The Politics of Unreason

Although the Frankfurt School—most prominently associated with Theodor W. Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Leo Löwenthal and Herbert Marcuse—represents one of the most influential intellectual traditions of the 20th century, its multi-faceted work on modern antisemitism has so far largely been neglected. The Politics of Unreason fills this gap. The book provides the first systematic study of the Frankfurt School’s social, psychological and political research and theorizing on the problem of antisemitism. Situating Critical Theorists’ work in its rich philosophical and sociological contexts, the book closely examines their various contributions on the subject—from major ground-breaking studies and prominent essays to seemingly marginal pieces and aphorisms. The study thoroughly reconstructs how the Frankfurt School, faced with the catastrophe of the genocide against the European Jews, explains modern forms and causes of antisemitism and the politics of hate. Critical Theory’s analysis, however, is not limited to Nazism’s genocidal judeophobia. Consequently, the book also pays special attention to the Frankfurt School’s research on coded and “secondary” antisemitism after the Holocaust, and how resentments are politically mobilized under conditions of democracy. By revisiting and rereading the Frankfurt School’s original work, The Politics of Unreason challenges several common misperceptions about Critical Theory’s philosophy and social research. In so doing, the book changes both our understanding of the Frankfurt School, and it changes our understanding of antisemitism through the Frankfurt School. It is argued that Critical Theory provides an important resource to better understand the origins, scope and politics of modern antisemitism, racism, and hate speech in the modern world—and in our time

Antisemitism · Critical theory · Democracy · Genocide · Jewish question · Judaism · Nazism · Political philosophy · Political science · Politics · Racism · Social science · Sociology · The Holocaust · Theology · Critical Theory and Philosophy · Law · Philosophy · Frankfurt school of sociology · Germany · Historiography · History · Research