Summary
Contents
Subject index
The SAGE Handbook of Frankfurt School Critical Theory expounds the development of critical theory from its founding thinkers to its contemporary formulations in an interdisciplinary setting. It maps the terrain of a critical social theory, expounding its distinctive character vis-a-vis alternative theoretical perspectives, exploring its theoretical foundations and developments, conceptualising its subject matters both past and present, and signalling its possible future in a time of great uncertainty. Taking a distinctively theoretical, interdisciplinary, international and contemporary perspective on the topic, this wide-ranging collection of chapters is arranged thematically over three volumes: Volume I: Key Texts and Contributions to a Critical Theory of Society Volume II: Themes Volume III: Contexts This Handbook is essential reading for scholars and students in the field, showcasing the scholarly rigor, intellectual acuteness and negative force of critical social theory, past and present.
The Figure of Crisis in Critical Theory
The Figure of Crisis in Critical Theory
Critical theory as originally conceived by Adorno and Horkheimer was charged with exposing the ‘fundamental contradictions’ of capitalism in the face of potentially historically irreversible defeats of the workers’ movement in the West. In this chapter, I will explore the shifting role envisioned for critical theory, understood as an analysis of post-liberal forms of capitalism, across several periods, from the rise of fascism to the current phase of world economic turbulence. I identify three key moments in the history of critical theory: (1) Adorno and Horkheimer’s departure from the traditional Marxist category of practice in their analysis of fascism and post-fascist democracy; (2) Habermas’s ...
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