Post-modernism is a broad and complex intellectual movement that emerged in the mid-to-late 20th century, characterized by a profound skepticism towards grand narratives, universal truths, objective reality, and the Enlightenment's faith in reason and progress. It challenges the foundational assumptions of modernism, which sought to establish universal principles and rational systems for understanding the world.

Key tenets of post-modernism include: a rejection of meta-narratives (such as Marxism, liberalism, or scientific progress) as totalizing and oppressive; an emphasis on pluralism, relativism, and the subjective nature of truth; a focus on language, discourse, and power relations in shaping knowledge and reality; and a celebration of difference, fragmentation, and hybridity. Post-modern thinkers like Foucault, Derrida, and Lyotard argue that knowledge is always situated, contextual, and constructed through social and linguistic practices, rather than being an objective reflection of reality. This leads to a deconstruction of established hierarchies, categories, and binaries (e.g., male/female, West/East, reason/emotion). In politics, post-modernism often highlights the politics of identity, difference, and the critique of power structures embedded in institutions and language, leading to a more fragmented and localized understanding of political action and social justice.