The Postmodern Adventure: Science, Technology, and Cultural Studies at the Third Millennium [Paperback]

"For the past decade, Best and Kellner have been our guides to postmodernity. Now they turn their attention to the new century: its challenges and prospects for radical democracy. Their combination of clear prose, insightful analysis, and theoretical mastery is as imposing as it is welcome. Bravo!"--Toby Miller, Department of Cinema Studies, New York University

"This is an exceptional and absolutely essential book for anyone concerned with the interface of science, technology, the new electronic media, and the promise of cultural studies. It is a 'must read' for teachers, students, and others seeking to critically engage the complexity of a world that demands a new vocabulary, cultural pedagogy, and politics."--Henry Giroux, Waterbury Chair Professor, Penn State University

"Best and Kellner are philosophers with a difference: they write brilliantly about the real world. The Postmodern Adventure articulates what is really new and strange about contemporary culture, without the hyperbole and jargon that is so off-putting in most postmodern writing. The book is politically engaged, clearly written, and sparkling with provocative analyses of current events and ideas. There's nothing else like it--read this book and enjoy!"--Andrew Feenberg, San Diego State University

"This pathbreaking book provides a view of postmodernism through the lenses of critical social theory, science and technology studies, and cultural studies--a unique achievement in itself. Best and Kellner subvert many guiding assumptions underlying the modern academic division of labor. Above all, they show how a deeply refined critical social theory can be a powerful weapon in the service of intellectual critique, political understanding, and social change. I highly recommend this text."--Carl Boggs, School of Arts and Sciences, National University

Massive geopolitical shifts and dramatic developments in computerization and biotechnology are heralding the transformation from the modern to the postmodern age. We are confronted with altered modes of work, communication, and entertainment; new postindustrial and political networks; novel approaches to warfare; genetic engineering; and even cloning. This compelling book explores the challenges to theory, politics, and human identity that we face on the threshold of the third millennium. It follows on the success of Best and Kellner s two previous books: Postmodern Theory, acclaimed as the best critical introduction to the field, and The Postmodern Turn, which provides a powerful mapping of postmodern developments in the arts, politics, science, and theory. In The Postmodern Adventure, Best and Kellner analyze a broad array of literary, cultural, and political phenomena--from fiction, film, science, and the Internet, to globalization and the rise of a transnational image culture. They use the best of modern and postmodern perspectives to illuminate contemporary life and to strive for a just and viable future.

Steven Best is Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy at the University of Texas, El Paso. The author of [ital]The Politics of Historical Vision[/ital], he is coauthor (with Douglas Kellner) of [ital]Postmodern Theory[/ital] and [ital]The Postmodern Turn[/ital].

Douglas Kellner is George Kneller Chair in the Philosophy of Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is coauthor of [ital]Postmodern Theory[/ital] and [ital]The Postmodern Turn[/ital], and author of several other books on social theory, politics, history, and culture.