Consciousness, Literature and the Arts
Archive
Volume 9 Number 2, August 2008
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López, José, and Garry Potter, Eds. After Postmodernism: An Introduction to Critical Realism. London and New York: Athlone Press, 2001. $31.95
Reviewed by
The Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg
José López and Gary Potter have brought together in this well-rounded collection, a variety of essays that approach the many aspects of Critical Realism. Lopez and Potter situate their argument in the introductory essay, “After Postmodernism: The New Millennium,” from the position that Postmodernism has waned after doing the work of revealing the disconnect that existed between “humanity’s relationship to knowledge, rationality, science and modernity” (3). They recognize Postmodernism’s significant contributions to many different disciplines, especially literary criticism. However, at the same time, the editors point out that as society has changed, Postmodernism has stood further and further away from the dynamic center of contemporary life. López and Potter say that “ . . . postmodernism is inadequate as an intellectual response to the times we live in” (4). They propose that Critical Realism is an emerging framework that can be used to better understand the challenges of the new millennium in many different disciplines.
The editors have divided their showcase of Critical Realism essays into nine sections, each exploring a different aspect. The sections range from the “varieties of realism,” to considerations of quantum mechanics, sociology, computing, politics, epistemology and dialectics. In all, the reader is presented with twenty-three essays in which authors grapple with the central issues surrounding this new approach. Interestingly, the authors of the essays do not present a united front in their exposition of critical realism. In fact, as the editors point out, “Realism in action does not produce a homogeneous and even field, instead realism in action reveals the possibility of ‘unity through diversity’” (16). This interplay of concepts enriches the collection and reveals to the reader the many possibilities within Critical Realism. In addition, the diversity of opinion and the acceptance of dialogue clearly demonstrate Critical Realism’s flexibility.
This book has fulfilled its goal of introducing the field of contemporary realism (16) and many of its different points of view. For example, the section on “Varieties of Realism” begins with a fascinating debate between Rom Harré and Roy Bhaskar concerning social structures in which Harré maintains that people do not have causal power to change society in significant ways. Harré raises the question that, if the improvement of social structures depends on the causal powers of humans, then, why haven’t we solved all of the world’s problems yet (26)? Harré perceives human social worlds to be texts, since they have a narrative structure. It follows then that if society is a text, it can be parsed in the same way a text with written words can be. Harré speaks of the “grammar of words for aspects of social structure” (24). Bhaskar, on the other hand, emphasizes the human element in society, making the point that even though humankind is bound by pre-existing societal configuration, it is just this human element that can make a difference. His view is optimistic: “I would like to hold out the possibility that the human sciences and human practices can produce a society, even if it is not perfect, which is substantially better than the one we have currently got” (38). These two views on the efficacy of human causality are not only interesting to consider, but add to the spectrum of the Critical Realism discussion.
The eight sections of the book that follow continue this high level of discussion. It is impossible to mention all of the essays, but I will mention several notable ones in order to demonstrate the breadth of discussion this book includes. Philip Tew, “Reconsidering Literary Interpretation,” takes Bhaskar’s philosophical position and applies its concepts to literary interpretation. David Ford applies realist principles to the societal battle over smoking in his essay “Realism and Research, Philosophy and Poverty Politics: The Example of Smoking.” Jenneth Parker explores the ways in which Postmodernism’s “uncritical view of pluralism” (251) has had an impact on progressive social movements in her essay “Social Movements and Science: The Question of Plural Knowledge Systems.”
The editors have taken care to provide an interdisciplinary collection, demonstrating their own view that Critical Realism is a “broad church” (5). However, there are a few concerns about this catholic approach. The editors’ overall vision for the book is not overtly clear. The introduction would be enhanced by a discussion of why certain fields and essays were included. Since this is a relatively new approach, such a discussion would guide the reader to a better understanding of the structure of the book, beyond providing a series of interdisciplinary essays.
Two features of this book are especially notable. First of all, each of the nine sections of the book is heralded by an introduction that seeks to clarify and highlight some of the topics covered in the essays that follow. The reader appreciates the grounding that these introductions provide. Secondly, the editors have provided a guide to further readings (311-313) that is very helpful. This guide is not in the form of a mere list, but explicates, in essay form, the works that will further enlighten the subject of Critical Realism.
Overall, this volume is an important addition to the body of work on Critical Realism because it gathers together essays that are diverse enough to present contrasting and contrary opinions about a field that is growing and changing. There are few anthologies of Critical Realism available and none with as broad an approach as this one. For readers who do not have a background in this theory, it is a good place to start.