Телеграм канал «Политическая теория и философия (Political theory and philosophy)»

Jordi Maiso - From Damaged Life: The Critical Theory of Theodor W. Adorno

This certainty that the conditions governing existence in contemporary societies generate irretrievably damaged lives lies at the heart of Theodor W. Adorno's critical theory. Emerging from the historical experience of fascism, Auschwitz, and the consolidation of advanced capitalism, Adorno's thought articulates critique from within a damaged reality. Under the coercion of overwhelming social powers, individual character is constituted as a “system of scars”. This notion of “damaged life” stands at the center of this book, which frames critique as emerging from a reality scarred by systemic coercion. It reconstructs Adorno's critical theory as an analysis of the new state of unfreedom linked to total socialization, the anthropological reshaping of subjectivity under advanced capitalism, and the very possibility of critique.

Jordi Maiso's analysis spans key themes: the constellation of fascism and advanced capitalism, the culture industry's role in shaping consciousness, and the persistence of authoritarian potential in everyday life. Revisiting Adorno's conception of critique as a “science of mourning” and his insistence on determinate negation, the book shows how critical thought confronts a historical moment in which emancipatory horizons appear blocked yet remain necessary. Both historical and urgent, From Damaged Life: The Critical Theory of Theodor W. Adorno interrogates the persistence of fear, heteronomy, and avoidable suffering. It asks whether, under conditions marked by authoritarian regression and damaged subjectivity, critical theory can still resist resignation and keep the possibility of transformation alive.

Philip Jenkins - Decade of Nightmares: The End of the Sixties and the Making of Eighties America

Why did the youthful optimism and openness of the sixties give way to Ronald Reagan and the spirit of conservative reaction a spirit that remains ascendant today? Drawing on a wide array of sources including tabloid journalism, popular fiction, movies, and television shows Philip Jenkins argues that a remarkable confluence of panics, scares, and a few genuine threats created a climate of fear that led to the conservative reaction. He identifies 1975 to 1986 as the watershed years. During this time, he says, there was a sharp increase in perceived threats to our security at home and abroad. At home, America seemed to be threatened by monstrous criminals serial killers, child abusers, Satanic cults, and predatory drug dealers, to name just a few. On the international scene, we were confronted by the Soviet Union and its evil empire, by OPEC with its stranglehold on global oil, by the Ayatollahs who made hostages of our diplomats in Iran. Increasingly, these dangers began to be described in terms of moral evil. Rejecting the radicalism of the '60s, which many saw as the source of the crisis, Americans adopted a more pessimistic interpretation of human behavior, which harked back to much older themes in American culture. This simpler but darker vision ultimately brought us Ronald Reagan and the ascendancy of the political Right, which more than two decades later shows no sign of loosening its grip. Writing in his usual crisp and witty prose, Jenkins offers a truly original and persuasive account of a period that continues to fascinate the American public. It is bound to captivate anyone who lived through this period, as well as all those who want to understand the forces that transformed and continue to define the American political landscape.

Mao Jian - Rogue Verbs

China’s dizzying modernization, concurrent with the advent of the online world, has found cultural expression in a starburst of new modes and forms, from avant-garde literature to users’ video posts, role-playing games and made-for-smartphone micro-dramas. Against diagnoses of ‘brain-rot’, Mao Jian detects a new sense of agency in their embrace of ‘going dark’.

https://newleftreview.org/issues/ii160/articles/jian-mao-rogue-verbs

Ursula Huws - Reinventing the Welfare State. Digital Platforms and Public Policies

The Covid-19 pandemic has tragically exposed how today’s welfare state cannot properly protect its citizens. Despite the valiant efforts of public sector workers, from under-resourced hospitals to a shortage of housing and affordable social care, the pandemic has shown how decades of neglect has caused hundreds to die. In this bold new book, leading policy analyst Ursula Huws shows how we can create a welfare state that is fair, affordable, and offers security for all.

Huws focuses on some of the key issues of our time the gig economy, universal, free healthcare, and social care, to criticize the current state of welfare provision. Drawing on a lifetime of research on these topics, she clearly explains why we need to radically rethink how it could change. With positivity and rigor, she proposes new and original policy ideas, including critical discussions of Universal Basic Income and new legislation for universal workers’ rights. She also outlines a ‘digital welfare state’ for the 21st century. This would involve a repurposing of online platform technologies under public control to modernize and expand public services, and improve accessibility.