And this is the privilege of academia.

Postmodern Theology Two Minute Speech February 20, 2024

I did enjoy the readings, but like all of the readings, they were dense and complex.

Working through the material, there was something that struck me that was very unsettling. I think my position, here, may be controversial. Maybe, maybe not.

I feel like there is something inherently suspect about these authors talking about the language necessary to address social issues while basically using language constructs for the sake of language constructs. It felt redundant. There were issues related to issues related to issues.

There was no end point, nothing tangible, nothing definitive. It felt like because no language, no concept, no theory, addresses the issues sufficiently, the authors skirt the issues entirely. I get not wanting to definitely assert a position, because the paradigm is constantly shifting and evolving. Once you take a definitive position, it is inevitably challenged and must be altered to fit a new paradigm. The process is never ending.

However, in the author’s exhaustive attempts to drill down, I fear they’ve lost sight of what’s important. They’re using words and concepts to explain and define a politically and socially responsible postmodern feminist position, when perhaps, if meaningful progress towards addressing social ills is what’s at stake, it’s not that complicated.

Here’s my controversial statement:

I fear this scholarly work is not essential and not meaningful. While the authors are evaluating and critiquing multiple theoretical approaches, they may be spinning their wheels and moving farther and farther away from what really matters. And this is the privilege of academia.