Postmodernity and its Discontents
 | |
| Author | Zygmunt Bauman |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Sociology, philosophy |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Polity Press (1997) |
Publication date | February 1997 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover / paperback) |
| Pages | 232 pp |
| ISBN | 0745617905 |
Postmodernity and Its Discontents is a book written by Zygmunt Bauman, published in 1997. It is considered a landmark in Bauman's studies on postmodernism[1][2]. The title references Sigmund Freud's 1930 book Civilization and Its Discontents.
Overview
In this work, Bauman posits that a shift had taken place in modern society in the latter half of the 20th century. It had changed from a society of producers into a society of consumers. According to Bauman, this change reversed the "modern" tradeoff espoused by Freud in his Civilization and Its Discontents, that freedom was given up in exchange for security and order. In Bauman's view of the postmodern society, security was given up in exchange for more freedom, freedom to purchase and consume — that brings about a sense of constant uncertainty, and establishes a new category of "strangers" who are excluded from society.
References
- ↑ Kellner, Douglas (February 1998). "Zygmunt Bauman's Postmodern Turn". Theory, Culture and Society. 15 (1): 73–86. doi:10.1177/026327698015001008. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ↑ Webster, Frank. "When did the doubting start?". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
External links