Postmodernism and Community in Schools: Unraveling the Paradox

Abstract

This article addresses the paradox of community building in schools characterized by diversity, posing it as the dissonance between modernist notions of community and postmodernism. The article attempts to unravel the paradox through a theoretical alignment of these concepts. A framework for postmodernism as descriptive social theory, nonnative/constructive social theory, and oppositional/deconstructive social theory is used to analyze community; a nested model for community possibilities in postmodern times is presented; and a concept of postmodern community for schools is explored. The implications of postmodern community for schools are discussed.