 |
|
     |
|
|
|
Krishan Kumar, From Post-Industrial to Post-Modern Society. Second Edition. London: Blackwell, 2005. 289 pp.
Much has been written about postmodernity, but this book by Krishan Kumar, William R. Kennan, Jr., Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia, is in a league of its own. First published in 1995, From Post-Industrial to Post-Modern Society is wide-ranging, careful, balanced, and, above all, clear. He covers all the usual suspects – Derrida, Foucault, Lyotard – but is more interested in the social and political dimensions of the contemporary world. Kumar focuses on the rapidly changing character of work and economic organization, the spread of information and communication through new technologies, as well as the theoretical challenge to modern assumptions from postmodern thinkers. He examines the global extent of these changes, but recognizes that Europe and the U. S. remain central in the dissemination of postmodern cultural and social forms. The book displays a fine historical sense; his treatment of "modernity," for instance, begins with a brief history of the Latin modernus throughout the Middle Ages. This is the book for the reader with time to read only one book on postmodernism.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Wednesday, March 01, 2006 at 04:52 PM
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
