Introduction : Reflecting Paralysis

Journal article

Poe, Andrew. (2017). Introduction : Reflecting Paralysis. Theory and Event : an online journal of political theory. 20(3), pp. 746-755.
AuthorsPoe, Andrew
Abstract

What is the contemporary task of criticism? This essay proffers a response to this question through a rereading of Herbert Marcuse’ short essay “The Paralysis of Criticism: Society without Opposition.” While Marcuse once used this essay to critique an endangered oppositional imagination, this essay asks what is the form of contemporary opposition, and how productive is that opposition today? By way of an answer, this essay introduces readers to the concept of paralysis as a central facet of critical theory, understanding paralysis as the necessary “loosening” that critical theory deploys in political thinking, and a vital resource in identifying modes of political opposition. This essay also serves as an introduction to the essays included in this special section, entitled The Paralysis of Critical Theory, which together
work to develop reimaginings of critical theory in response to the rise of those new forms of capitalism and fascism that occupy the present moment of the 21st century.

KeywordsHerbert Marcuse; critical theory; political opposition; facism; capitalism; paralysis
Year01 Jan 2017
JournalTheory and Event : an online journal of political theory
Journal citation20 (3), pp. 746-755
PublisherJohns Hopkins University Press
ISSN1092-311X
Web address (URL)https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/664834/pdf
Open accessOpen access
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range746-755
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Open
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Print17 Jul 2017
Publication process dates
Deposited17 Oct 2024
Additional information

© 2017 Andrew Poe and The Johns Hopkins University Press

Place of publicationUnited States
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