The Theory Toolbox: Critical Concepts for the Humanities, by Jeffrey Nealon, Susan Searls Giroux

By Jeffrey Nealon, Susan Searls Giroux

This article consists of scholars in realizing and utilizing the “tools” of serious social and literary idea from the 1st day of sophistication. it really is a fantastic first advent ahead of scholars come across more challenging readings from serious and postmodern perspectives.

Nealon and Searls Giroux describe key innovations and light up every one with an enticing inquiry that asks scholars to contemplate deeper and deeper questions. Written in students’ personal idiom, and drawing its examples from the social global, literature, pop culture, and ads, The concept Toolbox deals scholars the language and chance to theorize instead of positioning them to reply to thought as a reified historical past of assorted colleges of concept. transparent and fascinating, it avoids facile description, inviting scholars to fight with principles and the realm by means of advantage of the book’s relentless problem to universal assumptions and its attract universal sense.

Updated all through, the second one variation of The concept Toolbox features a dialogue of recent media, in addition to new chapters on existence and nature.

“They’re again! Nealon and Sarls Giroux nonetheless pack extra considerate questions and extra beneficial info into the second one variation in their ‘toolbox’ than multi-volume encyclopedias. should you can discover a greater consultant for either novices and extra complex scholars to the main highbrow demanding situations of our time, pass forward and purchase it. in the meantime, the readers of this convenient (and witty) little textual content will already be writing the works that might be mentioned within the 3rd edition.” —John McGowan, The Ruel W. Tyson Jr. exceptional Professor of Humanities, college of North Carolina; coeditor of The Norton Anthology

The concept Toolbox is vital and required analyzing in my undergraduate and graduate architectural heritage and idea classes. The e-book is especially precious as a great advent to easy strategies that scholars in humanities, technology, and layout have to have interaction in significant dialogue of tradition and society. via well timed examples from pop culture and dealing questions that stimulate energetic dialogue either within the school room and within the on-line setting, The conception Toolbox is my go-to advisor for severe strategies because it conjures up and engenders serious pondering and reasoned discussion for the start thought student.” —Renata Hejduk, Arizona kingdom University

“Students locate The concept Toolbox isn’t approximately studying conception via slender interpretive lenses yet pondering seriously via theorizing and wondering perspectives.” —Richard Bower, Cayuga group College

“As a primary creation for the confused and careworn to severe and cultural thought, there’s no greater position to begin than The thought Toolbox. The addition of chapters on lifestyles and Nature during this moment version are welcome. they're written as engagingly and insightfully because the remainder of the e-book, and as with the remaining, those chapters tease out the ways that the normal order is made to appear traditional via biopower and the safety of an uncritical line among humanity and animality. With its transparent, concise, and actual bills of usually complicated theories, teachers will locate this a very good addition to any idea path; with its provocative operating questions and up to date, humorous examples, scholars will locate this booklet to be illuminating and exhilarating.” —Bruce B. Janz, college of primary Florida

“Students fast learn how to hire theoretical options of their personal paintings. The authors help this improvement through studying thought in terms of fabric that can at the beginning appear favourite yet that the authors then inspire the scholars to question in complicated methods. the hot chapters introduce vital rising parts of scholarship that scholars and teachers may still locate appealing.” —Tracy Neal Leavelle, Creighton University

“I have used The concept Toolbox numerous instances in my conversation thought periods, and the reaction from my scholars used to be tremendous confident. The theories and ideas within the Toolbox are in actual fact offered and approachable although those rules are usually tricky to hide on the undergraduate point. Nealon and Searls Giroux clarify advanced rules utilizing daily poetry, song and pa tradition artifacts which are with no trouble available to every person. they truly get my scholars considering and engaged. the hot chapters on existence and Nature promise comparable thought-provoking and full of life discussions.” —Katy Wiss, Western Connecticut kingdom University

The concept Toolbox is unique and weird, breaking the normal mildew of social thought textbooks. It places itself within the younger concept student’s sneakers and imagines what s/he must recognize, and the way top to show tricky fabric. a particular characteristic of this publication is its interdisciplinarity, borrowing options from humanities disciplines for you to enhance social and sociological thought. My concept scholars will certainly want this path-breaking booklet of their toolboxes.” —Ben Agger

“In our deeply anti-intellectual weather, in which religion trumps cause and twittering has displaced pondering, Nealon and Searls Giroux practice the good act of unveiling how and why pondering nonetheless issues. From their beginning engagement with the punk track ‘Why Theory?’ they offer us an impassioned argument for the real makes use of of conception. because the name indicates, The idea Toolbox, rather than easily reviewing faculties of idea and feedback, goals to assist scholars work out what they could do with theoretical strategies as instruments for dwelling. The concept Toolbox engenders pragmatic encounters with theorists from Nietzsche to Deleuze to Agamben and gives effective engagements with key techniques reminiscent of supplier and beliefs. Darwin, Black Sabbath, and fb are between a wide selection of examples that Nealon and Searls Giroux installation to illustrate why and the way concept issues in way of life. This variation provides compelling new chapters on existence and Nature lively through Foucault and the animal rights circulation. For a new release transforming into up amidst the ruins of capitalism and the unending distractions of social media, this publication deals a direction for all scholars aspiring to develop into considering citizens.” —Kevin DeLuca, college of Georgia

“As the name indicates, this paintings by means of Nealon and Giroux should be thought of an assemblage of instruments (or ways) that scholars may possibly use to ascertain modern tradition. in contrast to different introductions to concept, comparable to Terry Eagleton’s Literary Theory (2nd ed., 1996), The idea Toolbox isn't equipped through theoretical faculties or activities yet through options equivalent to ‘Reading,’ ‘History,’ and ‘Authority.’ each one bankruptcy introduces an idea, demonstrates how that idea can be utilized to investigate an example of latest tradition, after which ends with questions for readers to think about. A bibliography with feedback for additional studying follows. The idea Toolbox used to be first released in 2003, and plenty of of the chapters within the moment variation look verbatim. New to this variation are sections corresponding to ‘Media tradition 2.0’ and full chapters titled ‘Life’ and ‘Nature.’ The extra sections quantity to twenty-five percentage new fabric and benefit a brand new version. This e-book is aimed toward lower-division undergraduates, and the tone, language, and examples mirror this concentration. for instance, YouTube, fb, and Black Sabbath are analyzed or wondered. teachers utilizing concept of their school room instructing may well locate this e-book an invaluable technique of introducing tricky suggestions to first-year scholars in a fashion they could comprehend. All undergraduates will locate this a beneficial spouse for interpreting modern culture.” —CHOICE

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Extra resources for The Theory Toolbox: Critical Concepts for the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (2nd Edition)

Example text

Written around the same time as Horkheimer’s 1930s mission statement of the Frankfurt School, “Traditional and Critical Theory,” Marcuse took aim at the manner in which non-dialectical and empirical theories of society failed to take into account the root values of a commodity-based society, the dehumanizing modes of life in such a society, and how consciousness and instinctual drives of individuals were being molded by new forms of social control and administration. Similar to the way Marcuse’s materialist rethinking of phenomenology shaped his philosophical approach early in his career, so too did his critique and assessment of idealism and positivism—projects he would continue his entire life.

134. This essay was originally published in German in Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung, Vol. VI, 1937. 84 Marcuse, “Idealism and Positivism,” op. cit. p. 44. 85 Ibid. Also see Marcuse’s essay “The Struggle against Liberalism in the Totalitarian View of the State” in Negations where he charts the development of liberalism as a movement that ultimately finds its end in the legitimation of totalitarian states. 86 Marcuse’s interpretation of Hegel in Reason and Revolution focuses heavily on this 34 Introduction feature of his own assessment of philosophy’s historical role in society: the critical and negative moment within the dialectical structure of idealism continues to be a developmental force in the experience of the living subject so long as reason and reality fail to correspond to each other.

Other contributors included noted positivists of the pre-World War II period such as Rudolph Carnap, Bertrand Russell, Niels Bohr, and Carl Gustav Hempel. The names alone that comprise this group suggest that Dewey was active in contributing to positivist projects within the philosophy of science and thus set him up as a target for the Frankfurt School. , p. 66. 104 Marcuse, “Idealism and Positivism,” op. , p. 92. We should bear in mind that Marcuse’s critique of Dewey in the late 1930s and early 1940s was during the fascist era.

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The Theory Toolbox: Critical Concepts for the Humanities, by Jeffrey Nealon, Susan Searls Giroux
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