Jean Baudrillard

Jean Baudrillard is one of the most important and provocative writers in the contemporary era. Widely acclaimed as the prophet of postmodernism, he has famously announced the disappearance of the subject, meaning, truth, class and the notion of reality itself. Although he worked as a sociologist, his writing has enjoyed a wide interdisciplinary popularity and influence. He is read by students of sociology, cultural studies, philosophy, literature, French and geography.

Organized into eight sections, the volumes provide the most complete guide to Baudrillard currently available:

Section 1: Theoretical Issues

In this section the central themes informing Baudrillard′s work are defined and discussed. Baudrillard′s place in contemporary social thought is examined through considerations of how his work has been received. The importance of signs and the sign economy in Baudrillard′s analysis is highlighted. The case for treating Baudrillard as a seminal theorist in contemporary social thought is elucidated.

Section 2: Postmodernism

Baudrillard is reluctant to regard himself as a postmodernist. Nonetheless, it is as the leading theorist of postmodernism that he is widely celebrated and generally known. This section explores Baudrillard′s relation to postmodernism and demonstrates his specific contribution. Questions of Baudrillards relation to capitalism, commodification, fatalism, Lyotard, Jameson and politics are explored.

Section 3: Culture

It is now commonplace to refer to the period since the late 1980s as `the cultural turn′. Baudrillard′s work provided a leading exponent of the significance of culture in understanding contemporary life. Included here are reflections on Baudrillard and corporate culturalism, power, ideology, simulation, mass media, Disney, hyperreality and leisure.

Section 4: War

In the 1990s Baudrillard became famous for the thesis that `the gulf war did not happen′. For some critics, it revealed the poverty of Baudrillard′s approach. For others it showed more profoundly why his thought is an indispensable tool in grappling with the complexities of contemporary society. At all events, Baudrillard′s treatment of the war represented a climacteric in critical responses to Baudrillard. In this section the various range of responses to Baudrillard′s intervention are precisely delineated, providing the reader with the essential data required to decide if Baudrillard′s thesis is right or wrong.

Section 5: America

America dazzles and appalls Baudrillard. In America and of...