The concept of politics in postmodernism

ABSTRACT In order to clarify the concept of postmodernism a distinction is made between three kinds of discourse: premodern, modern, postmodern. With regard to postmodern discourse I distinguish between a sceptical and an affirmative approach. This is followed by an exploration of the nature of politics in affirmative postmodernism. A positive evaluation of deconstruction highlights the notion of difference which enables one to develop a politics of plurality based on the principle of the negotiation of difference. This leads to a distinction between various meanings of the term culture followed by a demonstration of the complexity involved in the use of the term multiculturalism. I discuss in conclusion some of the philosophical and political problems related to multi‐cultural issues.