Culture and Postmodernism
Submitted by storytelling on 10 September 2009 - 4:00pm.
Postmodernism is a term used by philosophers, social scientists, art and social critics to refer to aspects of contemporary art, culture, economics and social conditions that are the result of the unique features of late 20th and early 21st century life. These features include phenomena such as globalisation, consumerism, branding, the fragmentation of authority, and the knowledge economy. An important characteristic of postmodernism is that we now have myriad different symbols and metaphors through which we can view the world – these include politics, religion, consumerism, science, art etc... Anything that cannot be physically sensed, such as social justice or one's concept of God, must be referred to by metaphor and symbol. The result is that meaningful communication about issues such as families, politics, sexuality, crime & violence without the use of shared metaphors and symbols is impossible. Some common metaphors in use today include:
- Religion and God
- Science & Evolution
- Romance and sexuality
- Capitalism
- Racism, supremacy and exclusivity
- Psychology and "new age"
- Power, entitlement, dominance and submission
- Artistic and aesthetic worth
- Traditional political categories (Left, Right, Centre, Independent etc.)
- Wealth, poverty, disability and security
- Philosophy
Your views and beliefs about the world most likely centre around some of these metaphors. For example, if you see the world in terms of cause-effect and experimentation, you are oriented toward science. If you experience the world as a place of wonder and beauty, you will be oriented towards art and aesthetic.
People who share metaphors can communicate effectively and work together constructively. People who do not share common metaphors experience communication difficulties and find it extremely difficult to see each other with anything beyond fear and hostility. Due to this lack of communication between groups, most discussions around important issues quickly degenerate due to the absence of real understanding.
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Metaphors
Yes, the discussion around metaphors is exceptionally interesting - especially when we can be deliberate about the metaphors we use for ourselves and whether they have outlived their usefulness. For me, a certain level of cognitive liberty is reached when we can consiously choose and develop metaphors and stories that reflect the realities we aspire to live in. This is as true for an inidividual as it is for a brand or an organisation.
Here is wonderful use of metaphor that helps us understand the nature of story:
The beauty of metaphor is that it is open to interpretation. Using metaphor as a way of expressing feedback is more dynamic than an abstract mark and gives people the feeling of being in control and being able to respond.
In summary; how we think about ourselves and the way we use language has a profound impact on our experience.
Steve Banhegyi
steve@storytelling.co.za
Metaphors
I am intrigued by this revelation. The metaphor and symbol feature provides me an opportunity to question and understand myself as an individual, my relationship to other people as well as my role in the greater society. This also motivates me to reflect on different engagements (successfull and unsuccessful) which I ve had with different people on different topics and subjects. Understanding the metaphor concepts brings new light into my mind as I now realise why I struggled to convince other people on a specific subject.
To me this awareness on metaphors is critical as a platform for individiduals and groups to utilise when working towards tranformation.
Above all awareness could provide a sense of direction to us as individuals as we start to comprehend who we are and what is happening around us.
Khanyi