The Language of Public Administration: Bureaucracy, Modernity, and Postmodernity

Author: (USA) Farnham
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Undoubtedly, this is a substantial book. I believe it is one of the most comprehensive and profound philosophical works in the field of contemporary American public administration. —O.C. Maxwell, quoted from Public Administration Review
This is a work that challenges the cognitive inertia and fixed patterns of thought among public administration practitioners and researchers. The author's deconstruction of modernist and postmodernist discourse in public administration aims to inspire diverse dimensions of thinking about public administration, hoping to spark a cognitive revolution in public administration within a postmodern context. —Translator of this book
This book employs a reflective linguistic model, viewing modernity and postmodernity as two human mental models and conducting a deconstructive reading of public administration discourse from these two dimensions. The author argues that from a modernist perspective, public administration is constructed as a science, technology, enterprise, or an interpretation; whereas from a postmodernist perspective, the emphasis on imagination, deconstruction, non-territorialization, and alterity provides opportunities to transform public bureaucracy and the world of public administration. Here, all meaning is deconstructed, all boundaries are dissolved, and administration is replaced by anti-administration. This book will guide you through a world of thought and language in public administration, offering a fresh perspective.