Postmodernisme

Postmodernisme is a broad cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement that emerged in the mid-20th century as a reaction to modernism. It questions the idea of objective progress and universal truth, emphasizing pluralism, irony, and a distrust of grand narratives. In literature, art, architecture, philosophy, and media, postmodernisme often blends high and low culture, pastiche, and self-reflexivity; works may imitate or parody earlier styles while highlighting their constructed nature.

Its development is linked to the 1950s–1970s, with influential theoretical work by Jean-François Lyotard, who described postmodernisme as incredulity toward metanarratives; Jacques Derrida's deconstruction; Michel Foucault's analyses of power/knowledge; and Jean Baudrillard's notions of simulation and hyperreality. In criticism and cultural studies, Frederic Jameson offered historical contextualization. In the arts, architects like Robert Venturi and Michael Graves celebrated complexity and plurality; authors such as Thomas Pynchon, Italo Calvino, Don DeLillo, and Jean Baudrillard in theory, and cinema by Jean-Luc Godard are often associated with postmodern sensibilities.

Postmodernisme is not a single doctrine but a family of related attitudes: skepticism toward universal claims, emphasis on representation and intertextuality, bricolage, and an affinity for parody and pastiche. It has influenced architecture, film, literature, philosophy, and cultural theory, while also provoking critique for promoting relativism, consumerism, or a breakdown of ethical or epistemic standards. Debates continue about its legacy and whether it has given way to new forms of cultural expression or a renewed form of modernism in the 21st century.