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Postmodernism is a broad cultural, intellectual, and artistic movement that emerged in the mid-20th century as a reaction against modernist principles of progress, coherence, and universality. In philosophy and cultural theory, it is associated with thinkers such as Jean-François Lyotard, Michel Foucault, and Jacques Derrida, who questioned grand narratives, fixed identities, and stable meanings. The term is often used to describe tendencies across literature, visual arts, architecture, film, and social theory that began to gain prominence in the 1960s and 1970s and continued into the late 20th century and beyond.

Core features include skepticism toward universal or objective truths, an emphasis on language and representation as constructed rather than reflecting reality, and a preference for plurality, ambiguity, and relativism. Postmodern works frequently employ intertextuality, pastiche, bricolage, parody, and metafiction to undermine conventional genres and to draw attention to their own artifices. The movement also explores the commodification of culture, simulacra, and the instability of meaning in media-saturated societies.

In architecture, postmodernism rejected minimalist modernist forms in favor of eclectic styles that mix historical references and playful details. In literature and film, it often foregrounds self-referentiality, unreliable narrators, and mixing of genres. In social theory, postmodern perspectives have influenced studies of power, discourse, identity, and knowledge production, contributing to fields such as critical theory, feminism, and postcolonial studies.

Postmodernism has been the subject of substantial debate and criticism, with critics arguing that extreme relativism erodes ethics and political action, while supporters contend that it reveals hidden power structures and fosters creative thinking. The term remains contested, with scholars often distinguishing between different strands and regional developments. Related topics include postmodern theory, deconstruction, late modernity, and postmodern art and architecture.