Jung and the Postmodern

The thesis of this book – a convincing one in my view – is that Jung's psychology is a response to modernity, or more specifically a critique of Enlightenment rationality and values that makes him into a theorist of culture. We may well learn a good deal from history but we can learn potentially more from psychology by coming to understand ourselves better not just from books but principally through experience. The author looks at Jung through a post-modern lens and at post-modernism through a Jungian one. After introducing some postmodern themes he moves on to a discussion of Freud and Jung, individuation, architecture, gender issues, roots of the postmodern (including Nietzsche), representation and the postmodern, postmodern science and finally sanity, psychosis and community. An erudite and stimulating exploration.