The Vitality of Critical Theory (Current Perspectives in Social Theory, 28) - Hardcover

Harry F. Dahms

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0857247972 ISBN 13: 9780857247971

Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited, 2011

Synopsis

The common theme of this volume is that the critical theory of the Frankfurt School is as important today, if not more so, as it was at its inception during the 1930s. It looks at the distinguishing features of this tradition and how it is critical, yet also complementary, of other approaches in the social sciences, especially in sociology. The vanishing point of critical theory is not the replacement of diverse endeavors to illuminate the nature of modern society, rather, its purpose is to bundle overly fragmented perspectives that have been developed in theoretical sociology. It includes essays that address: the problematic analysis of political economy at the center of the early Frankfurt School, and the subsequent neglect of political economy; the continuing importance of alienation and reification as focal points of critical theory; differences in modes of critical theorizing during the twentieth century (with special emphases on Lukacs, Adorno, Habermas, and Postone); globalization as an analytical and normative challenge critical theorists are uniquely positioned to confront; and, the most problematic feature mainstream approaches in the social sciences have in common.

About this title

About the Author:

Harry F. Dahms - University of Tennessee

Review:

'As a unified collection of essays on critical theory, The Vitality of Critical Theory is a tour de force that merits wide readership.' Mark Worrell, Review in Critical Sociology, 1-4, 2014.

About this edition

• Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0857247972
• ISBN 13: 9780857247971
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352