Modernism and Postmodernism - 20th & 21st Century Visual and Material Culture - Essay Example

Modernism and Post Modernism: Modernism The term modernism was first coined in the wake of the 20th century, and it had serious artistic and philosophical movements including symbolism, futurism, surrealism, expressionism, imagism, vorticism, dada and others. Whitworth (21) describes a series of movements that were radical in art, architecture, photography, music, literature. In addition, it describes movements in applied arts that appeared in the decades before the First World War. It had roots in the changes in the western world in the nineteenth century, and it is a revocation of the works of the 19th-century enlightenment thinkers (Whitworth, 31). Although commonly called a movement, modernism is more of an international body of literature that is characterized by a self- consciousness about modernity and radical formal experiments. Marx Weber and Engel believe that the romantic critique on capitalism lacked meaning (Whitworth, 39). The two saw the cosmopolitan and universalism of the capital as a means by which all forms of particularism can be destroyed. This opens the possibility of a universal human community founded not on superstition but reason or rationalism. Weller (12) explains that the uplifting and positive worldview that is fostered through the concept of modernism has become oppressive and corrupt to the desolation of intellectuals and artists. According to him, it is surprising that modernism has been largely used by the western world to impose and promote their values against others through an imperial colonial system and globalization. Also, the imposing process has taken the shape of loans (Ukla, 31). The conditions are placed or attached on loans granted by the international Monetary Fund only help to assist the processes of these nations oppression to poor countries or the peripheries. Moreover, the World Bank introduces policies only beneficial to the core countries at the expense of the peripheral ones. The policies make matters worse for these nations, because they lay at the mercy of the well to donations who dominate them in terms of almost everything (Ukla, 30). Modernism involves the works of artists who have rebelled against the historic and traditions of the 19th century. This is because they believed that the former esthetic conditions are outdated. Symbolism in poetry, can directly and indirectly explore the new social, economic and political elements of an industrialized country. Feminism Feminism and modernism came as a result of the oppression women went through during the historical phase of development in the west. Dora Marsden, a feminist also, after carefully viewing and examining the issue of women in patriarchal social system in her article Bondwomen," she concludes that femininity and womens inferiority is a social construct (Ukla, 23). Another feminist, Marsden, suggests that the inferiority by women occurs because women view themselves as inferior to men. These women seek comfort and protection; they long to be at the side of a man, and it for this reason that they sacrifice their freedom, image and identity for centuries in patriarchal societies. Rae (37) believes that majority of these women were not able to use their intelligence, and they began defying and questioning the tradition status of a woman in western society. Due to modernism, the trend has changed tremendously. The modern woman is characterized by much awareness of their needs and ways of gaining their freedom. The turn of the century and industrialization gave many of the women started to gain employment outside their traditional homes. At this instance, they gained confidence and they began fighting for their freedom, and rights within the society. She also recognizes and respects the rights and interests of every human being within the society, or community. Furthermore, she believes that true diversity is not along sex lines but on the lines of what each has to contribute to society. That is what feminism defined modernism by at this period. They saw themselves as equals in the eyes of men even when their numbers were very marginal. Colonialism To the dismay of many intellectuals, the ideology of modernism in colonial periods is the way values, and worldwide views of the west were promoted around the world. During this period, modernism was imposed through economic globalization and imperial colonization and economic globalization. Furthermore, the conditions imposed by the World Bank and the IMF also played a role in promoting and advancing modernism. This is through the loans and grants offered by the World Bank, and the IMF (Ukla, 29). These conditions imposed by the World Bank, and the IMF were aimed at serving and protecting the interests of the Western countries, and this includes United States, United Kingdom, etc (Ukla, 28). Furthermore, modernists were driven by the notion that once these grants and loans were provided, it would help in improving the economies of these countries, and hence facilitate modernism. After the World War I, when it looked as if history was dying and that modern life was being characterized by horror, chaos, and futility. Some modernists like T.S Elliot despaired but others like Ezra Pound acted with a lot of freedom like artists in the new era. He was famous for his imagery writing and urged many to write and share their views in society (Yn, 25). Majority of artists are able to share a belief about the role and place of artist in society thinking that art had replaced religion in the contemporary world incoherence, guidance, and insight into human conditions. For some writers, it only translated into a fresh revaluation of the contemporary meanings of myths. American modernism was broadly of two kinds: cosmopolitan created by expatriates (1886-1961) by Stein and Elliot, and Hilda Doolittle and non-expatriate (1887-1972) by F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulker modernism. What was common among these modernists was their belief that arts and literature plays an important role in accelerating the concept of modernism. Post colonialism It is at this time that modernism gained momentum with the growth and spread of ideas across the globe through technology and writers and aid industry. Economic globalization as stated by Yn (23) was the way modernism could be defined. The aid industry saw many post-colonized countries being given loans at huge interests. Before these loans were dispatched, there were conditions which states had to meet. This means that the institution that offers the loan has an absolute control over the manner which the finances are used. The spread of ideologies across the globe through the introduction of multinationals and other global institutions of power and business help to define modernism. Everything modern was defined in line with western views and domination. The media and fashion were all modernized as the west wanted. All this factors helped to define modernism. Jencks and Charles (36) summarizes the concept of modernism as a movement in music, drama, and visual arts, which was able to reject the Victorian standards on the manner in which art should be created, and consumed. The periods of 1919 to 1930 is referred to as the periods of high modernism. This is because important people and proponents of modernism were able to redefine what literature and poetry could achieve, in this process of modernism. Post-Modernism Postmodernism is not easy to define. Childs (31) explains that this concept of postmodernism is difficult to define because it emanates from a number of disciplines or subjects, and this includes architecture, music, communications, art, literature, sociology, etc. Postmodern discourse attacks modernity against “the rationalist ‘dictatorship’ enlightenment by criticizing four illusions of enlightenment. The illusions include: the myth of unitary subject; abstract universality. Nongbri (66) explains that postmodernism is a set of strategic, rhetorical, and critical practices. It employs concepts such as a difference, repetition, the trace, the simulacrum, and hyper reality. Moreover, it does this to destabilize other concepts such as identity, epistemic certainty, and historical progress. Feminism Postmodern feminist built their work upon the ideas of Foucault, de Beauvoir, Derrida, and Lacan. They accept the male/female binary as a main categorizing force of the society. Simone de Beauvoir saw females as having cast into the role of the other (males).In their view; the structure of society especially in a patriarchal society has had an inferiority image on females. Most of them were able to reject the feminist label (Castle, 37). This is it was a misconception, that negatively depicted the rights and status of women. Harrison (28) further explains that the postmodern woman, accepts the concept of diversity, and they seek to respect both men and women. Childs (31) introduces the concept of post-structural feminism, and he explains that it is a useful concept that talks about diversity under feminism, and this is mainly because of its acceptance that there is no need of discriminating against female and male genders within the society. They should all get an equal opportunity to serve. Post colonialism Post colonialism and postmodernism are very elusive in trying to define. Critics offer that trying to classify the two into an inquiry may lead to unfinished business like the one of late capitalism tends to affect postcolonial conditions and postmodernism (Ukla, 22). Postmodern is a part of an ensemble of hierarchizing western discourses even if it attacks hegemonic studies it is apolitical systems. To compare the two, in some way is trying to disempower the postcolonial term. It is so because postcolonial is associated with pressing economic, political, and cultural inequalities in the world. Subculture There has been a tendency of cultures breaking away from the normal arts and media of the world. A study on punk musicians and subcultures responded to the crisis of meaning created caused by commodification of everyday life in two ways (Ukla, 22). One expressed the feeling of purposelessness, cynicism, forms of nihilism are all associated with postmodernism, and the culture of deconstruction. The culture of authenticity normally seeks to create a network of media, as an expression artistic independence and sincerity. Castle (27) explains that in the idea of postmodernism, effective subcultures that resist hegemonic culture have two key characteristics in play: they hold a marginal status as well as being “popular" as opposed to being elitist. In the periods of post-colonialism, modernism was in effect in the western world economies. According to Marx and Engel, the foundations of the revolutionary proletariat were lying in the homogenization of the same proletariats since all divisions of labor were reduced to the machine during this period. The fate of their prediction and the constant criticism on capitalism is simplistic (Castle, 36). Since then, capitalism has developed the forces of production to an unprecedented degree.It has had prosperity to minority, and yet capitalism is no more able to meet the needs of humanity today than it was one hundred years ago. Intellectuals have a social responsibility. Sub-Cultures Castle (22) believes that the local customs and cultures of developing countries have been eroded, and this is because of the emergence of modernism. These cultures are defined in terms of western nations view about issues, and these only assist in killing their sub-cultures. Based on this fact, the most effective and influential exports by the Western countries is their cultures, and they are packaged in the form of pop culture (Castle, 33). This culture is normally propagated by influential people, such as sportsmen, musicians, actors, etc. From, dressing code to ways of eating to language, these tenets have all been exported both willingly and unwillingly through commercial, economic or political purposes. Conclusion Defining both Modernism and postmodernism can be very challenging to someone meeting the two terms for the first time. But both terms relate to an epoch in history that is associated to changes in attitudes culture, art music and the way of thinking of people. Modernism comes at an earlier period of between 1880 to around 1970s and the later proceeds from 1979 by the works of Francois Lyotard. Postmodernism is more of a counter-reaction to modernism since its proponents argue against the ideas of modernism. Both terms were brought forward through scholarly discourse that enabled people to pursue rationality in almost all aspects of life in the society. It is, therefore, imperative for more anyone trying to relate the two to apply utmost scientific rigor as possible. Works Cited: Castle, Gregory. Modernism and the Celtic Revival. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2001. Print. Top of Form Bottom of Form Childs, Peter. Modernism. London: Routledge, 2000. Print. Top of Form Bottom of Form Harrison, Sylvia. Pop Art and the Origins of Post-modernism. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2001. Print. Top of Form Bottom of Form Jencks, Charles, and Charles Jencks. Critical Modernism: Where Is Post-modernism Going? [5th ed. Chichester: Wiley-Academy, 2007. Print. Top of Form Bottom of Form Nongbri, Brent. Before Religion: A History of a Modern Concept. New Haven: Yale UP, 2013. Print. Top of Form Bottom of Form Rae, Patricia. Modernism and Mourning. Lewisburg: Bucknell UP ;, 2007. Print. Top of Form Bottom of Form Weller, Shane. Modernism and Nihilism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. Print. Top of Form Bottom of Form Whitworth, Michael H. Modernism. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2007. Print. Top of Form Bottom of Form Ukla, Bha. Modernism and Post Modernism. Jaipur: Sunrise & Distributors, 2008. Print. Top of Form Bottom of Form Yn, Viktor. The Museological Unconscious: Communal (post) Modernism in Russia. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT, 2009. Print. Read More