Modernism, Postmodernism, Metamodernism with Greg Dember
Event Type:
- Discussion, Presentation
- (Online)
Program:
- Process Explorations
Theme:
- Compassion, Creativity, and Global Citizenship
Featuring:
- Greg Dember and Jay McDaniel
Organizers:
- Center for Process Studies
What comes after postmodernism? Can we embrace sincerity without losing our capacity for irony, or recover hope while remaining aware of uncertainty? In this Process Explorations session, Jay McDaniel interviews Greg Dember about metamodernism, an emerging cultural sensibility that brings renewed interest in feeling, connection, and meaning into conversation with the questioning spirit of postmodernism.
A Seattle-based writer, musician, and cultural thinker, Dember is the author of Say Hello to Metamodernism! and co-editor, with Linda Ceriello, of the website What Is Metamodern? Drawing on examples from music, film, television, and literature, the conversation will explore the differences and overlaps among modernism, postmodernism, and metamodernism, what art reveals about our changing cultural moment, and possible connections with process thought: felt experience, openness to possibility, and the search for meaningful relationships in an uncertain world.
Featuring
Greg Dember is a writer, musician, and computer programmer living in Seattle. He received his BA in psychology from Yale University, where he also studied literature. Greg is the author of Say Hello to Metamodernism! Understanding Today’s Culture of Ironesty, Felt Experience and Empathic Reflexivity (Exact Rush, 2024) and a co-editor of the multi-author volume My Impossible Soul: The Metamodern Music of Sufjan Stevens (Bloomsbury, 2026). Greg is also the co-founder of the website whatismetamodern.com. Musically, Greg records and performs as a “post-genre singer-songwriter” and sometimes plays in other people’s bands. The computer programmer part is how he earns his keep.
Jay McDaniel is a philosopher and theologian known for his work in process theology and open and relational thought. Influenced by Alfred North Whitehead, his writing explores the relational nature of reality, the role of creativity in the universe, and the spiritual significance of everyday life. He has long been associated with the Center for Process Studies and with Open Horizons, where he helps develop resources that connect philosophy, spirituality, ecology, and the arts. McDaniel writes for both academic and general audiences, often drawing on literature, music, theater, and nature to illuminate philosophical ideas. His work emphasizes compassion, imaginative freedom, and the possibility of cooperative and sustainable communities. A teacher, essayist, and musician, he is especially interested in how process philosophy can enrich religious life, interfaith dialogue, and public culture. Through essays, courses, and collaborative projects, he seeks to make complex philosophical ideas accessible and practically meaningful for contemporary life.
RSVP for this Event
Free Online Event
Disclaimer: This event is open to the public and will be recorded. If you choose to enable your camera or participate in any discussions, your voice and likeness will be recorded, and may be posted on the Center for Process Studies websites and social media, or included in CPS materials and/or publications for noncommercial purposes. If you do not want your voice or likeness to be shared in any public venues, please send an email to optout@ctr4process.org.
