The public library is a product of modernity that follows in the wake of industrialization, urbanization, and popular movements, while at the same time the public library itself supports the building up and development of the modern. This article will examine the arrival of modernity and the prerequisites for the rise of public libraries, as well…

If ever there was a right time to write about Learning Disability Services in the context of a transformation, this is it. I am not writing about the subject as a single entity, divorced from the bigger picture of what is happening to society and the world about us. Whatever "transforming" is going on for people with learning disability, it is…

This paper elaborates on the ways self-reflective practices that have sprung from within the postmodern discourse may conduce to meaningful learning, all without forgetting that the truth is idiosyncratic and that the highest human goals are barely teachable. Hence, rather than prescribing methodological "recipes," the paper looks at the…

The ideas and techniques of post-modernist art and the imagist theatre represent an important preparatory stage in the revival of poetic drama. During the 1960s and early 1970s, a number of experimental companies rebelled against the realism of the American theatre and began to produce works that stressed emotional authenticity in acting, active…

Discusses post-modern literary criticism in terms of a sophistic non-Aristotelian, non-disciplinary rhetorical tradition which may be styled "antibody rhetoric," a complementary remedy to the orthodox philosophical, metadisciplinary rhetoric. Envisions this dialectic as a longstanding comic/tragic polarity, with the "antibody…

Argues that feminism has already encountered some of the more striking aspects of the postmodern condition, including lack of faith in the explanatory power of historical master narratives and the crisis of theoretical universality. Discusses how, in this sense, feminism anticipates the agenda of postmodernism at several points and critically…

Explores the viewpoint that an epistemic view of rhetoric is restrictive and de-emphasizes other useful conceptions and functions of rhetoric. Maintains that Kenneth Burke's conception of symbol-using has shifted and is now dialectical, with both ontological and epistemic perspectives simultaneously governing the symbol-using process. (MS)

This book explores postmodern critique in scholarly inquiry in the context of the philosophies of Jean-Francois Lyotard, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Richard Rorty, and Calvin Schrag. Claiming that the overall course of inquiry is characterized by basic theoretical deficiencies, postmodern critique suggests a rethinking of the nature and aims…

To organize for the future requires non-Aristotelian thinking...a multifaceted wide-angle lens revealing hidden information. A multifaceted lens includes at least three general systems of evaluation, all of which promote complex thinking. The three systems are general semantics, postmodern feminist philosophy, and the unifying principle of…

At the heart of the debate over validity in qualitative research are ontological, epistemological, methodological, and axiological questions that are themselves blurred in a postmodern/poststructuralist matrix. This paper explores some of the foundations and criteria for establishing, representing, and evaluating the truth, rigor, and accuracy of…

This paper uses the setting of a "conversation" between Scully and Mulder of the popular "X Files" television program to discuss some current composition theorists and their ideas. The paper muses on the work of Kristie Fleckenstein (who claims there is a "somatic mind" which moves between discursive and corporeal…

This paper addresses contemporary (i.e., postmodern) concerns with the disintegration of meaning and fragmentation of knowledge. As society continues to move towards increased specialization and separation of disciplines, people are becoming increasingly disconnected from the broad connecting conceptions within the disciplines, i.e., the patterns…

Looks at postmodernism as a critical theory to offer insight into modern public relations practice--a critical view of the signs and symbols of a culture allow people to see the allocation of power and the dominant ideology. Uses the campaign developed by Hill and Knowlton for Citizens for a Free Kuwait as a case study. (PA)

Review of school-to-work transition theories indicated the following: (1) theories previously based on socialization and structuralism now include individual choice and subjectivity; (2) individualization and postmodernism are increasingly important; and (3) the interface between individual agency, choice, and subjectivity needs further…

Defines theory and the role of theory in envisioning new worlds, making things, and critiquing practice, and discusses theory and practice in information technology (IT). Highlights inappropriate uses of theory (superficiality, elitism, ivory tower syndrome, provincialism, muddled thinking, anti-intellectualism), and emphasizes superficiality and…