Sunday, March 22, 2009
Do I have to love postmodernism?
ECU student Jeff Harrison asks: "What if you don't relish the idea of postmodern thought and instead loathe it? In your experiences, are most grad schools immersed in this line of reasoning? Would only an institution with religious leanings somewhat steer clear of this?" (Click on the comments button below to read some answers to these questions.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
When I was in grad school, I didn’t feel pressured to subscribe to any particular theory. The good professors challenged me to demonstrate an understanding of theories and arguments I disagreed with, though.
In my opinion, learning how to articulate disagreements in an elegant, respectful way is one of the most important lessons to be learned at any level of education. And finding someone you can intelligently disagree with is an achievement to be treasured.
That said, it is always possible to limit your exposure to advocates of theories you don’t like by carefully choosing the school you attend and the classes you take (which is one of the flaws of our education system in my book).
So loathe postmodernism if you must (a lot of academics do), but loathe it well.
Of course not! But you do have to study it--you have to study everything! That's the fun of grad school. But you can't love everything equally, can you? Personally, much postmodernism leaves me cold, though some I quite admire. I much prefer postcolonial theory and feminism, and that's what I gravitated toward in my own studies. You have to find your way, but the only way to find your path is to study the entire map and then say, "hmm, that road looks pretty hairy--I think I could take the turns in this one better, considering my old beat-up Volkswagen." My own dissertation director was a big psychoanalytic critic, something which I don't have much interest in (I like Freud, but not so much Lacan), and yet we still worked together, disagreed, and supported one another. She warmly approved my dissertation and awarded my PhD despite the fact that we did not see eye to eye on many important issues. But ultimately, it's not what you believe but how you can articulate it that matters. Good thought is always welcome. Only a cretin wants everyone to look and sound like him/her.
Post a Comment