On postmodern gnoseology in sociocultural research (in the footsteps of Bill Readings’ conception of university)

Abstract

The monograph “The University in Ruins” by B. Readings(1996) is examined as a source of contemporary (late 20th – early 21st centuries) gnoseology. An evident Readings’ closeness tothe postmodern authors (first of all, to Lyotard but also Foucaultand Deleuze, and others) makes it possible to raise the questionnot only about well-known critical and ethical aspects of postmodern theories (exposure of conservative statements and rehabilitation of marginal points of view) but their “constructive”capabilities (for the purpose of humanitarian researches). “TheUniversity in Ruins” by B. Readings seems to be an applicablecase to evaluate what advantages the postmodern gnoseology provides for solving specific problems of theory and historyof culture and what charges and dangers one has to face doingsuch research.