VII. What does Postmodern Justice Sound Like?

Postmodern justice is multifaceted. It focuses on power and its control over knowledge-claims, the individual and his/her unique interpretation of reality, and deconstruction of practices and structures that maintain marginalization.

Postmodern justice, according to Foucault (1977), is concerned with power and competing claims of knowledge, knowledge that is based on different interpretations of life experiences. Those in power have the privilege of deciding what is reality, what is knowledge, and what is history. They impose those interpretations on the less powerful. This is currently a justice issue in Texas. The state’s Board of Education has approved new social studies curriculum guidelines that incorporate socially conservative ideas into American history and exclude many historical contributions of and issues faced by marginalized groups. Those in power say the new guidelines restore true history without a liberal bias, while those of the non-dominant culture say Texas is rewriting and reshaping history.
NPR: Texas Textbook Tussle Could Have National Impact
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124737756


Another key aspect of postmodernism is the subjectivity of reality; each individual experiences and interprets the world differently and uniquely. According to Glickman, Gordon, and Ross-Gordon (2010), individuals have “diverse perspectives, beliefs, values, interests, and needs” (p. 414). The work of postmodern justice is to ensure that differences among and between individuals are accepted and valued.

In the TED talk, The Danger of the Single Story, writer Chimamanda Adichie warns against forming stereotyped misunderstandings of entire cultures or groups based on a “single story.”



The song “Different People,” by the band No Doubt, describes the joy found in life because of different people. The lyrics include: But the most amazing thing that I’ve seen in my time are all the different people and all their different minds minds minds and different ways. It would take a lifetime to explain. Not one’s the same.



One other component of postmodern justice work is deconstruction: to de-center practices that perpetuate privilege and destabilize power structures that silence the less powerful (Johnson, 2008). Rage Against the Machine is a band that strives to do just that – give a voice to the powerless and expose unequal power distributions. Many of Rage Against the Machine’s songs speak of protest, illuminate power injustices, highlight causes where the marginalized voices have been silenced – though many also contain profanity and, as such, have not been included here. One of the few songs that does not include profanity, “Renegades of Funk,” speaks to the deconstructive aspects of postmodern justice by paying homage to the “renegades” who have been a voice for the marginalized and also encouraging the listener to join as a renegade. Lyrics: We're the renegades; we're the people with our own philosophies. We change the course of history, everyday people like you and me. It also represents postmodernism’s idea of the changing perception of knowledge and truth; it changes over time and depends on context. Lyrics: Since the Prehistoric ages and the days of ancient Greece, right down through the Middle Ages, planet earth kept going through changes. And then no renaissance came, and times continued to change. Nothing stayed the same, but there were always renegades.