Book 38

The work of the Frankfurt School has returned to centre-stage in debates in cultural studies. This text reflects the arguments and discussions that currently surround the influence of the School in postcolonial theory, the study of music, urban culture and consumerism, psychoanalysis, and gender studies. The moment of critical theory is assessed in relation to the different political conditions of Germany, Britain and South Africa. The essays show the legacy of Adorno, Horkheimer, Benjamin and their associates to be a controversial one; but the issues raised by their work go to the heart of contemporary debates in cultural studies. Tackling some of the newest and most dynamic developments in the field, this edition of New Formations argues for an engaged criticism that is against entrenched orthodoxies: for hating traditions, old and new, properly. Contributors include: Eammon Carrabine; Andrew Edgar; Barbara Engh; Graeme Gilloch; Sean Homer; Neil Lazarus; Esther Leslie; Brian Longhurst; Deborach Parsons; Graham Pechey; and Herbert Schdelech.