Synopsis "Explorations in Difference: Law, Culture and Politics (Theory"
How do current debates over identity and difference come into play within the workings of our cultural, legal, and political institutions? Explorations in Difference addresses this question, gathering together a range of perspectives on the meanings and implications of difference in the context of postmodern theory.This collection mirrors the postmodern challenge to notions of unity and consensus, presenting disparate, often contrasting viewpoints, and varying attitudes to postmodernism itself. Within individual essays, contributors express their ambivalence towards postmodernism as, on the one hand, a lamentable reality, reflecting and maintaining political stasis, or alternatively, a liberating, potentially subversive realm of discourse. Amidst this multiplicity of perspectives, Explorations in Difference sustains a focus on the political, asserting the ideological dimension of all representations within our social structure.The volume is divided into two sections: 'Theoretical Accounts,' which establishes a context for postmoderrn inquiries into difference; and 'Instances,' which provides application to particular issues. This format allows both a broadly suggestive analysis of the underpinnings of identity and community, and an exploration of particular sites of conflict. The contributions in 'Instances' range from an examination of the tension between European-derived and aboriginal laws in British Columbia, to an analysis of feminist theories of connectedness and the discourse of abortion rights. The first Canadian study of its kind, Explorations in Difference offers a timely inquiry into postmodern difference and its implications, both within Canada and beyond.
