German Critical Theory
Why German critical theory?
My passion for German critical theory started early, in my Bachelors degree, both out of a frustrated need at the time to get to grips with its content, but also because particularly Habermas's philosophy of communication (and particularly distorted communication) spoke to the needs and problems of our world.
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And so, in my PhD (University of Liverpool), I undertook an immanent critique of Jürgen Habermas's oeuvre, not only outlining the Westo- and Eurocentric underpinnings, but also arguing that in practice Habermas at times overstepped his own analytical distinctions between the role of a philosopher and that of a public commentator. The result was that more substantive content entered into his thin model of deliberation than he could in fact account for. And so I argued for a distinction between Habermas's synchronic work (his discourse ethics and universal pragmatism) and his diachronic account (of social modernity). Whilst his theory of speech may be universally applicable, his theory of modernity and social evolution are highly problematic. And so I argued, that in order to salvage Habermas's philosophical insights, we should save the former from the latter.
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What is the use of German critical theory?
Having made a distinction between Habermas's discourse theory of speech and modernity, his philosophy is incredibly useful. It sets a normative standard for equal treatment. Hence, in combination with Nancy Fraser and Axel Honneth's theories of recognition and Rahel Jaeggi's theory of alienation I use it as an analytical tool with which to examine the existential impacts of social and political injustice.
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I have thus used it in relation to counter-revolutionary trauma in Egypt, in the analysis of the existential impacts of chronic illness such as Long Covid, in the examination of the psychologisation of disease as well as study of patient participation. The philosophy of Jürgen Habermas is thus extremely relevant for the analysis of some of the most pertinent issues of our world.
What is German critical theory?
German critical theory, rooted in the Frankfurt School in the early 20th century, analyses and critiques society, culture, and ideology through a multidisciplinary lens. German critical theory is an interdisciplinary approach that encompasses philosophy, sociology, and political theory, and focuses on the ways in which societal structures influence human behavior and consciousness.
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The1st generation philosophers such as Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer (but also Erich Fromm and Herbert Marcuse) emphasized the importance of understanding the dynamics of power, domination, and (failed) emancipation. Jürgen Habermas outlined the rationality inherent in communication - and thus the importance of deliberation and deliberative democracy. The third generation, such as Axel Honneth and Nancy Fraser emphasised the importance of recognition, and the analysis of the effects and structures of misrecognition. Whilst the fourth generation theorists such as Rahel Jaeggi and Amy Allen, develop innovative critiques of alienation and criticise the Westocentric underpinnings of German critical theory.