Theory on Theory

Concentrating on books published in 2012 and 2011 (with one earlier exception, as explained below) this chapter attempts to map an emerging trend in the academic discourse on ‘theory’ as such. For this reason, the range of books under review is necessarily interdisciplinary. The kinds of publications that contribute to the field of ‘theory on theory’ belong not only to literary and cultural studies, but also to intellectual history, sociology (especially the sociology of ideas and intellectuals) and philosophy (principally the history of philosophy, as well as certain strains of metaphilosophy) among other overlapping areas. Some of these books study theory per se as a synoptic phenomenon; others focus closely on specific theorists or schools of thought. Some reconstruct the contexts of theory’s production, while others trace its diffusion across diverse cultural forms—including literature. What all of this work has in common, however, is a commitment to a critical, contextual,...

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