Against against-ism - Comment on Parker

This comment on Parker's 'Against Postmodernism: Psychology in Cultural Con text' (Parker, 1998) contextualizes Parker's 'againstism' (critical) stance . Parker characterizes postmodernism as theoretical play that has gone too far. Having exhausted its progressive potential, it's become a breeding gro und for reactionary ideas now threatening psychology and a radical politica l agenda. Parker, recognizing that what he fears postmodernism has spawned are products of modernism, employs 'dialectical critique' to historically c ontextualize postmodernism and its dangers. as postmodernists Parker takes to task, the authors argue that the relevant points of difference between h im and them have more to do with their differing institutional locations an d conception/practices of dialectics than with postmodernism.