Postmodern theory and politics: perspectives on citizenship and social justice

Abstract

Some contributions made by postmodern perspectives to theoretical and political questions of citizenship and social justice are considered. The authors distinguish between 'ludic' or 'spectral' postmodernisms and 'oppositional' or 'resistance' postmodernisms. It is suggested that the latter provide theoretical resources for analysing the cultural construction of inequalities and struggles around social inclusion and exclusion. Three dominant narratives of modernization are addressed and their implications for concepts of citizenship and social inclusion noted; some postmodern challenges to these narratives are explored in order to disclose some of the key problems with modern paradigms of citizenship and social justice; and two postmodern approaches to the analysis of social struggles and their contributions to debates about citizenship are outlined.