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Critical Theory at Berkeley
Critical Theory has often been associated with the Frankfurt School intellectuals who developed a critique of German fascism in the 1940s and ‘50s. Their work was situated within a broader set of cultural and historical trends, and what they established was a form of social theory that was philosophically informed and also critically engaged with its own historical time. The Frankfurt School intellectuals recognized that philosophy had still gone missing its social component and that social theory remained insufficiently philosophical. Their project was a successor to the philosophical “critique” that had defined the European Enlightenment. “Critique” thus became an operation of a highly reflective consideration of society, offering ways to configure social life along alternative trajectories. Critical Theory sought to understand the social organization of politics, the arts, and ordinary ways of life, in order to imagine alternative social formations and to establish the grounds on which to dispute the value of some existing social forms, especially totalitarian and fascist socio-political regimes.
The practice of “critique” and the standpoint of “critical theory” are central to the operations we find in democratic processes when we ask whether or not a given political formation is legitimate and just, and to what ideals of justice we appeal in our political judgments. Critique is also at work in contemporary notions of dissent, of freedom of expression, and democratic political participation in which various values and norms are disputed, called into question, and justified publicly through reflective analysis and open debate. It also helps us to consider the ways in which cultural and artistic formations relate to the sphere of politics, and to analyze these trends within a global framework.
Critique is once again a timely matter, and the Berkeley approach to critical theory has a history and a normative salience that makes an important contribution to thinking about contemporary values, including conflicts among schemes of values, and modes of justification and legitimation for cultural inquiry and political analysis. The notion of critique forms a central component of any conception of the humanities and the social sciences committed, regardless of the pressure of the times, to safeguarding thoughtful, open and grounded inquiry and debate on prevailing norms and values.
The Mellon Strategic Group on Critical Theory, organized by Judith Butler (Rhetoric/Comparative Literature) and Martin Jay (History), was convened in 2005. The group brought together a range of faculty from English, Ethnic Studies, German, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Rhetoric, and Sociology. One of the goals that emerged from the early meetings was the creation of a Designated Emphasis in Critical Theory that would allow graduate students from a wide range of departments to specialize in Critical Theory.
In February 2007 the Graduate Division approved the new graduate Designated Emphasis in Critical Theory. Although Critical Theory has had a programmatic presence at UC Irvine, UCLA, and UC Davis, the Berkeley Designated Emphasis will be distinct not only for its interdisciplinary faculty, but also for its concern with both the historical formation of practices of critique as well as the contemporary salience of critical theory in a global context.
In addition to co-directors Judith Butler and Martin Jay, Berkeley faculty who will teach in the new Designated Emphasis in Critical Theory include Wendy Brown, T.J. Clark, and Nelson Maldonado-Torres. Other core faculty will include Anthony J. Cascardi, Pheng Cheah, Donna Jones, Niklaus Largier, John Lie, Saba Mahmood, José Davíd Saldívar, and Hans Sluga.
Details about the Critical Theory Designated Emphasis program, requirements, and application procedures may be found at criticaltheory.berkeley.edu.