Critical Theory and Contemporary Europe

Description

Critical Theory and Contemporary Europe introduces the major contributions critical theorists made to the study of Europe, from the interwar years to the present time. The work begins with theorists such as Adorno who addressed Nazism and the Holocaust, then moves on to discuss the postwar affluence of capitalist Europe. It proceeds to examine how critical theorists provided much of the analysis that motivated the student and youth movements of 1968 and subsequent alternative social movements. Lastly, it relates the development of a critical theory of state socialism, looking at the works of thinkers such as Arato, Offe, and Habermas and how critical theory is now addressing social issues such as European xenophobia and the future of Europe. This new volume in the Critical Theory and Contemporary Society series brings together critical theory and European studies in a clear, accessible manner and shows the relevance of critical theory to practical political issues.

William Outhwaite is Chair and Professor of Sociology at Newcastle University, UK. His recent publications include The Future of Society (2006), European Society (2008), Habermas (2nd edn, 2009) and, with Larry Ray, Social Theory and Postcommunism (2005). He was recently awarded a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship.

This is an important, stimulating and deeply engaging book, which is vital reading for students and researchers concerned with the legacy of Critical Theory. It presents a brilliantly intricate and erudite picture of the evolution of Critical Theory across generations, and it persuasively identifies the continuing relevance of the original impulse in Critical Theory for current analysis of constitutions, civil society, the welfare state and - above all - European integration. It is both a valuable commentary on Critical Theory and a striking reconfiguration of ideas central to this theoretical lineage. * Chris Thornhill, Professor of European Political Thought, University of Glasgow, UK * "William Outhwaite has written a lucid and concise study that superbly demonstrates the intimate relationship that exists between critical theory and the project of twentieth century Europe. Critical theory is treated broadly, so that while the Frankfurt School theorists from Horkheimer and Adorno through to Habermas, Honneth and their pupils are central, many thinkers broadly sympathetic to their aims and approaches are brought into the debate. From this broad base, Outhwaite offers a compelling history of the development of critical theory, from its early need to engage with Fascism, through its response to the post-war rebuilding of Europe, and the tensions between the Soviet and Western forms of social organisation, and thus to the collapse of Communism, the re-unification of Germany and the role of the European Union. Outhwaite's attention to the details of political history, as much as his profound understanding of social theory, makes for a book that is of the utmost importance for historians of twentieth century Europe and for those concerned about its future, as to the serious student of Frankfurt critical theory and contemporary social theory." -- Andrew Edgar, Reader in philosophy, Cardiff University, UK "Critical Theory and Contemporary Europe provides an unprecedented account of the relevance of critical theory to the sociological analysis of recent European history. The book makes a major contribution not only to the history of intellectual thought but also to the sociology of contemporary Europe. It achieves this by demonstrating that critical theory, far from constituting a self-referential language game based on merely rhetorical thought experiments, permits us to shed new light on both the causes and the consequences of key social and political developments in modern European history, from the First World War to the present day. Yet again, William Outhwaite has shown that he deserves to be regarded as a leading social theorist of his generation. There is no doubt that this is a book of superior merit." -- Simon Susen, Lecturer in Sociology, City University London, UK