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
Permalink -

https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/9103v/introduction-reflecting-paralysis

Download files


Publisher's version
OA_Poe_2017_Introduction_Reflecting_Paralysis.pdf
License: All rights reserved
File access level: Open

  • 4
    total views
  • 2
    total downloads
  • 0
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month
These values are for the period from 19th October 2020, when this repository was created.

Export as

Related outputs

Political Enthusiasm : Partisan Feeling and Democracy’s Enchantments
Poe, Andrew. (2022). Political Enthusiasm : Partisan Feeling and Democracy’s Enchantments Manchester University Press.
Context for a critique of political theology
Michelbach, Philip and Poe, Andrew. (2022). Context for a critique of political theology. Theory and Event. 25(2), pp. 444-469. https://doi.org/10.1353/tae.2022.0019
Un-represent : Theorizing the reason of political fanaticism
Poe, Andrew. (2021). Un-represent : Theorizing the reason of political fanaticism. Distinktion. 22(3), pp. 358-375. https://doi.org/10.1080/1600910X.2021.1946116
The end of emergency : Coronavirus, uncertain bodies, and agitating sovereignty
Poe, Andrew. (2020). The end of emergency : Coronavirus, uncertain bodies, and agitating sovereignty. Theory and Event : An online journal of political theory. 23(4), pp. 41-52. https://doi.org/10.1353/tae.2020.0079
Enthusiasm
Poe, Andrew. (2018). Enthusiasm. Krisis. 2018(2), pp. 46-49.
Expressions of a fascist imaginary : Adorno’s unsettling of cathexis
Poe, Andrew. (2018). Expressions of a fascist imaginary : Adorno’s unsettling of cathexis. South Atlantic Quarterly. 117(4), pp. 815-832. https://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-7165883
New authority : Hamlet’s politics with (and against) Carl Schmitt
Michelbach, Philip A. and Poe, Andrew. (2016). New authority : Hamlet’s politics with (and against) Carl Schmitt. Journal for Cultural Research. 20(3), pp. 247-265. https://doi.org/10.1080/14797585.2016.1141832