Suchergebnisse

The critical theory of the Frankfurt School reached Egypt in 1955, when the Arabic translation of Erich Fromm's The Sane Society (New York, 1955) was published in Cairo. Later, Herbert Marcuse's Soviet Marxism (1958) was translated into Arabic in Beirut in 1965, and with the rise of student protests in France, Germany, and the United States, much attention was given to Marcuse; almost all his writings were translated into Arabic between 1969 and 1973. This article explores the nature of individual "receptions" of the critical theory of the Frankfurt School at Egyptian universities. To this end, it briefly introduces the early generation of the Frankfurt School, as well as the reasons of interest in its fate in Egyptian universities. Though master's theses and doctoral dissertations do not represent a university's orientation to critical theory, and at best represent the perspective of their individual authors, this article shows that key individual theses and dissertations testify to an early rejection of the Frankfurt School and to the late adoption of it as a critical paradigm of the transformations in Egyptian society.

The infamous "methodology dispute" between Karl Popper & Theodor W. Adorno is examined. Popper's writings on political theory, philosophy of social science, & philosophy of history are reviewed, & it is shown that the most significant distinction between Popper & Adorno is that the former finds a distinction between truth & ideology. Popper, moreover, argues that social theory produces explanations that maintain agency against physiological, biological, or behaviorist reduction. Adorno's position on the methodology of social analysis is examined via an analysis of critical theory's original formulation as spelled out in Lukacsian Marxism. It is concluded that the basic difference between Adorno & Popper is that Adorno sees critical theory as a fetter from which humanity will ultimately be freed, whereas Popper views critical thinking as the single variant of rationality & as a strategy against the appeals of utopianism, dogmatism, & absolutes.

'Original and provocative . . . engagingly written. (C Fred Alford) counters Levinas's notorious obscurity with a goodly dose of transparency' - John Lechte, Macquarrie University Abstract and evocative, writing in what can only be described as the language of prophecy, Emmanuel Levinas has become everything to everyone. We pretend we get it, writing in much the same style, so as to say whatever we wanted to say in the first place. The 'Levinas Effect' it has been called, the ability of Levinas's texts to say anything the reader wants to hear, so that Levinas becomes

"The early Frankfurt School and feminism can and should inform each other. This volume presents an original collection of scholarship bringing together scholars of the Frankfurt School and feminist scholars. Essays included in the volume explore ideas from the early Frankfurt School that were explicitly focused on sex, gender, and sexuality, and bring ideas from the early Frankfurt School into productive dialogue with historical and contemporary feminist theory. Ranging across philosophy, sociology, gender and sexuality studies, science studies, and cultural studies, the essays investigate heteropatriarchy, essentialism, identity, intersectional feminism, and liberation. Set against an alarming context of growing gender and related forms of authoritarianism, this timely volume demonstrates the necessity of thinking these powerhouse approaches together in a united front"--

Reevaluates Theodor W. Adorno & Max Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment (1973) & other products of the Frankfurt school in light of recent criticisms of an overemphasis on understanding German fascism. It is argued that these texts must be read in their historical context; labeling them "out-of-date" often conceals a hidden agenda. The critical analysis draws on the concept of mimesis as a psychological substance to show that the shift undertaken by Adorno & Horkheimer in Dialectic of Enlightenment does not represent progression "toward the aestheticization of critical social theory," because the behavioral & psychological implications are more important than the aesthetic. It is also argued that too much attention is often given to their dialectics, which tend to confuse the more productive elements of their theoretical analyses. An overview of the background that led to the development of Adorno & Horkheimer's project is followed by an examination of their goals, the conceptual problems they hoped to resolve, the influence of Nietzsche's philosophy on their work, & the progression of their idea of mimesis. J. Lindroth