Jean-François Lyotard is a French philosopher predominantly associated in the English-speaking world with the term ‘postmodern’ and his short text

La Condition postmoderne

(1979) [translated as

The Postmodern Condition

1984]. The focus on this somewhat unrepresentative text, however, obscures the breadth of his thought and contributions to both cultural studies and continental philosophy. Lyotard’s engagement with politics and cultural activities resulted in a diverse range of shorter writings, many of which he edited into collections, and his contribution to the landmark exhibition

Les Immatériaux

at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, in 1985. Lyotard’s most significant single works include

Discours, Figure

(1971) [translated as

Discourse, Figure

2011],

Économie Libidinale

2928 words

Citation: Bamford, Kiff. "Jean-François Lyotard". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 December 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2831, accessed 02 December 2024.]

2831 Jean-François Lyotard 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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