1st Edition

The Humanities in Transition from Postmodernism into the Digital Age

By Nigel A. Raab Copyright 2020
    218 Pages
    by Routledge

    218 Pages
    by Routledge

    The Humanities in Transition explores how the basic components of the digital age will have an impact on the most trusted theories of humanists. Over the past two generations, humanists have come to take basic postmodern theories for granted whether on language, knowledge or time. Yet Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida and similar philosophers developed their ideas when the impact of this digital world could barely be imagined. The digital world, built on algorithms and massive amounts of data, operates on radically different principles.

    This volume analyzes these differences, demonstrating where an aging postmodernism cannot keep pace with today’s technologies. The book first introduces the major influence postmodern had on global thought before turning to algorithms, digital space, digital time, data visuals and the concept to digital forgeries. By taking a closer look at these themes, it establishes a platform to create more robust humanist theories for the third millennium. This book will appeal to graduate students and established scholars in the Digital Humanities who are looking for diverse and energetic theoretical approaches that can truly come to terms with the digital world.

    1. Introduction

    2. The Achievement of Postmodernism

    3. The End of the Linguistic Turn

    4. The End of Theory in the Humanities

    5. The Influence of Algorithms on Humanistic Thought

    6. Digital Space

    7. Digital Time

    8. Data Visuals

    9. Digital Forgeries

    10. Conclusion

    Biography

    Nigel A. Raab is professor of Russian history at Loyola Marymount University.