Consciousness and Culture: An Introduction to the Thought of Jean Gebser (Contributions in Sociology)

One of the most original and influential thinkers of the twentieth century was Jean Gebser, whose varied writings on the philosophy of culture gave birth to postmodernist thought. In spite of his prominence internationally, much of his work has not been translated into English. This book is the first collection of essays on Gebser to appear in English. The contributors, who are experts in architecture, philosophy, modern languages, fine arts, communications studies, and other diverse fields, offer a striking examination of the pervasive and wide ranging impact of Gebser on all aspects of modern culture.

The opening chapters of this multidisciplinary study provide a solid theoretical foundation by analyzing the essence of Gebser's mode of inquiry and by noting the distinguishing features of his theory of culture. The chapters that follow assess his influence on the physical sciences, popular culture, fine art, politics, and other aspects of civilization. The volume convincingly demonstrates that Gebser is among the first postmodernist theorists, and it shows that he predicted the emergence and shortcomings of postmodernism long before McLuhan, Derrida, Foucault, and others. This valuable and original text will be of great interest to anyone concerned with the phenomenology of culture and the birth of postmodernist thought.