Lecture One Part Two Postmodernism and Messy

About this video

• Video Title: Lecture One Part Two Postmodernism and Messy
• Channel: Tracey-Anne Cooper
• Speakers: Dr Cooper
• Duration: 00:14:52

Overview

This lecture introduces the concept of postmodernism and explains why studying world history can be considered "messy." It challenges traditional, linear models of historical progression, particularly the idea of a teleological "ladder of progress," and advocates for a more nuanced, multi-faceted understanding of historical development that accounts for ambiguity and diverse perspectives.

Key takeaways

• Postmodernism and Meta-Narratives: Postmodernism is characterized by "incredulity towards meta-narratives," meaning a disbelief in grand, all-encompassing stories that claim to explain everything.
• Critique of Modernism: Postmodernism is a reaction against modernism's faith in science, objectivity, and unified historical narratives. It questions the ability of a historian to be completely objective, as their background influences their perspective.
• Embracing Ambiguity: Unlike modernism's search for certainty, postmodernism embraces distrust, ambiguity, multiplicity, and acknowledges that there can be multiple truths and perspectives.
• Challenging Linear Progression: The lecture critiques traditional historical models that depict societies progressing linearly through stages (e.g., hunter-gatherer to agrarian to industrial) or along a "ladder of progress" towards larger empires.
• Limitations of Old Models: These older models are seen as generic, exclusive, judgmental, and can be implicitly racist by marginalizing the contributions and development paths of certain societies, like those in Africa and the Americas.
• Towards a Postmodern Approach: The course aims to adopt a non-teleological, postmodern approach to world history, focusing on interconnectedness and avoiding a judgment of societies based on a Western-centric idea of progress.