All or Nothing? Politics and Critique in the Modernism-Postmodernism Debate

Abstract

The abstract for this paper is presented in the form of a preface: Preface. In this paper we are concerned with the structure of the debate over modernism and postmodernism in geography. We feel we are being asked to take a position, for (or against) modernism and against (or for) postmodernism. We have different reasons for refusing the politics of this choice. Both of us take a separate route to this refusal, as shown in this paper. Some words of warning are necessary before we begin. Given the broad scope of this paper, it will be obvious that some liberties will have to be taken in the presentation. We hope that these limitations will be excused by readers sympathetic to the underlying purpose of the paper, which is to invite the most general of debates on this topic(1). In this vein, we conclude that there are more possibilities for critical and subversive geography than we are being allowed.