Postmodernism discourse expresses a generation’s disillusionment rather than describing reality.

Evidence

The discourse of postmodernism is best seen as the product of a socially mobile intelligentsia in a climate dominated by the retreat of the Western labour movement and the ‘overconsumptionist’ dynamic of capitalism in the Reagan-Thatcher era. From this perspective the term ‘postmodern’ would seem to be a floating signifier by means of which this intelligentsia has sought to articulate its political disillusionment and its aspiration to a consumption-oriented lifestyle. The difficulties involved in identifying a referent for this term are therefore beside the point, since talk about postmodernism turns out to be less about the world than the expression of a particular generation’s sense of an ending. — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism, 625

Categorization

• XREF: Central to the book’s counter-thesis vs Jameson: postmodernism as sociology of an intelligentsia rather than as a cultural epoch. — connects to: The 1968 generation’s disillusionment followed the events’ modernizing logic — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism: A Marxist…, 610; Postmodernism theory makes uncertainty about the age into its founding clue — Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic…, 10; Postmodernism’s acceptance stems from 1968ers’ class position and disillusionment — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism: A Marxist…, 617 (+3 more)
• SEED: Angle: ‘postmodern’ as floating signifier — the term’s un-findable referent as evidence it describes speakers, not the world.

Broader Connections

• Postmodernism’s acceptance stems from 1968ers’ class position and disillusionment #expands (0.82) — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism, 617
• Postmodernism theory makes uncertainty about the age into its founding clue #corroborates (0.80) — Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic…, 10