Critical Theory and Feeling: The Affective Politics of the Early Frankfurt School
Simon Mussell
Abstract
The book provides a new perspective on the early work of the Frankfurt School, by focusing on the vital role that affect and feeling play in the development of critical theory. Building on contemporary theories of affect, the author argues that any renewal of critical theory today must have an affective politics at its core. If one’s aim is to effectively theorize, criticize, and ultimately transform existing social relations, then a strictly rationalist model of political thought remains inadequate. In many respects, this flies in the face of predominant forms of political philosophy, which h ... More
The book provides a new perspective on the early work of the Frankfurt School, by focusing on the vital role that affect and feeling play in the development of critical theory. Building on contemporary theories of affect, the author argues that any renewal of critical theory today must have an affective politics at its core. If one’s aim is to effectively theorize, criticize, and ultimately transform existing social relations, then a strictly rationalist model of political thought remains inadequate. In many respects, this flies in the face of predominant forms of political philosophy, which have long upheld reason and rationality as sole proprietors of political legitimacy. Critical theory and feeling shows how the work of the early Frankfurt School offers a dynamic and necessary corrective to the excesses of formalized reason. Studying a range of themes – from melancholia, unhappiness, and hope, to mimesis, affect, and objects – this book provides a radical rethinking of critical theory for our times.
Keywords:
Critical theory,
Affect,
Frankfurt School,
Feeling,
Mimesis,
Melancholia,
Unhappiness,
Hope,
Objects
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2017 |
Print ISBN-13: 9781526105707 |
| Published to Manchester Scholarship Online: May 2018 |
DOI:10.7228/manchester/9781526105707.001.0001 |
