Postmodernism

Postmodernism is a broad intellectual movement that challenges the assumptions of modernity — the Enlightenment belief in reason, progress, science, and universal truth. Postmodernist thinkers argue that we have moved beyond the modern era into a new, qualitatively different period characterised by fragmentation, diversity, uncertainty, and the collapse of "grand narratives." For AQA A-Level Sociology, understanding postmodernism is essential because it challenges the very foundations of sociological theory.

Key Definition: Postmodernism is an intellectual perspective that rejects the Enlightenment ideals of objective truth, universal reason, and linear progress. It argues that knowledge is fragmented, identity is fluid, and grand narratives (such as Marxism and functionalism) are no longer credible.

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Modernity and Postmodernity

To understand postmodernism, it is necessary first to understand what is meant by modernity.

Modernity

The modern era (broadly from the Enlightenment in the eighteenth century to the late twentieth century) was characterised by: