Introduction Taking the One-Dimensional Man as a starting point, I would like to show in the following what an important contribution the work of Herbert Marcuse can make to a critical theory of the present. More tha...Introduction Taking the One-Dimensional Man as a starting point, I would like to show in the following what an important contribution the work of Herbert Marcuse can make to a critical theory of the present. More than 50 years after its first publication, this book seems more relevant than ever. It allows us to understand how domination is exerted and maintained in late capitalism that is today organized according to neoliberal principals. It also allows us to ask if there can be alternatives to this society. To date, one-dimensionality has proven itself to be a relevant basic concept of critical theory that first of all analyses society critically as it is by revealing the forces that sustain, legitimize and stabilize the existing structures.展开更多
Since the 1980s, Cultural Studies have analyzed television in the context of the present. They have asked how soap operas and TV series contribute to the circulation of meanings and pleasures in everyday contexts. Joh...Since the 1980s, Cultural Studies have analyzed television in the context of the present. They have asked how soap operas and TV series contribute to the circulation of meanings and pleasures in everyday contexts. John Fiskes coined the concept television culturein his very successful book with the same title Taking The Sopranos as an example, this article shows that quality TV is an outstanding contribution to television culture. The show is more complex, more layered and more intertextual than the shows of the 1980s that Fiske interpreted. The Sopranos is a postmodern cultural phenomenon that appeals to different groups of viewers. It is no longer only about the addicted fans, but also about critical viewers who want to better understand themselves and their lives, and also about connoisseurs and art enthusiasts to whom serial reception becomes a distinctive feature. This article comes to the conclusion that popular culture in the sense of Cultural Studies is still of important political significance in the twenty-first century.展开更多
In his contribution,Rainer Winter shows how Critical Hermeneutics,as developed by Hans-Herbert Kogler,has deepened our understanding of how agents are anchored in social processes and of their capacity to critically r...In his contribution,Rainer Winter shows how Critical Hermeneutics,as developed by Hans-Herbert Kogler,has deepened our understanding of how agents are anchored in social processes and of their capacity to critically reflect upon these processes.Additionally,he succeeded in broadening the field of critical theory by combining the anti-positivistic procedure that is hermeneutics with a critical examination of the relations of power and dominance.In doing so,he also refined our understanding of agency and posited "self-empowerment" as an important aspiration.展开更多
文摘Introduction Taking the One-Dimensional Man as a starting point, I would like to show in the following what an important contribution the work of Herbert Marcuse can make to a critical theory of the present. More than 50 years after its first publication, this book seems more relevant than ever. It allows us to understand how domination is exerted and maintained in late capitalism that is today organized according to neoliberal principals. It also allows us to ask if there can be alternatives to this society. To date, one-dimensionality has proven itself to be a relevant basic concept of critical theory that first of all analyses society critically as it is by revealing the forces that sustain, legitimize and stabilize the existing structures.
文摘Since the 1980s, Cultural Studies have analyzed television in the context of the present. They have asked how soap operas and TV series contribute to the circulation of meanings and pleasures in everyday contexts. John Fiskes coined the concept television culturein his very successful book with the same title Taking The Sopranos as an example, this article shows that quality TV is an outstanding contribution to television culture. The show is more complex, more layered and more intertextual than the shows of the 1980s that Fiske interpreted. The Sopranos is a postmodern cultural phenomenon that appeals to different groups of viewers. It is no longer only about the addicted fans, but also about critical viewers who want to better understand themselves and their lives, and also about connoisseurs and art enthusiasts to whom serial reception becomes a distinctive feature. This article comes to the conclusion that popular culture in the sense of Cultural Studies is still of important political significance in the twenty-first century.
文摘In his contribution,Rainer Winter shows how Critical Hermeneutics,as developed by Hans-Herbert Kogler,has deepened our understanding of how agents are anchored in social processes and of their capacity to critically reflect upon these processes.Additionally,he succeeded in broadening the field of critical theory by combining the anti-positivistic procedure that is hermeneutics with a critical examination of the relations of power and dominance.In doing so,he also refined our understanding of agency and posited "self-empowerment" as an important aspiration.
