In Practice: Adorno, Critical Theory and Cultural Studies

This collection of papers is about the ways in which Adorno’s work is stimulating new practices in critical theory and cultural studies. The twelve contributors, who are based in Europe, the United States and Asia, approach Adorno from a number of different angles, positions and disciplines, covering literary and film studies, social and political thought, psychology and sociology. The topics chosen by the contributors range from the contradictions of representation to intersubjectivity, from poetry to consumer culture, from aesthetic theory to avant-garde film, from views of Adorno in modern Spain to the impact his work is having on postcolonial thinking in Asia. Each essay is engaged in a re-reading of Adorno, detailing his critical position and exploring his intellectual and historical contexts. Moreover, in tracing the influence of his ideas, the essays explain why Adorno is such an important voice. Taken as a whole, the essays show ways of productively imagining Adorno, and testify to the lasting relevance and usefulness of his work for a whole range of issues and topics in contemporary theory and cultural studies.