TheoryinComparativeEducationIV精编.ppt

Theory in Comparative Education (IV)Postmodernism Poststructuralism By Dr. Zhou CE Week 8 Questions Are there universal truths? Is God popular today? Is Marxism popular today? Can the future really be predicted? Should there be national standardized curriculum for schools and for universities? How do you understand Postmodernism and Poststructuralism? 1. The Meaning of Post- and the Roots of Postmodernism and Poststructuralism Learning about poststructuralism and postmodernism requires defining post-as “following” in the sense of “trailing behind and coming in the wake of （尾随，紧跟，随着）.” Accordingly, understanding postmodernism and poststructuralism necessitates a particular mindfulness regarding antecedent（在先的，先行的） intellectual discoveries. 2. Postmodernism and the Problem of Modernity p.59 An alternative interpretation of the modern condition--and one that receives our attention in this discussion of postmodernism--is more circumspect （谨慎小心的） about the fundamental nature of modernity, describing it as a crisis of certainty. This crisis is sometimes called the “modern condition” or the “modern problem” and found its most important prophecy in the thinking of Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsches View Nietzsche described the psychological state of nihilism（虚无主义） as the product of humankinds disappointed faith in the morality of truthfulness. He stipulated（明确） that propensity（倾向） to assign meaning to events is fundamental to the human psychological condition (1967). For Nietzsche, a state of persistent disappointment about the very possibility of an enduring truth epitomized（集中体现） his era. Truth, he claimed, is sought more in desperation than for the sake of curiosity and enlightenment.p.60 2.Structuralist Revelations about Language and Thought. Poststructuralisms principal antecedent (前项、前件） is in structuralist linguistics, which is most indebted to the work of Ferdinand de Saussure. Saussures Course in General Linguistics （普通语言学教程) is an attempt to define the integ