What does "postmodernism" mean?

Question

Can someone explain that for me? I've always heard pretentious people use that term without truly fleshing it out...

Answer 1

Postmodernism describes a major movement of intellectual thought or historical period which has had a major impact on philosophy, art, critical theory, literature, architecture, interpretation of history, and culture since the late 20th century. The term defies easy definition, but is generally characterised as:

A reaction to Modernism - the emphasis of grand, absolute values and establishments. (see Counter-Enlightenment)
The belief that no communication is devoid of myth, metaphor, cultural bias and political content. (see cultural relativism)
Feelings regarding the illegitimacy of knowledge and identity.(see nihilism)
Asserting that experience is personal (cannot be generalized) and that meaning is only for the individual to experience, not for an author to dictate. (see Existentialism)
Parody, satire, self-reference, wit
A culturally pluralistic and profoundly interconnected global society lacking any single dominant center of political power, communication, or intellectual production.
A result of a mass media dominated society in which there are only inter-referential representations with no real original referent. (see late capitalism)

Perhaps the best way to understand postmodernism is to understand it as a reaction to modernism. Modernism emphasises purity, honesty, and total truth; for example, in the austerity of modern architecture, or when an artist attempts to express the essence of a whole subject with a single line. In contrast, postmodernism asserts that experience is personal (cannot be generalized) and that meaning is only for the individual to experience, not for someone to dictate. Thus, postmodernists assert the consumer of a cultural product (artwork, piece of writing, user of architecture) is free to deconstruct the meaning of a work, and that different users will come to very different, but equally valid, conclusions of what that meaning is.

Postmodernists tend to emphasize the cultural contingency or relativity of different forms of intellectual production and may be critical of those who attempt "pure," "objective," or "disinterested" intellectual endeavours. One aspect of this is the claim that there is no way for human beings to communicate in a language completely devoid of myth, metaphor, cultural bias or political content. Postmodernist artworks sometimes assert the inherently politicized nature of communication, calling attention to the ideological underpinnings of their own representations through representational play and irony. More typical, however, is self-reference, sometimes termed "meta-", for example, when a movie actor looks directly into the camera and criticises the movie he or she is in. Postmodernist scholarship and artworks, although sometimes meant for a small audience, are frequently understood as merely one reflection of the larger collective culture of postmodernity. Scholars argue that the postmodern era (or "postmodernity") is characterized by a culturally pluralistic and profoundly interconnected global society lacking any single dominant center of political power, communication, or intellectual production. Other scholars understand postmodernism as a product of late capitalism, arguing that the economic and technological conditions of our age have given rise to a media-dominated society in which there are only inter-referential representations with no real original referent. For these scholars, the postmodern emphasis on the lack of any stable or objective referent for communication is often a profoundly negative historical development.

There is also disagreement on whether the postmodern era has ended, with some commentators asserting culture has entered a post-postmodern period.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodernism

http://www.colorado.edu/English/courses/ENGL2012Klages/pomo.html

Answer 2

Postmodernism rejects the modernist ideals of rationality, virility, artistic genius, and individualism, in favor of being anti-capitalist, contemptuous of traditional morality, and committed to radical egalitarianism.
----Postmodernism is a following. Basically, a new way of thinking started from the 1980's. Often referred to in architecture- focuses on spontaneity rather than clean cut lines and thought out architecture (rationalism). Also, literature and religious references are common. In religion this refers to a period when people started paying less attention to religion and morals fell.
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Answer 3

A set of principles relating to art, architecture or literature that reacts against earlier modernist principles.

Answer 4

genre of art and literature and especially architecture in reaction against principles and practices of established modernism