LYOTARD ON THE DEATH OF THE PROFESSOR

In The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge (Bennington, Geoff, & Massumi, Brian [Trs] Minneapolis: U of Minnesota Press, 1984) Jean Francois Lyotard argued that there is no "metanarrative" capable of legitimating all narratives, & that legitimation is internal to each narrative. Since he sees the role of the professor as essentially connected with the provision of a legitimating metanarrative, the consequence of his view is that the postmodern condition "sounds the knell" of the professor. It is argued here that the death of the professor does not follow as a consequence. Given Lyotard's claim that legitimation is internal to each narrative, this postmodern condition requires in fact a special legitimating function, one that can only be performed by the professor. AA