After Modernism: Women, Gender, Race

The book "After Modernism" explores the emergence of a less universal, more global, decentralized, context-specific, interconnected modernism after postmodernist, poststructuralist, postcolonial, critical race, feminist, queer, and trans writing and theory. It attends to neglected genealogies and intertexts, offering unacknowledged ontological, epistemological, conceptual, and figurative resources. The contributors to the book discern multiple modern traditions, rather than reifying their heterogeneity, and explore a multiple, relational modern subjectivity, collectivity, and cosmic interconnectivity whose space is indivisible, entangled, ever folding and unfolding.

Format: Hardback
Length: 258 pages
Publication date: 31 March 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

While we commemorate the centenary of the "annus mirabilis" of modernism, we now encounter a multifaceted and evolving landscape of modernism that has been shaped by a range of subsequent movements and theories, including postmodernism, poststructuralism, postcolonialism, critical race, feminist, queer, and trans writing and theory. These diverse perspectives have generated a rich tapestry of figures, narratives, and concepts, leading to the emergence of a less universal, more global, decentralized, context-specific, and interconnected form of modernism.

In the realm of "after modernism," the term "after" encompasses various meanings, such as periodization, homage, and critique. This book seeks to uncover and explore neglected genealogies and intertexts, drawing upon both "high" and "low" sources to offer valuable ontological, epistemological, conceptual, and figurative resources. It delves into the ways in which artists from the Global South have navigated the hierarchical division of art capital into Western high art and Global-South culture, highlighting the complexities and nuances of their artistic practices.

Modernity's historical roots have traditionally been situated in the Western metropolis, but alternative origin stories have emerged, centering on themes such as slavery, colonialism, and the nation-state. The contributors to this book argue that modernity did not originate in a singular moment but rather as a multifaceted and ongoing process, with the potential for multiple and future modernities. Instead of viewing Western modernity as a universal construct against local non-Western traditions, the book recognizes the existence of multiple modern traditions that are diverse and interconnected.

The authors of this book aim to transcend the reification of heterogeneity and delve into the lost transnational connections that have shaped these modern traditions. By exploring the intersections between the public and private, human and natural worlds, they seek to unravel the complex web of relationships that constitute a multiple, relational, and cosmic interconnectedness. This book offers a fresh perspective on modern subjectivity, collectivity, and cosmic interconnectivity, recognizing the indivisible, entangled, ever-folding, and unfolding nature of this space.

Originally published as a special issue of the journal Angelaki, this book contributes to the ongoing dialogue about the evolution of modernism and its relevance in the contemporary world. It invites readers to engage with the complexities and nuances of modernism's past, present, and future, fostering a deeper understanding of the diverse and dynamic artistic practices that emerge from the Global South.

Weight: 660g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032443393