Navigating Critical Theory: An Introduction in Six Concepts

The branch of twentieth-century western philosophy known as “critical theory” (or sometimes just “theory”) has had a profound influence on the humanities and social sciences, and many of its central concepts now pervade our cultural and political discourses as well. But the deployment of concepts like “social constructedness” or “intersectionality” is often accompanied by controversy or confusion. Why are the intellectual contributions of “theory” so slippery? What do they mean and how can we evaluate their use in the sometimes turbulent discourses of our academic and political cultures? In this seminar series, Dr. Chad Hegelmeyer (NYU) will help us gain our bearings by engaging with six influential thinkers and their most notable ideas.

Feel free to attend some of the seminars even if you cannot attend all of them. Please RSVP below to receive the readings and the Zoom link.

schedule

• Tuesday, September 15 at 8 PM: The Culture Industry (Adorno and Horkheimer)

• Tuesday, September 22 at 8 PM: Ideology (Louis Althusser)

• Tuesday, September 29 at 8 PM: Power (Michel Foucault)

• Tuesday, October 6 at 8 PM: Deconstruction (Jacques Derrida)

• Tuesday, October 13 at 8 PM: Gender (Judith Butler)

• Tuesday, October 20 at 8 PM: Intersectionality (The Combahee River Collective)

This seminar series is open to undergraduates, graduate students, and recent alumni.