuwait

This paper examines the complex role of English within the context of Kuwait's higher education. The role of English as a mediator between Kuwait and the Western world has catalyzed the rise of institutions offering 'American-style' education across the region, leading to the proliferation of courses delivered in English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI). Such institutions have adopted a monolingual policy with the intention of enhancing students' career opportunities through proficiency in English. At the same time, an 'English only' discourse seems to negatively affect local knowledge, language, and culture, leading to their marginalization. This study highlights the tensions between the global appeal of English for job market readiness and the local cultural and linguistic realities that are marginalized by an English-medium instructional policy. The article sets out to examine the dominant monolingual discourse at the English Preparatory Program (EPP) at one university in Kuwait, henceforth referred to as 'the university' . The study identifies several concerns, including the impact of globalization in promoting the misguided belief in English as the sole avenue to success, the cultural and linguistic disconnect in the curriculum, and the inadequacy of westernized teaching approaches. By drawing on theories of postmodernism and postcolonialism, this paper proposes strategies to disrupt colonial and neo-colonial frameworks within the EPP and suggests a more balanced approach to English language teaching that values both global and local perspectives.

The Self and the Other: A Further Reflection on Buddhist–Christian Dialogue

The dialogue between and comparative research into Christianity and Buddhism theoretically involve the issues of self and other. Faced with the cultural reality of religious diversity, theologies of religions provide four modes of dialogue through which Christianity can interface with religious others. The exploration of the infinite and transcendent traits of otherness in contemporary phenomenological philosophy, as well as the emphasis on differences in postmodern philosophy, contributes to maintaining a clear awareness of otherness and self-identity in the Buddhist–Christian dialogue. Following the dialogical path in comparative theology, which leads one out of oneself, into the other, and back into oneself, in experimental Buddhist-Christian dialogue activities, both Christianity and Buddhism figure as the self and the other. If they openly accept each other’s otherness and heterogeneity, view each other as mirrors, and criticize and reflect on themselves, then creative insights into themselves will ultimately be generated. Their selves will be rediscovered, and their understanding and expression will be updated. Reflecting on the Buddhist–Christian dialogue from four aspects, namely, ultimate realism, cosmology, ethics, and religious ideals, can eliminate some misunderstandings and deepen both parties’ understandings of themselves and others.

Difference And becoming in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and The Temple of My Familiar

Today’s Postmodern world finds itself in a crisis of how to address its diversity as we move forward in our fight for gender and racial equality. Alice Walker is an African American writer whose fiction is very illuminating in terms of embracing the differences within each and every one of us. Her characters represent an invitation for people to look outside of the realm of their familiar, to experiment with the unfamiliar and to absorb and cherish the differences in us by immersing in processes of becoming and growth. Walker’s transgressive characters project a variety of experiences that speak against the homogenizing nature of essentialism. They embody the postmodern philosophy of becoming, multiplicity, fluidity and creativity which I intend to unravel through a pluralistic analysis that aims to overcome the dangers of fixed identities by relying on Process philosophy and Deleuzian ontology of difference.

Genealogy, discourse and the "death of the author" as figures of poetics in the novel by Mark Z. Danilevsky's "House of Leaves".

The object of research of this article is a novel by Mark Z. Danilevsky's "House of Leaves" in the context of postmodernism. The subject of the research is some concepts of the theory of poststructuralism – discourse, genealogy, "death of the author" – implemented in the work "House of Leaves" through reductive, metaphorical or allusive implantation into the fabric of the novel. A general analysis is given and the problem of the correlation between the theories of poststructuralism and postmodernism is outlined. The selection and analysis of theoretical works on a given problem has been carried out, and working concepts have been formulated, used as tools for analyzing forms, figures of poetics, as well as for interpreting the novel "House of Leaves".As a consequence, the article presents a detailed description of one of the sides of the artistic method of Mark Z. Danilevsky (the use of poststructuralism theories as a figure of novel poetics), which allows us to judge the techniques and means of artistic expression that determined the form of the novel. In this regard, the article discusses the so-called "form effects", for example: synchrony, the capture of a real figure by a simulacrum, the creation of genealogical–artistic images, the establishment of a special time mode – "simultaneity", etc. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that we have considered the interpretation of the work from the point of view of poststructuralism theories, as a result of which new formal techniques and mechanisms of their use in the creation of a work of art have been revealed.

A Profound Irrationalism Anchored in Postmodernism: A Study of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party

This paper examines the presence of profound irrationalism in Harold Pinter's play, The Birthday Party, through the lens of postmodernism. The analysis draws on postmodernist theories of language, meaning, and power, to explore the ways in which the play reflects and critiques the socio-political context of the postmodern era. The paper argues that the play is an important work of postmodern literature that embodies the postmodern critique of rationality, reason, and truth.

Social networks in the context of postmodern theories � A case of Kazakhstan

Relevance. Social networks are developed and spread to an increasing number of people every day. This is due to the dynamic process of digitalization, which provokes changes in all vectors and categories of society.Purpose. The purpose of the work was to determine the role of the blogger and social networks in the process of shaping and demonstrating the lifestyle that a wide range of people aspire to.Methodology. The following methods of scientific research were used in the article, namely analysis, synthesis, comparison, content analysis and abstraction.Results. As a result, it was possible to establish that the dissemination of information in society, as well as the development of mechanisms for monitoring the consumer needs of society, were characteristic of the postmodern period. They have undergone significant changes as a result of reforming the conditions for the development and activities of the state. However, it has been established that their role is one of the determining ones in the development of the institution of blogging as a driving force in the field of marketing and consumption of things and services. The study managed to prove that bloggers, based on the demonstration of various objects, events directly related to their lives, provoke the formation of a certain associative series. The latter concerns the description of the features of a rich life, its dissemination to the masses, for the acquisition of high consumer value among individual products and services.Conclusions. The article found that consumer behaviour in modern Kazakh society is formed under the influence of social networks. The results of scientific research can be used in the formation of advertising integration plans or the description of marketing ways to form consumer behaviour among social network users.

Reading Manna and Quail in the Exodus: A Reader Response Criticism Perspective

Reader Response Criticism is a postmodernist interpretation approach. The spirit of postmodernism greatly influences the interpretive activities carried out by this method. The philosophy of postmodernism is apparent in the characteristics of reader response criticism. The author explains how the Reader Response Criticism approach works in this study. In the research framework, the author uses the literature study method to obtain research data and the biblical hermeneutic method to find news from the Bible. From this research, it can be concluded that Reader Response Criticism considers that manna comes from several proposals, both animals and plants, which tells that the event did not happen miraculously but something normal based on the availability of manna in the area, as well as the quails they came usually because of fatigue so that no visible action of God in the event. But biblically speaking, both of these events were God working miraculously to do His providence for the Israelites who had been freed from slavery and had to pass through the wilderness for 40 years, and God provided food for them.

Mulighedens uendelighed – uendelighedens mulighed

The article investigates the possibilities and limitations of a religious Christian hope from a postmodern perspective. It argues that Søren Kierkegaard’s Christian understanding of hope as ambiguous, despiteful, and ethical is in alignment with Gianni Vattimo’s postmodern theory of kenosis as the essence of secularity. The argument proceeds in three steps. The first section outlines the challenge and the potential of the postmodern. The second section analyzes Kierkegaard’s understanding of hope. The third section sketches how Vattimo’s postmodern theory contrasts the pragmatic, scientific, and nihilistic hopes of today and aligns with Kierkegaard’s understanding of hope.

BECI System of Business English Reading and Writing

Purpose: This study puts forward the BECI system under the background of Chinese new liberal arts construction and the guidance of postmodern philosophy and the blended teaching mode in order to sustainably improve students’ Business English Reading and Writing ability and cultivate Business English compound talents who meet the market demand. Theoretical framework: The research makes use of post-modern philosophy and blended teaching mode to explore the BECI system. Design/ methodology/ approach: The BECI system teaching mode integrates traditional teaching and digital teaching, and uses information technology, online and offline, multi-modal teaching and process assessment mechanism to comprehensively improve students’ participation and subjective learning status, and cultivate their good study habits. Findings: BECI system is market-demand-oriented, student-centered and teacher-scaffolded, which includes business knowledge, English knowledge, cross-cultural knowledge and ideological and political knowledge, and advocates the mutual promotion of Business English Reading (input) and Business English Writing (output). Research, Practice & Social Implications: The research not solely solves some problems, such as complicated teaching content and low learning efficiency of students, Business English Reading and Writing facing with, but also endows learners with the sustainable Business English Reading and Writing ability and good study habits.

Postmodern organizational theory: empirical substantiation and practical application

The sports industry today is not only an important component of the socio7cultural life of the population, but also an open platform for the development of entrepreneurial projects in sports. Entrepreneurial activity in the sports industry includes the development of new ideas, the implementation of business plans and the search for investors to introduce new directions. Currently, the requirements of the markets for goods and services to enter them are quite high, there is high competition for consumer attention and a fairly short time for the launch of new products and services. Therefore, when implementing a new project in a shortened timeframe, entrepreneurs, including in the sports industry, face a difficult task: to take into account the existing critical factors when developing a new direction and reduce the risks during the implementation of the project. In this regard, managerial decision–making skills and the ability to calculate their consequences come to the fore.

Процессы цифровизации в искусстве и творчестве: диалектика взаимосвязи

The article examines the peculiarities of the processes of digitalization in contemporary art and their influence on the artist, the comprehension of virtual space in the philosophy of postmodernism. In the article the specificity of digital art is discussed, and the extent of justifiability of the predictions of the development of virtual reality in art is determined. In the philosophy of postmodernism, the processes of virtualization have been evaluated ambivalently. The virtual dimension does not always stand against reality. Art presents a sphere of a productive interaction between the real and the virtual. The virtual world created by art contains within itself the possibility of transferal into actual reality. On the one hand, the contemporary processes of digitalization in art enhance the tendencies of degradation of the cyber culture, the possibility of replacement of the artist with the programmer. On the other hand, they erase the boundary between the real and the virtual worlds. The space generated by the computer opens up new strata of the multifaceted world, other dimensions of the already familiar existence. The means of computer technologies generate diversity in the aesthetic perception of art. But for actualization of the virtual space as a transformed reality a creator is required. The preservation of the self-sufficient presence of the artist in digital technologies of art would be possible with the aid of the dialectic character of their interaction.

KAIKEYI: BEYOND MYTH AND MODERNITY IN AMISH TRIPATHI'S RAMCHANDRA SERIES

The present research paper focuses on one of the most controversial figures in Hindu mythology: Kaikeyi. Traditionally depicted as a naïve and notorious mother in Indian folklore, this study re-examines her character through a postmodern lens, aiming to establish her as a truly powerful woman. Kaikeyi emerges as an unconquerable and dignified figure of her time. One key concept in postmodernism is the idea of the metanarrative. Metanarratives offer a fascinating lens for literary analysis. Rooted in postmodern philosophy, this concept challenges definitive absolutes—such as Truth—suggesting they are either highly elusive or non-existent. Consequently, postmodernism it resists clear definitions, embracing ambiguity and complexity. This paper attempts to re-envision the myth of Kaikeyi through the lens of Amish Tripathi’s Ram Chandra Series. By doing so, it sheds new light on her character, presenting Kaikeyi not as a villain but as a figure of immense strength and dignity. This reinterpretation challenges traditional narratives and offers a fresh perspective on her role in Hindu mythology.

A Discussion of Postmodern Issues Based on Dewey’s Ethics: The Example of Female Moral Education

The focus on female moral education issues allows us to reexamine the contributions of John Dewey, an American educational philosopher. Dewey’s ethics are built upon a rebellion against the universalism and rationalism that were predominant in the traditional ethics based on intrinsic manifestation and external rules. This ethical approach is primarily characterized by Dewey’s pursuit of a democratic society, as well as the emphasis he places on emotional and moral imagination. Dewey’s ethics can be seen as a means to address postmodern problems, integrating the traditional emphasis on “knowledge” with the postmodern focus on “discourse,” based on experience. However, it is worth contemplating whether this solution is effective or if it overly magnifies the power of “understanding” in its ethical system. In the dialogue with postmodern theory, perhaps what is more crucial for the myriad of postmodern issues, exemplified by female morality, is inclusion rather than understanding, as well as questioning knowledge and reconstructing its elements.

Intercultural communication and modern challenges of global education

Today, development is recognized as more intricate than in the past. Scholars and practitioners observe a shift in the development landscape since the turn of the millennium, emphasizing culture’s increasing role in social life. In postmodern theory, culture asserts a predominant position among other societal spheres. A balanced view positions culture as a vital component of everyday experience, marking a transition from a scarcity-driven society where economic necessity confines human behavior to a world where individual choice is expanded by the growing influence of the human factor over external conditions. This perspective does not narrowly define culture solely as high art or achievement of cultural standards seen in official discourse, but rather embraces its broad spectrum of manifestations across public life, representing the future direction of cultural policy.

Americanization of French Theory and the Rise of “Chinese Postism”

Chinese Postism refers to Chinese versions of poststructuralism, postmodernism and postcolonialism, three major western theoretical trends prefixed with “post.” Chinese Postism is largely retranslations of English translations (and interpretations) of French theories of poststructuralism and postmodernism, as well as postcolonialism as American appropriation of French theories. Revisiting the French- American-Chinese journey of theory may help uncover the broader political and ideological changes underlying the intellectual and academic trends.

An intertextual exploration of apocalyptic and afterlife hell imagery in The ThirteenthSun

This study conducts an intertextual analysis of apocalyptic and afterlife hell imagery in the novel The Thirteenth Sun, focusing on two specific subtropics. The first subtopic focuses on analyzing the images and themes of the apocalyptic in the novel and its poetic epigraph through close reading and textual analysis of both texts. The second subtopic focuses on a close reading and interpretation of the images and themes of an afterlife hell in both The Thirteenth Sun and Dante's The Divine Comedy. Using a postmodern literary theory, namely intertextuality, this study analyzes the intertexts between the novel and the epigraph, as well as the intertextual relationship between The Thirteenth Sun and The Divine Comedy. The detailed textual analysis reveals that both the poetic epigraph and the novel not only employ dystopian themes and imagery of the apocalyptic and the afterlife hell but also engage in a profound dialogue with The Divine Comedy and Christian eschatological traditions. By juxtaposing these intertextual elements, the study illuminates how The Thirteenth Sun reinterprets and transforms apocalyptic and afterlife motifs, contributing to a richer understanding of the genre and its thematic evolution.

A social work contribution in end-of-life care: incorporating critical spirituality.

This article outlines how a framework for critical spirituality incorporated into a social work perspective, can contribute to work in end-of-life care. This is based on my experience of working in interdisciplinary teams, including pastoral care workers or chaplains, nurses, doctors, a range of carers and other allied health professionals. Traditionally, social workers have focused on the holistic well-being of the dying person and their families but tended not to actively include the spiritual. However, there is increased recognition in social work of the value of integrating critical spirituality: understanding the person's own sense of meaning and the social assumptions that might influence how this can be expressed. This might mean working with individuals and families on understanding how societal expectations of the dying process are undermining the person's desire to die in a particular way. To do this, workers must themselves recognise their own internalised societal assumptions and be willing to challenge these. The article explores the potential value of how such a social work approach can integrate critical, postmodern, green and relational theories as well as indigenous worldviews with key qualities of practice such as humility, deep listening and waiting, and the ability to be critically reflective. Key ideas are used to help focus practice and the inclusion of critical spirituality. These include (1) exploring the influence of the person's history and social context; (2) the value of particular relationships and networks, including community and environmental connections and activities and processes that are an intrinsic aspect of the person's well-being; (3) challenging workers to be critically and reflectively aware of their own assumptions and values to ensure the dying person can truly express their preferences related to death and dying. Examples from my experience are used to illuminate how such perspectives can be actively included in practice across professional boundaries to shift perceptions of 'how things are done here' to what can be more life enhancing for those in palliative care.

A Philosophical Theologian’s Review Essay on Judith Butler’s Who’s Afraid of Gender?

Judith Butler’s work relates directly to science and religion concerns. Scientific questions regarding the nature of male and female sex, and the relation of biological sex to Butler’s conception of gender are important concerns in her work. Butler also has an abiding disdain for traditional Christian anthropology with its binary heteronormative sexual ethics. Conservative Christian religion is thus seen by Butler as a moral and political enemy of progressive humanity and reason. For these two reasons, as well as the fact that Butler has had an enormous impact on contemporary culture and law through her gender studies work, it is important that Christians who are interested in science and in the cultural and political currents of our times, understand her work. People who do not usually read postmodern gender theory will find the terrain demanding. Indeed, Butler’s writing is difficult even for professional philosophers to decipher. However, her 2024 book—Who’s Afraid of Gender—is remarkably accessible. Considering the importance to science, religion, and contemporary culture that these matters are, and considering that this is an unusually accessible text by Butler, I here offer a philosophically engaged and theologically critical review essay of Butler’s latest book.

Философия постмодернизма в музыкальной культуре

This article analyzes the problems of the philosophy of postmodernism, which influenced the musical culture of the XX century. Postmodernism is seen as a modern worldview – a kind of protest against reality and at the same time a kind of summing up and rethinking. The musical culture of the last third of the XX century is a complex phenomenon, characterized by diversity, infinite variability, eclecticism. The emergence of new forms, genres, styles, trends in music indicates new turns in musical thinking, generating other semantic layers in the art of this period, designated by researchers as postmodernism. The relevance of the study of musical postmodernism is determined by the current position of musical art in the modern cultural space, influenced by postmodernism in science and art. It is important to note that at this stage of the development of musicology, postmodernism is in the phase of study, whereas in philosophical and aesthetic teachings, a number of different studies are devoted to the direction of postmodernism.