Why we're still postmodern (whatever that means)

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

Society & Culture, News, Politics, News Commentary, Philosophy

4.6 • 10.8K Ratings

🗓️ 8 August 2022

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sean Illing talks with Stuart Jeffries, journalist and author of Everything, All the Time, Everywhere, about why postmodernism is so hard to define, and why — as Jeffries argues — it's still a very active presence in our culture and politics today. They discuss whether our desire should be understood as subversive or as a tool of capitalism, how postmodernism is inextricably linked with neoliberalism, and how to navigate our current culture of ubiquitous consumption and entertainment. What should we watch on TV: Boris Johnson's resignation speech, or the reality show Love Is Blind? Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), Interviews Writer, Vox Guest: Stuart Jeffries, author; feature writer, The Guardian References: Everything, All the Time, Everywhere: How We Became Postmodern by Stuart Jeffries (Verso; 2021) "The post-truth prophets" by Sean Illing (Vox; Nov. 16, 2019) The Postmodern Condition by Jean-François Lyotard (Univ. of Minnesota Press; 1979, tr. 1984) Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard (Univ. of Michigan Press; 1981, tr. 1983) Postmodernism: Style and Subversion, 1970–1990 (exhibition catalog, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK; Sept. 24, 2011 – Jan. 15, 2012) "Postmodernism: from the cutting edge to the museum" by Hari Kunzru (The Guardian; Sept. 15, 2011) "You're sayin' a foot massage don't mean nothin', and I'm sayin' it does" by James Wood (Guardian Supplement; Nov. 19, 1994) Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app. Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts This episode was made by: Producer: Erikk Geannikis Editor: Amy Drozdowska Engineer: Patrick Boyd Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What the hell is postmodernism?
0:07.0	I'm Sean Elly, and I'm your host for Vox Conversations.
0:25.0	I've written a feature essay on postmodernism,
0:29.0	and I'm still not entirely sure I know what it is.
0:34.0	I mean, I have an idea, and I can paint in general picture,
0:38.0	but even the great postmodern philosophers don't all agree
0:42.0	on what postmodernism even means.
0:45.0	So it's very hard, almost impossible,
0:49.0	to say simply and clearly what postmodernism is.
0:54.0	Postmodernism is an intellectual movement that started in the mid to late 20th century.
1:00.0	Most of the parties are just saying what's going on with the nation,
1:03.0	and they really don't understand.
1:05.0	We just throw out socialism, but there is a ground swell that came from academia.
1:10.0	There's other elements of postmodernism.
1:12.0	One of them is that human nature is merely a social construct.
1:15.0	Why would you think that human nature is only a social construct?
1:19.0	Well, here's why. It's because that means you could construct it anyway.
1:22.0	You want to.
1:32.0	So depending on the topic in question, postmodernism seems to have these different starting points,
1:38.0	and so it's very, very difficult for a lot of reasons.
1:43.0	So what exactly is postmodernism?
1:46.0	And should we even care about it?
	...

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