Philosophers Speak on Postmodernity

Cornel West is an activist who has spoken out on many topics. He believes race is still a huge issue in America and that white supremacy continues to define everyday life. His political views are more aligned with Marxist theories, although he considers himself a "non-Marxist socialist" due to his feelings that Marxist and Christianity are irreconcilable. His view on postmodernism is that it stems from the decentering of the world from Europe. As the world powers have changed, the ideas and notions that were once very Eurocentric have moved to different venues and thus resulted in a new ideal. Postmodernism is thus distancing itself from the past and attempting to encapsulate the new.

Bell Hooks is a black woman who is very influential in the sphere of intersectional feminist politics. She is well known for speaking out on topics of feminism and racial imagery. She offers her critique of popular culture as she attempts to help the public analyze how the media is portraying race and gender. With regards to post modernism, Hooks speaks concerning the experience of "different" or "other" felt by black people. She critiques societies perpetuation of this feeling because there are still certain things that are simply not associated with black people. She feels that although post modernism is focusing on the other, they are not doing anything to change the fact that black people are still seen as the other. They raise awareness and point fingers, but they don't offer any solutions.

Michel Foucault has been labeled as a post modernist, but he never really saw himself as that. Instead he felt that he was a critical historian of modernity. His thoughts and and ideas have been highly influential in various areas of culture. Most notably, his ideas on gender constructs and sexuality have inspired many.