Book Review: Second World Postmodernisms Examines Architecture Under Late Socialism

A review of the book 'Second World Postmodernisms: Architecture and Society Under Late Socialism' appears on ARTMargins Online. Edited by Vladimir Kulić and published by Bloomsbury in 2019, the 260-page volume addresses architectural postmodernism. The text notes that scholarship often wrestles with defining postmodernism, which marks a shift from modern architecture's technocentric and functionalist approaches. This movement, emerging alongside neoliberalism and globalization, reintroduces ornament and historical references while emphasizing context and irony. Historians and theorists have found it challenging to categorize postmodern architecture systematically. The review, written by Holly Bushman, critiques these definitional struggles within the context of late socialist societies.