Adorno's Critical Theory: 50 years later

Adorno's Critical Theory: 50 years later

On the 6th of August 1969, Theodor W. Adorno died. Over the 50 years since his death, the importance of his work and the coverage of his interpretations have been the subject of debate in areas of knowledge as different as sociology, literary criticism, philosophy or aesthetics. The plurality of themes to which Adorno devoted himself, however, presents a common ground: his unquestioning commitment to the Critical Theory of society. Signs of this commitment can be seen not only in his published works, but also and above all in his frequent interventions in the German public sphere. A few months before his death, for example, Adorno would have reaffirmed such commitment in the text "For the specification of critical theory" (1969) – sketched in the form of theses –, in which he seeks to determine the requirement for a transforming critique of the present – a task open to continuous updating.

In order to contribute to this long discussion, the present thematic issue of Dissonância aims at reflecting on the implications of Adorno's work and thinking its importance for the challenges of Critical Theory today.

Such a reflection, in turn, develops itself into some research perspectives. On the one hand, one can explore the specificity of the themes treated by Adorno in their relation to present-day diagnoses, as well as their limitations. What is the link between theory and praxis in the context of late industrial capitalism? If art remains at the same time an autonomous and a social fact, how to assess aspects of social domination through the critique of works of art? Has Adorno's diagnosis of late capitalism neglected other material and symbolic aspects of society? What are the possible differences between the critical models of Adorno and those of other contemporary authors of the critical tradition – such as Max Horkheimer, Herbert Marcuse, Walter Benjamin and Jürgen Habermas –, considering their limitations and gains?

On the other hand, one can investigate the contributions of Adorno's work to more recent debates, including the difficulties for such an update. What contributions can Adorno’s criticism of the philosophy of history bring to the discussions on decolonization in Critical Theory? To what extent his works on fascism and authoritarianism allow a better understanding of the recent rise of authoritarian regimes and the new movements that demand a deepening of democracy?

Submissions (articles, translations and reviews) that reflect upon these and other aspects of Adorno's critical theory will be accepted until June 30th, 2019.

Dossier Editors: Raquel Patriota (Unicamp); Ricardo Lira (Unicamp); Adriano Januário (CEBRAP)