ABSTRACT
Modernism and postmodernism are fundamentally oppositional terms. Whereas the former holds that it is reason, a priori, impartiality, neutrality and methodical investigation that allow humanity to understand nature and humanity and that the world is based on universality that is discoverable, the latter critiques totality, reason, essentialism and universality. Using prose fiction from the East African region as a springboard to hinge his argument, the author of this book invites us to interrogate the merits and demerits of modernism. Whereas the modernist movement seeks a complete break with tradition, postmodernism seeks to examine past modes of thought and expression in order to gain understanding so that history does not get caught in an inevitable cycle of blind repetition. What has been historically accepted as a norm is called into question under postmodernism. Subsequently, in this book, the author censures the modern nation state amidst the demise of indigenous African cultures. The author observes that, among other iniquities, a postmodern individual mainly focuses on ‘self’ and own experiences, a disposition that has enkindled the preponderance of utter consumerism and materialism.
