utive ▁role ▁of ▁abstra ction ▁both ▁within ▁the ▁interpret ive ▁and ▁the ▁instrument al ▁expression ▁of ▁rational ity . ▁ ▁Though ▁it ▁continued ▁to ▁publish ▁a ▁great ▁deal ▁of ▁conventional ▁radical - left ▁political ▁economic ▁and ▁ge opol it ical ▁material , ▁it ▁was ▁at ▁this ▁point ▁that ▁its ▁orientation ▁began ▁to ▁diver ge ▁from ▁other ▁Australian ▁left ▁publications ▁such ▁as ▁Over land , ▁and ▁the ▁Australian ▁Left ▁Review . ▁▁ ▁The ▁ 1 9 8 0 s : ▁post - struct ural ism , ▁bi ote chn ology ▁and ▁ex termin ism ▁▁ ▁This ▁practical - the oret ical ▁approach ▁led ▁those ▁associated ▁with ▁Arena ▁into ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁key ▁deb ates ▁and ▁causes ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s . ▁The ▁renew al ▁of ▁a ▁' hot ' ▁Cold ▁War ▁by ▁the ▁Re agan ▁administration ▁and ▁of ▁the ▁nuclear ▁arms ▁race ▁– ▁' ex termin ism ' ▁in ▁E . ▁P . ▁Thompson ' s ▁phrase ▁– ▁was ▁anal ys ed ▁as ▁an ▁over - det erm ined ▁consequence ▁of ▁an ▁instrument al ised , ▁maxim ally ▁abstract ed ▁way ▁of ▁life . ▁Adv ances ▁in ▁medical ▁research ▁such ▁as ▁in - v it ro ▁fert il isation ▁were ▁given ▁a ▁more ▁critical ▁account , ▁exam ining ▁the ▁manner ▁in ▁which ▁such ▁techn ologies ▁were ▁har bing ers ▁of ▁a ▁wider ▁cultural ▁contradiction ▁ar ising ▁from ▁the ▁reconst ruction ▁of ▁nature ▁at ▁the ▁mole cular ▁bi ological ▁level . ▁ ▁The ▁newly ▁popular ▁work ▁of ▁post mod ern ists