资源描述:
《Eruptions of Postmodernity-The Postcolonial and the Ecological》由会员上传分享,免费在线阅读,更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、EruptionsofPostmodernity:ThePostcolonialandtheEcologicalLINDAHUTCHEONTHEI990Shavebroughtwiththemmorethanaglobalrecession:wecannotturnonourtelevisionsorradiosorreadournewspaperswithoutbeingmadeawareoftheconsequencesoftheendoftheColdWarandthestrangelysimultaneousdisintegrationandreintegrationofwh
2、atwasoncecalledthe"OldWorld."Wecannothelpnoticingthatwearelivingonaplanetwhereethnicconflict,ecologicaldisaster,andeconomicandsocialinequalityaremoretherulethantheexception.Welcometopostmodernity.Butperhapsweshouldtrytokeepsomeperspective:itisnotasifmodernityhadnotofferedusafewdevastatingworldw
3、arsand,infact,engineered,overtwocenturies,ourpresentfiscalandphysicalsituation.AspostmodernsociologistZygmuntBaumanputsit,Thekindofsocietythat,retrospectively,cametobecalledmodern,emergedoutofthediscoverythathumanorderisvulnerable,contingentanddevoidofreliablefoundations.Thatdiscoverywasshockin
4、g.Theresponsetotheshockwasadreamandanefforttomakeordersolid,obligatoryandreliablyfounded.Thisresponseproblematizedcontingencyasanenemyandorderasatask.Itdevaluedanddemonizedthe'raw'humancondition.Itpromptedanincessantdrivetoeliminatethehap-hazardandannihilatethespontaneous.(xi)So,modernitygaveus
5、CartesianrationalityandEnlightenmentidealsofliberty,butitalsoengenderedthingssuchastheindustrialrevolutionandEuropeanimperialism.Theconsequencesoftheselasttwoattemptsto"eliminatethehaphazard"arewhatwelivewithtoday,eachinourownway.146"Postmodernity"-theshorthandtermforthelatestmajorshiftinparadi
6、gm(orconditionorepisteme-whatevertermwechoosetouse)-canbeseenasaresponsetomodernity'sragefororderanditsconsequences.Ofcourse,fromtheperspectiveofmodernity'sfaithinsystemandreason,inuniversaltruth,beauty,andgoodness,thepostmodernisascandalous(andliterallyunthinkable)responsebecauseitchallengespr
7、eciselythosemodernfoundationaldiscoursesinthenameofcontingency,provisionality,andthe"situatedness"ofbothknowledgeandmorality.Itisalsoapotentiallyliberatingresponse,thoughneveraneasyone.InBauman'sterms,the"ethicalparadoxofthepostmo