Original scientific paper

The Deconstruction of a Cultural Paradigm

Rade Kalanj ; Faculty of Philosophy, Zagreb

Abstract

In this text the author deals with the syntagm »the culture of the left« which is charged with an exceptionally great polysemy and is used most frequently as a stereotype for very different theoretical and political and cultural situations. The substantial and historical point of support for a clearer definition of this concept are the three basic dimensions of the left defined by A. Heller and F. Feher, and they are: the anticapitalis dimension, the republican dimension and the cultural dimension. These dimensions, however, are by no means fixed but are experiencing constant change, especially when they are observed in the context of two emancipatory paradigms of modernity: the contractualistic paradigms and the Utopian paradigms. The advance of modernity, viewed from today’s perspective, brought about the defeat of the Utopian paradigms and the prevalence of the contractualistic paradigms. Therefore, the »culture of the left«, which was based on the Utopian, emancipatory intention met also with the ill fate shared by all great Utopian projects. The spirit of the postmodern time aspires after individualism and communicational consensus thus making impossible today cultural movements of the radical and Utopian inspiration. This is what is described by the concept of deconstruction. However, not all the motives and suppositions of Utopianism and cultural radicalism have been deconstructed, but postmodern strategies based on this tradition must withdraw considerably from economistic determinism, from the logic of omnipotent totality and the »certainty« of eschatological thought. Thus, in the era of individualism the liberal-contractualistic paradigm appears as an important correction of the libertarian standpoint of the left.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

155135

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/155135

Publication date:

30.6.1991.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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