A Dictionary of Postmodernism

A Dictionary of Postmodernism presents an authoritative A-Z of the critical terms and central figures related to the origins and evolution of postmodernist theory and culture.

• Explores the names and ideas that have come to define the postmodern condition – from Baudrillard, Jameson, and Lyotard, to the concepts of deconstruction, meta-narrative, and simulation – alongside less canonical topics such as dialogue and punk
• Includes essays by the late Niall Lucy, a leading expert in postmodernism studies, and by other noted scholars who came together to complete and expand upon his last work
• Spans a kaleidoscope of postmodernism perspectives, addressing its lovers and haters; its movers and shakers such as Derrida; its origins in modernism and semiotics, and its outlook for the future
• Features a series of brief essays rather than fixed definitions of the key ideas and arguments
• Engaging and thought-provoking, this is at once a scholarly guide and enduring reference for the field

Preface x

Note on contributors xiii

Description xiv

Introduction 1

Dictionary Barthes, Roland (Tony Thwaites) 3

Baudrillard, Jean (Niall Lucy) 7

Cultural studies (John Hartley) 12

Culture (Niall Lucy) 19

Deconstruction (Claire Colebrook) 27

Deleuze, Gilles and Guattari, Felix (Claire Colebrook) 30

Derrida, Jacques (Tony Thwaites) 34

Dialogue (John Hartley) 39

Differend (Niall Lucy) 44

Discourse (Robert Briggs) 52

Eco, Umberto (John Hartley) 56

Essence (Robert Briggs) 62

Foucault, Michel (Robert Briggs) 69

Globalization (John Hartley) 76

Habermas, Jürgen (Claire Colebrook) 81

Hassan, Ihab (Darren Tofts) 84

Hyperreality (Robert Briggs) 89

Jameson, Fredric (Niall Lucy) 96

Jencks, Charles (John Hartley) 105

Lacan, Jacques (Tony Thwaites) 110

Lyotard, Jean-François (Niall Lucy) 113

Metanarrative (Niall Lucy) 118

Minor(itarian) (Niall Lucy) 128

Modernism (Niall Lucy) 130

Modernity (Niall Lucy) 137

New media (McKenzie Wark) 139

Paraliterature (Darren Tofts) 144

Phrase (Claire Colebrook) 148

Poststructuralism (Tony Thwaites) 149

Punk (McKenzie Wark) 151

Remix (Darren Tofts) 156

Representation (Darren Tofts) 160

Ronell, Avital (Claire Colebrook) 164

Semiotics (Niall Lucy and John Hartley) 167

Simulation (Niall Lucy) 172

Situationism (McKenzie Wark) 178

Sokal affair (McKenzie Wark) 182

Transcendental signified (Robert Briggs) 188

Truth (Tony Thwaites) 190

Žižek, Slavoj (Tony Thwaites) 194

References 196

Index 213

Niall Lucy was Professor of Critical Theory at Curtin University and founding co-editor of the international journal Ctrl-Z: New Media Philosophy. His numerous books include Postmodern Literary Theory: An Introduction (Wiley Blackwell, 1997), A Derrida Dictionary (Wiley Blackwell, 2004), Pomo Oz: Fear and Loathing Downunder (2010), and The Ballad of Moondyne Joe (with John Kinsella, 2012). A leading figure in Derrida studies and postmodernism, Lucy died in 2014.

For many, postmodernism is notoriously resistant to definition, but this does not mean its key terms, concepts, figures and issues cannot be explained. A Dictionary of Postmodernism is an authoritative guide to the critical terms and central figures at the heart of postmodernist theory and culture. Offering a series of brief essays rather than strict ‘definitions’, chapters illuminate the names and ideas that have come to define the postmodern condition – from canonical figures including Baudrillard, Jameson, and Lyotard, to the concepts of deconstruction, metanarrative, and simulation – alongside less canonical topics ranging from dialogue to punk.

At once a scholarly guide and enduring reference for the field, chapters provide a kaleidoscope of postmodernism perspectives – addressing its lovers (Barthes, Eco, and Hassan) and haters (Habermas, the Sokal affair); its movers (Deleuze and Guattari) and shakers (Derrida); its origins (modernism, semiotics) and outlook for the future (dialogue, globalization). Engaging and thought-provoking, A Dictionary of Postmodernism deftly reveals how there is more to postmodern theory than ‘definitions’ –and so much more to postmodern culture than ‘depthlessness’.

“Quirky, colourful and polemical, this volume is as much mosaic as dictionary, re-laying and reconfiguring established positions, suggesting new angles, and helping current understanding both to encompass, and perhaps finally move beyond, postmodern theories so influential in the late twentieth century.”—Randall Stevenson, University of Edinburgh

“Niall Lucy's Dictionary of Postmodernism is as sharp and sprightly an assembly of essays on postmodernism as one could wish for, which demonstrates the continuing traction and reach of postmodern thought in contemporary art and culture. All the principal persons and preoccupations are considered and the essays are clear-eyed and invigorating.”—Steven Connor, University of Cambridge