Postmodernism, urban ethnography, and the new social space of ethnic identity

The relentlessly self-reflexive ways of representing reality now fashionably termed "postmodern" are flourishing in an increasingly wide range of domains. In social theory, postmodernism has been used to characterize the diverse philosophical work of such Continental post-structuralist theorists as Baudrillard, Lyotard, Derrida, and Foucault. Commentators have identified a multiplicity of other postmodernisms in architecture, the visual arts, literature, performance, television, video, film, music, and fashion. 1 The term has entered the debate on urban form largely by way of the impact of postmodern architecture on the built environment of cities. It has entered the realm of urban theory by way of debates in urban sociology, anthropology, geography, and political science, on the interplay among global socio-spatial restructuring, the cultural transformation of cities, the formation of personal identities, and the politics of collective action.