Critical Theory: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780190692674)

Critical theory emerged in the 1920s from the work of the Frankfurt School, the circle of German-Jewish academics who sought to diagnose -- and, if at all possible, cure -- the ills of society, particularly fascism and capitalism. In this book, Stephen Eric Bronner provides sketches of leading representatives of the critical tradition (such as George Luk當s and Ernst Bloch, Theodor Adorno and Walter Benjamin, Herbert Marcuse and Jurgen Habermas) as well as many of its seminal texts and empirical investigations.

This Very Short Introduction sheds light on the cluster of concepts and themes that set critical theory apart from its more traditional philosophical competitors. Bronner explains and discusses concepts such as method and agency, alienation and reification, the culture industry and repressive tolerance, non-identity and utopia. He argues for the introduction of new categories and perspectives for illuminating the obstacles to progressive change and focusing upon hidden transformative possibilities. In this newly updated second edition, Bronner targets new academic interests, broadens his argument, and adapts it to a global society amid the resurgence of right-wing politics and neo-fascist movements.

Author: Stephen Eric Bronner
ISBN-10: 0190692677
ISBN-13: 9780190692674
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Language: English
Published: 10/20/2017
Pages: 160
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.30lbs
Size: 6.70h x 4.10w x 0.40d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 04/01/2018