Fredric Jameson’s essay “The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism”—originally published in 1984 and later included in his canonical 1991 book Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism—made a radical intervention that continues to be as relevant as ever. In the essay, Jameson takes up contemporary art and architecture to theorize postmodernism as an expression of the disorientating effects of neoliberalism and geopolitics. Featuring an introduction by Michael Hardt, who highlights the continued urgency of Jameson’s thought, this standalone edition of Jameson’s essay brings his field-defining work to a new generation of readers.

Fredric Jameson (1934–2024) was a literary scholar, philosopher, and Marxist political theorist. He was Professor and Chair of the Literature Program at Duke University and the author of Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, also published by Duke University Press.

Michael Hardt teaches in the Literature Program at Duke University.