What comes after Postmodernism?

The centuries have seen a swing of the pendulum in Western culture, one philosophical and cultural trend replacing another in turn. Each successive movement (classical, baroque, romantic. modern, postmodern) has been both a reaction against and a development from the preceding one. These successive cultural movements have seemed to emphasise alternate sides of the brain, swinging between "right brain" movements, which emphasise emotion, freedom and abandon and "left brain" movements, which emphasise logic, structure and control.

The twentieth century saw the heyday of left-brain Modernism followed by right-brain Postmodernism. A new century calls for a new movement. But what will it be? What comes next? The terms "prefuturism" and "postpostmodernism" are already in circulation but what they consist of is still taking shape. Postmodernism will continue to be an influence for years to come. But seeds of change are sprouting.

Return to Reason

If the pattern of the last five centuries continues, we can expect a swing away from the right brain aspects of Postmodernism and a return to the more logical and structured left brain approach seen in scientific modernism and the classical enlightenment. Another possibility is that we shall see more of a synthesis. Rather than a complete swing of the pendulum, we may see a more balanced approach which integrates the two sides of the brain. The balance of old and new technologies will be important in defining this. The twentieth century was the era of music, television and cinema. Stories flourished and people thought text was boring. The last decade has seen the rise of more text-based, logical media associated with the computer, the internet and text-messaging. In years to come the visual and the verbal, imagination and technology will be increasingly intertwined. People will be rational again but will still enjoy cinema.

Rediscovering Togetherness

A succession of defining events have brought about a major shift on the cultural landscape which is likely to be formative in the future. These include:

1. The death of Princess Diana
2. The September 11th atrocity
3. The fall of Saddam Hussein
4. Live 8
5. The London bombings.

Each of these events brought people into sharp awareness of their connectedness as human beings.

Postmodernism was essentially about individuals breaking free from the constraints of faith, family, community and culture and making their

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