Showing papers on "Critical theory published in 1986"

Research as Praxis

Abstract: The author, who is concerned with the methodological implications of critical theory, explores issues in the developing area of emancipatory research. She defines the concept of "research as praxis...

Critique, Norm, and Utopia: A Study of the Foundations of Critical Theory

Abstract: Displaying an impressive command of complex materials, Seyla Benhabib reconstructs the history of theories from a systematic point of view and examines the origins and transformations of the concept of critique from the works of Hegel to Habermas. Through investigating the model of the philosophy of the subject, she pursues the question of how Hegel's critiques might be useful for reforumulating the foundations of critical social theory.

Paradigms and promises : new approaches to educational administration

Abstract: In the field of educational administration there have been several years of active debate over how America's school systems are run. Contemporary educational administrators have been forced to reflect not only on educational policy and practice, but on the very nature of their position. How does administration contribute to the type of society we have? In what ways does it impede or enhance our cultural ideals and values? "Paradigms and Promises" offers an unorthodox solution by presenting administration as an arena for critical reflection and humanistic action, rather than a more technically-oriented style of management. Foster's critical analysis is premised on an understanding of the relationship of theory to practice, and as he provides alternative theories, he sheds new light on educational administration. Orthodox administrative theory receives heavy criticism in this text. Foster employs progressive critical theory as well as conventional analyses in critical appraisal, and advocates a dialectical concept, through which administrators, teachers and students are encouraged to challenge and question each other - the eventual result being a more responsive, democratically-run system.

A Critical Theory of Organization Science

Abstract: Critical theory is presented as a general method for analyzing an organization science based on either a natural science or interpretive paradigm. This is accomplished by introducing epistemic inquiry into organization science methodology. Specifically, critical theory provides a means of examining the socio-political interplay among the researcher, the research enterprise, the practitioner, and the organization members. Such an analysis requires the examination of ideology, technology, and praxis.

Autonomy and Solidarity: Interviews with Jürgen Habermas

Abstract: Over the last half decade or so, Jurgen Habermas has increasingly employed the interview format, both as a means of presenting his changing views on philosophical topics in an accessible way, and as a means of debating current social and political issues This new, expanded edition of "Autonomy and Solidarity" includes an additional five interviews in which Habermas discusses such themes as the history and significance of the Frankfurt School, the social and political development of post-war Germany, the moral status of civil disobedience, the implications of the "Historians' Dispute", and the function of national identity in the modern world Never before published autobiographical material covering Habermas' early years at the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research is followed by an extended philosophical interrogation of his latest thinking on the relations between ethics, morality and law With an extended introduction by Peter Dews, exploring the status and prospects of Critical Theory in the light of the recent revolutionary transformations in Europe, "Autonomy and Solidarity" should be of interest and value both to newcomers and those already familiar with Habermas' thought

Postmodern social theory

Abstract: My intentions are to review the major themes and problematics that have emerged over the last decade in postmodern social theory (see Foster 1983; Bernstein 1985; Jameson 1983, 1984a; Huyssen 1984; Jencks 1985; Newman 1985). I will examine the works of two leading French postmodern theorists, Lyotard (1971, 1974, 1984) and Baudrillard (1968, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1981, 1983a, 1983b, 1983c) against the backdrop of the poststructuralist and Critical Theory formulations of Barthes, Lacan, Althusser, Levi-Strauss, Derrida and Habermas. I hope to relate American social theory more closely to postmodern formulations. At the same time it is my desire to make social theory more alive to the current crises that grip the present world economic and cultural structures (Denzin 1986). Because Lyotard and Baudrillard offer explicit and implicit critiques of the Frankfurt School and Habermas, it will be necessary to briefly speak to Habermas's theory of communicative action (1975, 1983) as it applies to the legitimation crisis in post-capitalist societies. I will take up in order the following topics: (1) the current state of American social theory; (2) a brief discussion of the defining characteristics of postmodern theory; (3) an analysis of the major themes in Baudrillard and Lyotard's works; (4) a discussion of the Habermas critique of postmodernism and postmodern theory; (5) a set of proposals concerning the future directions social theory and empirical research might take, in light of the postmodern critique.

On Critical Theory and Educational Practice

Abstract: The image, style, and substance of educational research are currently undergoing reevaluation. This is not to say that the dominant form of educational research of well over the past quarter century—a form that Habermas calls “empirical/analytic” or “positivism”—has been without its critics. Since the emerging dominance of educational research in the guise of the logical empiricist reconstruction of the natural sciences, philosophy of education, more “humanistically oriented” scholars of education, and so-called “qualitative” methodologists have questioned the appropriateness of this model of research for explaining, understanding, and transforming educational practice. To a large extent, their critiques of and questions for such research were unheeded, often dismissed, or not always welcomed. Though philosophers always urge critical self-reflection on one’s labors as a cardinal virtue, it is understandable, at least, that educational researchers were more concerned to develop a knowledge-base in education congruent with their understanding of this alluring natural science model.

Towards a Critical Theory of Reflective Inquiry: Theme

Abstract: Although reflective inquiry has been pro moted for many years as a progressive and effective method of teaching the social studies, its incorporation into classroom practice remains question able

Foucault's challenge to critical theory

Abstract: Power, subjectivity, otherness, and modernity are concepts that contemporary political theorists increasingly find to be closely interwoven. In search of an adequate comprehension of the interrelationships among these concepts, I examine the work of Michel Foucault and Jurgen Habermas. I argue that Foucault, although he is provocatively insightful on a number of key points, ultimately provides a less satisfactory account than Habermas. The core problem is Foucault's inability to conceptualize juridical subjectivity, something which is necessary if he is going to connect his notion of aesthetic subjectivity with his endorsement of new social movements.

Philosophy Beside Itself: On Deconstruction and Modernism

Abstract: Philosophy Beside Itself was first published in 1986. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions.The writings of French philosopher Jacques Derrida have been the single most powerful influence on critical theory and practice in the United States over the past decade. But with few exceptions American philosophers have taken little or no interest in Derrida's work, and the task of reception, translation, and commentary has been left to literary critics. As a result, Derrida has appeared as a figure already defined by essentially literary critical activities and interests.Stephen Melville's aim in Philosophy Beside Itself is to insist upon and clarify the distinctions between philosophy and criticism. He argues that until we grasp Derrida's philosophical project as such, we remain fundamentally unable to see his significance for criticism. In terms derived from Stanley Cavell's writings on modernism, Melville develops a case for Derrida as a modernist philosopher, working at once within and against that tradition and discipline. Melville first places Derrida in a Hegelian context, the structure of which he explores by examining the work of Heidegger, Lacan, and Bataille. With this foundation, he is able to reappraise the project of deconstructive criticism as developed in Paul de Man's Blindness and Insight and further articulated by other Yale critics. Central to this critique is the ambivalent relationship between deconstructive criticism and Lacanian psychoanalysis. Criticism-radical self-criticism-is a central means through which the difficult facts of human community come to recognition, and Melville argues for criticism as an activity intimately bound to the ways in which we do and do not belong in time and in community. Derrida's achievement has been to find a new and necessary way to assert that the task of philosophy is criticism; the task of literary criticism is to assume the burden of that achievement.Stephen Melville is an assistant professor of English at Syracuse University, and Donald Marshall is a professor of English at the University of Iowa.

Language and Production: A Critique of the Paradigms

Abstract: I: On the Paradigm of Language: Positivism and Hermeneutics as Theories of Objectivation.- II: On the Paradigm of Production: Marxian Materialism and the Problem of the Constitution of the Social World.- 1. On the Meaning of Marx's Materialism.- 2. Consumption as an Intrinsic Moment of Productive Activity.- 3. Reification and the Antinomies of Its Overcoming.- 4. Production Versus Communication: Paradigm-Change in Radical Theory.- 5. On the Possibility of Critical Theory.- Appendix I: Four Forms of Critical Theory - Some Theses on Marx's Development.- Appendix II: Marx and the Problem of Technology.- Notes.- Name Index.

Social Theory and Feminist Theory: The Need for Dialogue

Abstract: Two developments in social theory, one somewhat older than the other, are raising a similar set of concerns. One, the older, is the critique of positivism as a model for social understanding, and in its most exemplary form provides the underpinnings for the trenchant criticism that has come out of the Frankfurt School. The second, the mole recent, comes out of Women's Studies and, like the critical theory of Jurgen Habermas and his predecessors, speaks to the need to understand human beings based on methods other than empiricism. I should like to propose the joining in dialogue of the two, for while I see them as having much in common, I recognize a carefully considered set of arguments coming out of the Frankfurt School, arguments which could enhance the very understanding of the world of women that feminist scholarship has as its objective. After explicating some key arguments out of Alfred Schutz, the paper indicates where the Frankfurt School parts ways with the phenomenological tradition. Of particular import is Habermas' “emancipatory interest.” Certain recent writings in feminist theory are looked at for the kind of attack they make on scientism and for the rationale behind their call for a turn to the phenomenological or hermeneutic method. The paper then raises concerns about (1) the importance of understanding the historical debates on positivism; (2) the danger of conflating intuition and hermeneutics; and (3) the suggestions that women may occupy a privileged standpoint from which to interpret the social world.

From managerialism to communicative competence: control and consensus in educational administration

Abstract: Traditional approaches to educational administration have generally reflected a managerial perspective which owed much to the principles of scientific management developed by F. W. Taylor. Technical concerns which have dwelt on “efficiency” and administration control have, however, ignored and masked the inequalities and ideologies around which organizations are structured. It is argued that critical theory may offer a means of exposing the forms of domination which repress human beings. For the German philosopher Jurgen Habermas critique is a powerful device to unmask unnecessary forms of domination which have been perpetuated by distorted communication. In contrast undistorted or ideal communication entails a pervasive democratic interaction which acknowledges that all participants have the capacity to take part in the making of meaningful decisions.

Critical Theory and Criminology

Abstract: This paper applies the critical theory of Jurgen Habermas to theoretical issues in criminology Since criminologists have generally neglected the critical tradition, we include a brief summation of concerns central to critical sociology These concerns include a defense of reason and a provocative critique of both culture and science We then apply the critical model to themes and issues in criminology Specifically, our analysis uses Habermas' three “knowledge constitutive interests” to reconceptualize cultural explanations of crime, to address the linkage between macro-and micro-levels of explanation, and to outline a novel interpretation of the relationship between culture and social structure We conclude with a critique of Habermas' prescription for social change

rationality and religion in habermas' recent work: some remarks on the relation between critical theory and the phenomenology of religion:

Abstract: In The Theory of Communicative Action, Jürgen Habermas gives the fullest version of an argument about the relation of rationality and religion that has been at least implicit in his earlier work.’ This argument is especially important in the light of several contemporary discussions questioning the modern split between rationality and religion through investigations of scientific and religious language in the context of postempiricist philosophy of science, renewed interest (by, among others, intellectuals) in both traditional and new religious forms, the rise of fundamentalist political movements, and the development of emancipatory movements, notably in Latin America and Poland, explicitly linking religion with social theory.2

Language inequality and distortion in intercultural communication : a critical theory approach

Abstract: 1. List of Tables 2. List of Figures 3. Introduction 4. 1. Critical Theory Approach to Language Inequalities 5. 1.1 Critical theory and scientific inquiries 6. 1.2 A critique of the positivist approach 7. 1.3 Critical theory 8. 1.4 A critical theory approach to language inequalities 9. 2 Language Inequality in Distorted Intercultural Communication 10. 2.1 Distorted communication 11. 2.2 Distorted intercultural communication 12. 2.3 Summary 13. 3. The Ideology of Civilization and Western Domination 14. 3.1 The critique of ideology 15. 3.2 The genesis of the ideology of "civilization" 16. 3.3 Expansion of the Western "civilization" 17. 3.4 Structural domination of the Western "civilization" 18. 3.5 Summary 19. 4. Conclusion 20. References

Marxism as a Way of Seeing: Beyond the Limits of Current “Critical” Approaches to Sport

Abstract: Like capitalism, Marxism constantly experiences contradictions and crises to which it reacts, adapts, and somehow survives. Currently, Marxism is under attack by post-Marxist critical theorists and certain feminist scholars. In this paper, some of the criticisms made by these writers are applied to neo-Marxist approaches to sport. It is contended that the specific critiques of Marxism need to be situated in a wider framework that is concerned with theorizing all forms of domination (i.e., economic, sexual, ethnic/racial, and political) in sport. Some recent topics researched by neo-Marxists are used to illustrate the theoretical problems raised by restricting any critical theory of sport to the Marxist paradigm.

Using Sociology to Analyze Human and Organizational Problems: A Humanistic Perspective to Link Theory and Practice

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that sociological theory is a major part of the knowledge base needed by sociological practitioners, including both applied and clinical sociologists. Four well-established theories are reviewed to assess their perspectives on social reality, the kinds of problems they would be expected to highlight, and the types of solutions they would be likely to suggest. These are: symbolic interactionism, functionalism or systems theory, exchange theory, and critical theory. It is pointed out that these theories can stimulate sociologists to assess whether their priorities focus on the maintenance of organizational structures or on the fulfillment of human needs. Current discussions of applied or clinical sociology frequently lead to questions regarding the specific types of skills or knowledge that are marketable among nonacademic employers. Almost inevitably social research skills and statistics This paper is an expanded version of a presentation given at the Clinical Sociology Cooperative Conference, Orlando, Florida, March 31–April 2, 1985. The author would like to express appreciation to William R. Brown and to the anonymous reviewers for this journal tor their helpful suggestions. Correspondence to: Doyle Paul Johnson, Department of Sociology, University of South Florida,

The Fate of the Self: German Writers and French Theory

Abstract: Much recent critical theory has dismissed or failed to take seriously the question of the self. French theorists-such as Derrida, Barthes, Benveniste, Foucault, Lacan, and Levi-Strauss-have in various ways proclaimed the death of the subject, often turning to German intellectual tradition to authorize their views. Stanley Corngold's heralded book, The Fate of the Self, published for the first time in paperback with a spirited new preface, appears at a time when the relationship between the self and literature is a matter of renewed concern. Originally published in 1986 (Columbia University Press), the book examines the poetic self of German intellectual tradition in light of recent French and American critical theory. Focusing on seven major German writers-Holderlin, Dilthey, Nietzsche, Mann, Kafka, Freud, and Heidegger-Corngold shows that their work does not support the desire to discredit the self as an origin of meaning and value but reconstructs the allegedly fragmented poetic self through effects of position and style. Offering new and subtle models of selfhood, The Fate of the Self is a source of rich insight into the work of these authors, refracted through poststructuralist critical perspectives.

Critical Theory and the Hermeneutical Circle

Abstract: This paper examines the debate between Gadamer and Habermas concerning the relationship between hermeneutics and critical theory. Formulating the hermeneutical circle in terms of relationship between understanding and interpretation, this paper examines three positions on the circle held by positivism, critical theory and hermeneutics, respectively. A commitment to method and procedure on the part of Habermas is offered as the basis for critical theory's limited acceptance of the hermeneutical circle. This is shown through an analysis of Knowledge and Human Interests as indicative of Habermas's implicit objectivism and his methodical, as opposed to hermeneutical, model of reasoning for social inquiry. The best definition for hermeneutics is: to let what is alienated by the character of the written word or by the character of being distantiated by cultural or historical distances speak again. This is hermeneutics: to let what seems to be far and alienated speak again (Gadamer, 1980a:83).

The Flight into Inwardness: An Exposition and Critique of Herbert Marcuse's Theory of Liberative Aesthetics@@@Science and The Revenge of Nature: Marcuse and Habermas@@@Critique, Norm and Utopia: A Study of the Foundations of Critical Theory

Abstract: In his more recent works, Herbert Marcuse has come to appreciate the liberatory potential of the aesthetic practice. This book traces the development of that appreciation. A discussion of Kant's aesthetic theory, and Marcuse's improvement of it, is included.

Ethics and Critical Theory: From Horkheimer to Habermas

Abstract: The absence of Horkheimer's “Materialism and Morality” from his collection of essays Critical Theory suggests a troublesome truth about the Marxist tradition. Marxism has either dismissed moral philosophy or decried it as ideology. Horkheimer's appropriation of Kantian ethics probably seemed too old-fashioned to the editors. The piece must have appeared to be a digression from the “real” concerns of left politics. But recendy there has been a new interest in the essay. Like Horkheimer's assessment of the cultural basis of idealist ethics, this interest in ethics must be understood historically. Before comparing Habermas' Diskursethik with Horkheimer's position on morality, it is useful to review briefly the historical relation between materialism and morality.

Democratizing Literature: Issues in Teaching Working-Class Literature.

Abstract: "The poems to come are for you and for me and are not for mostpeople": e. e. cummings' way of introducing his collected poems had a powerful appeal for me as an English major (Scully 124). It invited me into an intimate relation to the poet and his work, a relation for which, it implied, I was especially qualified by a sensibility he and I shared. Now, as an English teacher at a large urban university, I read the old compliment differently. It has come to stand for the customary and damaging elitism of institutions of literary study: there are those of us who know how to read-that is, who have mastered the terms and techniques of 'criticism'"-who know moreover what to read-that is, who acknowledge the canon of received "literature"--and who therefore participate in a tradition that represents the best that has been thought and written in our culture.1 The social mission that, since Arnold, we have always claimed for our work in "English" has been to impart this tradition to selected representatives of mostpeople, though we may have doubted their capacity to appreciate it. Although the terms of this claim have been radically challenged by contemporary critical theory, its basic class distinction between Literature and other writing and between Criticism and other reading remains in force in the structures of our departments and curricula, where it frustrates the contribution literary studies could make to understanding the practices of writing and reading throughout society. The resilience of the elite literary tradition through all the upheavals in the house of criticism can in part be accounted for historically. In the development traced by Raymond Williams, "literature" first approached its modern sense in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when, in the words of the 0. E. D., it indicated the scope of the reading expected of a man of "polite and humane learning." The term, exclusive as a marker of social condition, was still relatively inclusive in regard to the kinds of reading expected of the educated gentleman: philosophy, history, and political writing as well as poetry-and this was

Foucism, Marxory & Histault: A Critical Appraisal of Poster's Foucault, Marxism and History: Mode of Production versus Mode of Information:

Abstract: The application of a `Foucaultism' to contemporary critical analysis is by no means an easy task and Poster's book contains many valuable insights into the functioning of Foucault's work — particularly as it relates to modern Marxisms — within critical theory. Yet there remain a number of important themes which Poster appears merely to gloss over (eg, the precise nature of `historicity', the relation between the dialectic and reason, etc) providing no solution to the dilemmas thrown up by grounded theory attempting to work within the field of a discursive analysis. The aim of this paper is to shed some light on the particular nature of `history' as it appears in Marx and in Foucault and to indicate some of the main characteristics of Foucault's analytical tools. The logic of the paper follows the logic of Poster's book, dealing with Marx first, Foucault second, and closes with an examination of some analytical implications of adopting a discursive/genealogical approach to the study of contemporary social ...