Jean-Francois Lyotard and the Question of Disciplinary Legitimacy

Gietzen, G.; Gietzen, G

doi:10.2304/pfie.2010.8.2.166

Home

>

Section

>

Chapter

Jean-Francois Lyotard and the Question of Disciplinary Legitimacy

Gietzen, G.

Policy Futures in Education 8(2): 166-176

2010

ISSN/ISBN: 1478-2103

DOI: 10.2304/pfie.2010.8.2.166
Accession: 101985185

Full-Text Article emailed within 0-6 h

Payments are secure & encrypted

Summary

The modern university developed as an institution legitimated by external referents, including national culture and its emancipatory potential. Today's university, however, has been largely destabilized as these referents have become, at the very least, significantly less compelling relative to larger concerns about economic competitiveness and, more extremely, met with incredulity within the context of postmodernity. This article examines the current state of the university through a consideration of Jean-Francois Lyotard's "The Postmodern Condition", particularly Lyotard's ideas of performativity and language games. This analysis demonstrates the tenuous position of those disciplines that have not been reconciled to the logic of performativity. Using the example of the humanities, it is argued that endangered disciplines must become re-referentialized in order to survive.

Jean-Francois Lyotard and the Question of Disciplinary Legitimacy

Gietzen, G.

Policy Futures in Education 8(2): 166-176

2010

Full-Text Article emailed within 0-6 h

Summary

References