This presentation contains slides (power point presentation) and a recording of an introduction for the course "French postmodern thinkers". It is part of Stockholm University Educational Resources.

This introduction to French postmodern thinkers describes the context of May 1968 in France and the elaboration of postmodern theories from the 1970s on. The notion of postmodernity is ambiguous as it refers to a series of definitions depending if the focus is on the artistic movement or the historical epoch. Most of the French postmodern thinkers were influenced by the German philosophy with the description of the crisis of modernity (Freud, Marx, Nietzsche and Heidegger). The development of the French theory (or French studies) is linked to the promotion of these French thinkers (Foucault, Derrida, Kristeva, Baudrillard, Deleuze) who had an influence on the field of discourse analysis.This presentation is a part of a course given at the advanced level at Stockholm University.