Drawing on philosophy and cultural history, Alex Callinicos argues in this work that post-modernism is best read as a symptom of political frustration and social mobility rather than as a significant intellectual or cultural phenomenon.

Post-modernism, Alex Callinicos argues, reflects the disappointed revolutionary generation of '68, and the incorporation of many of its members into the professional and managerial 'new middle class'. It is best read as a symptom of political frustration and social mobility rather than as a significant intellectual or cultural phenomenon in its own right.

Introduction.
1. The Jargon of Postmodernity.
2. Modernism and Capitalism.
3. The Aporias of Poststructuralism.
4. The Limits of Communicative Reason.
5. So What Else is New?
Afterword.
Notes.