Definition: Post-modernism is a philosophical movement that touches on almost all forms of science and culture. Basically, it argues that in our Western search for enlightenment, our ideals have made it impossible to segregate the objective truth from the subjective authoritative position we've put ourselves in. Post-modernists are at their most annoying when, like the fellow in the Monty Python sketch, they simply disagree with everything ever learned since the enlightenment. They are at their best when they force scholars of science and culture to recognize that there are other ways of knowing than those codified in text books. This is terrifically applicable to archaeology, since we are the quintessential authoritarians of the past and often need to be reminded that we don't know everything there is to know about people.
See the Wikipedia article linked in the box for a longer, more satisfying discussion then this rather flip description. This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
See the Wikipedia article linked in the box for a longer, more satisfying discussion then this rather flip description. This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
Also Known As: PoMo (rather mockingly)
