Critique Of Theory Research Articles

Seven million tweets of violence: gendered analysis of Black women representation on social media platforms

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the gendered linguistic patterns of tweets discussing state-sanctioned and vigilante violence against African American women. The paper considers representations of Black women and Black death as engaged on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. We utilize the theoretical frameworks of Patricia Hill Collins’ (2022. Black Feminist Thought, 30th Anniversary Edition: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. London: Taylor & Francis) conceptualization of Black feminist epistemology and controlling images and Kimberle Crenshaw’s (2018. “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory, and Antiracist Politics [1989].” Feminist Legal Theory 1: 57–80) intersectionality to understand the ways that Black women are discussed, remembered and advocated for on social media platforms in relation to their Black men counterparts. The analysis of over seven million tweets utilizes both qualitative content analysis and computational tools. The paper’s findings concluded that there were differences related to passive and active language based on the gender of the victim of state-sanctioned or vigilante-race-based violence, as well as homophily, specifically name events most frequently used within the context of the state-sanctioned killing of Black women versus Black men.

Becoming Hoa: Indigenous Political Thought and the Question of Settler Aloha 'Āina in Hawai'i

Abstract: How is Indigenous-settler solidarity to protect interconnected social ecologies urgent yet altogether precarious? The essay stews on this question in the context of Hawai'i and, through immanent critique of theories about settler aloha 'āina, demonstrates that becoming hoa provides a necessary alternative practice and dialectic process of binding relations together to aloha 'āina. First, I elaborate on Kanaka Maoli conceptualizations of aloha 'āina to foreground the investigation in Indigenous political thought and therein launch an immanent critique of settler aloha 'āina. Second, I examine the question of settler aloha 'āina to explore what it means, and its political and ethical implications concerning solidarity. I contend that the "settler" of settler aloha 'āina undermines Indigenous political thought by obscuring aloha 'āina. Third, I argue that becoming hoa is an alternative mode of solidarity to being settler aloha 'āina. Beyond contributing to critical interdisciplinary scholarship on Hawai'i, the analysis is useful for researching other contexts wherein non-Indigenous theorists, discourses, and movements deploy "settler" as a qualified additive to Indigenous worldviews and practices toward cultivating solidarity with Indigenous peoples on their territories. Settler liberal humanism's attachment to Indigenous worldviews and practices should be reconsidered even as it clings tightly to the language of solidarity.

Research without researchers: southern theory critique of research practices

Research without researchers: southern theory critique of research practices

Ideological Constitutionalism

A renewed interest in the concept of ideology is evident in recent constitutional theory. Ideology has featured prominently not only in restatements of traditional Marxist positions and attempted retrievals of the material conception of the constitution, but also in democratic critiques of liberal constitutionalism and theories of constitutional identity. The intention of this article is twofold. Firstly, the article defends the explanatory power of a conception of constitutional ideology that is centred on political domination and the ‘universalisation’ of contingent power relations, rather than more diffuse notions like the symbolic construction of reality or worldviews. Secondly, the article considers distinctive ideological dimensions of modern constitutionalism. An analysis of these dimensions, I contend, confirms modern constitutionalism's strong ideological ‘potential’.

A third realm ontology? Naṣīr al-Dīn Ṭūsī and the nafs al-amr

ABSTRACT The standard interpretation of Avicenna's correspondence theory of truth posits that propositions either correspond to what exists extramentally or otherwise their truthmaker is mental existence. An influential post-Avicennian philosopher, Naṣīr al-Dīn Ṭūsī (d. 1274) points to the insufficiency of the above division of propositions and their respective truthmakers. He mentions the possibility of conceiving false propositions, such as ‘One is not half of two’ and postulates the necessity of the existence of another truthmaking domain for their true counterparts which he calls nafs al-amr. It is where objective and timeless entities, such as mathematical propositions, are located. While some claim that Ṭūsī's identification of this domain with the first Separate Intellect is a testimony to his Avicennian convictions, Ṭūsī's solution is a conspicuous departure from Avicenna that not only helps him remedy the insufficiency of Avicenna's theory of truth but is consistent with his critique of Avicenna's theory of God’s knowledge.

The Marxist Method as the Foundation of Social Criticism – Lukács’ Perspective

Abstract The investigation into the foundations of social critique has increasingly gained importance in the tradition known as Critical Theory. In this context, I will analyze Lukács’ work, particularly History and Class Consciousness, to comprehend the foundation he provides for social critique, rooted in the adoption of Marxism as a method. I posit that the escalating disjunction between the critique of the object and the critique of theory is attributable to the deepening social fragmentation engendered by capitalist structures. This inherent characteristic underscores the imperative for a cohesive amalgamation of epistemic and socio-ontological critique. To elucidate Lukács’ model of critique, I will give particular attention to the chapter “What Is Orthodox Marxism?”. By doing this, I aim to elucidate Lukács’ assertion that the Marxist method facilitates a harmonious integration between the epistemic and socio-ontological dimensions of life, once it incorporates crucial categories such as historicity, totality, reciprocal action, and mediation. Furthermore, his method underscores the symbiotic relationship between some elements of the political economy and the German philosophical tradition, which shapes Lukács’ conceptualization of critique.

ОСНОВИ НА СЪВРЕМЕННАТА ИКОНОМИКА: НОВАТА ИНСТИТУЦИОНАЛНА ИКОНОМИКА СРЕЩУ НОВАТА ИКОНОМИЧЕСКА СОЦИОЛОГИЯ – ТЕОРЕТИЧНИЯТ СБЛЪСЪК МЕЖДУ МАРК ГРАНОВЕТЪР И ОЛИВЪР УИЛЯМСЪН

Nearly 50 years ago, Mark Granovetter initiated a fundamental critique of economic theory. His critique was the starting point for the New Economic Sociology (NES). Particularly, he criticized the emerging theories of New Institutional Economics (NIE), focusing on the ideas of Oliver Williamson (1932–2020) who was one of the most prominent representatives of this school. In this paper we address this critique and Williamson’s response to it. Williamson argued from the perspective of transaction cost economics, while Granovetter focused on the social embeddedness of individuals. The impact of this debate on economics has resulted in an increased research interest in the role of institutions and social networks. However, both lines of thought did not bring economic and sociological theories together. NES established as a subdiscipline in Sociology. Its central concept of embeddedness continued to attract interest but proved to be of little empirical applicability. NIE, on the other hand, has become part of mainstream economics.

Democracy Between Form and Content

ABSTRACT In this essay I evaluate Larry Alan Busk’s critique of contemporary democratic theorists and contemporary “democratic” politics in Democracy in Spite of the Demos in the context of Carl Schmitt’s critique of modern democracy. I argue that Busk shares Schmitt’s general conception of democracy and of the dangers attending any appeal to it. Though Busk presents Herbert Marcuse and Theodor Adorno as alternatives to the current crop of democratic theorists, I demonstrate that Marcuse fell prey to the most significant of the paradoxes and ambivalences that Schmitt prognosticated. Adorno, I argue, is less unsteady an ally, but one that stays further back from politics than Busk evidently wishes. In the end, Busk’s Schmittian critique of democracy and democratic theory extends further than he himself suggests and reveals, not to a solution to our problems, but a new way of understanding them and their severity.

Radical Democracy, Critical Theory, and the Conditions of Popular Self-expression

ABSTRACT In the paper I attempt to close the gap between the tradition of contemporary radical democracy and that of the ideology critique of Critical Theory which is opened by Larry Alan Busk in his Democracy in Spite of the Demos. I argue that, on the one hand, it is not necessarily the case that the affirmation of the two ontological hypotheses Busk identifies as essential to radical democracy – that of the autonomy of the political and that of the universality of doxa – need generate the ambiguities that his text critiques. On the other hand, I show how Adorno and Marcuse themselves remain committed to democracy, seeing socialization in the practice of the latter as fundamental to the development of critical-reflective consciousness. In the final instance, both radical democracy and Critical Theory can be seen to as committed to the same ideal of human autonomy, and equally useful resources for emancipatory thinking.

Disciplining the disobedient Black maternal subject: the assimilatory pedagogies of public suffering and punishment

Drawing feminist analyses of the affective work of shame, compassion and pain into dialogue with Black political theory's critique of the ‘ordinary’ spectacle of Black suffering and death, this article theoretically examines the disciplining of Black maternal subjects who behave badly in Nordic public space. Considering media coverage of two separate instances from 2019 where Black mothers are either threatened by the risk of death or succumb to death, this article analyses how the racial logics of national assimilation locate these women as deviantly unassimilable subjects who are swiftly made culpable for the conditions of their own suffering.

Imagined communities, social stratifications, and educational responses. Conditions of the possibility to talk about differentiation

ABSTRACT Our guiding thesis in this article is that the recent burgeoning discussion of differentiation in the context of education has to do with critiques of the globalization theories that have been popular since 1990. In doing so, however, these critically motivated discussions run the risk of overlooking the historical roots of differentiation, which are closely related to the establishment of nation-states in the long 19th century and which themselves have much to do with educational systems and the fabrication of loyal citizens. By reconstructing the genesis of the conditions of differentiation in the context of the emerging nation-states, the article provides a historically informed basis for starting the new discussion on differentiation from an overly simplistic critique of globalization theories.

Justifying the Epistemological Theory of Argumentation

This article discusses Harvey Siegel’s general justification of the epistemological theory of argumentation in his seminal essay “Arguing with Arguments." On the one hand, the achievements of this essay are honoured—in particular, a thorough differentiation of the different meanings of ‘argument’ and ‘argumentation,’ the semantic justification of the fundamentality of arguments as sequences of propositions, and the detailed critiques of alternative theories of argumentation. On the other hand, suggestions for strengthening the theory are added to Siegel's expositions, which make different perspectives within the epistemological theory of argumentation recognisable.

On Growth and Democracy

This paper examines the impact of economic growth on democracy. It argues that modern democracies and the capitalist economy are not compatible and that this is due to their dependence on growth. Following degrowth theory, it focuses on three dimensions of growth: First, the relationship between ecological damage and democracy is addressed. Second, it examines growth-related inequalities and their impact on democracy. Thirdly, the weakening of the social ties necessary for democratic deliberation due to growth. This will be followed by a fourth title on the critique of degrowth theory. In short, it will be argued that growth causes and/or exacerbates ecological damage and inequalities and weakens social ties. All these three factors have an impact on the deterioration of modern democracy. Keywords: growth, degrowth, democracy

Mills, The racial contract and ideal theory

ABSTRACT Among mainstream political philosophers, Charles Mills is probably best known, not as the author of The Racial Contract, but for his long-running critique of ideal theory and Rawls for his association with it. Yet the critique of ideal theory that followed the publication of The Racial Contract is prefigured in that very work, where we find in inchoate form what would be further developed later on. In the book, this early formulation of the critique occupies a small part of a larger, more general argument condemning mainstream political philosophy for the way that it has ignored race. In this paper, I explore the relation of the critique to this more general argument. It might be thought that the general argument leads inevitably to the critique of ideal theory. I will argue that this is not so. I will show how Mills’ more general argument can be made without taking the further step of critiquing ideal theorizing. The blame for why mainstream political philosophy has ignored race, and continues to ignore race, I will argue, should be placed elsewhere.

Thinking Medium: A Design-based Critique of Nudge Theory

Mainstream economic thought rests on a picture of human actors as rational, calculating, and selfish. Since the 1980’s, the sub-discipline of behavioral economics has challenged mainstream economic thought by revealing limitations in the ordinary person’s ability to reason as orthodox theory predicts. People’s choices are influenced by the manner in which options are presented. And since many of the choices people make involve basic dimensions of moral life, including the chooser’s autonomy and general welfare, the structuring of choice situations is an irreducibly ethical enterprise. These topics are explored in “nudge theory,” which represents an attempt to understand the implications of behavioral economics for people involved in the shaping of others’ decisions. Nudge theory proposes that professional designers should structure choice situations on behalf of others in a paternalistic way: leveraging the designers’ expertise and superior knowledge to promote outcomes that serve choosers’ long-term interests. In this paper, the co-authors agree that paternalism can be a valid approach to ethical design practice in a limited range of cases. But in general, the program of “libertarian paternalism” advocated by nudge theorists represents a failure of imagination that arbitrarily forecloses opportunities for collective decision-making and reinforces unhealthy social divisions. Instead, a greater sensitivity to the potential of design thinking, specifically its capacity to incorporate a wide range of heterogeneous factors and perspectives, is a key to the ethical deployment of nudges. Design itself is the best answer to the question: how can economic thought register the results of the behavioral sciences in a thoughtful, creative, and defensible way? Through a series of examples drawn from the literature, the co-authors present a design-based critique of nudge theory, illustrating the interdisciplinary potential of design and aspects of the role design thinking may play in creating more harmonious and unified societies.

Global historical materialism and decoloniality

This debate piece offers a global historical materialist critique of decolonial theory, engaging Walter Mignolo’s work. It argues that decolonial literature, by creating abstract universals like modernity/coloniality, disarticulates theory from specific social formations and historical contexts. The author proposes eight methodological questions to demystify decolonial literature and reintegrate theory into history. Using Mignolo’s writings, the paper demonstrates how decolonial thinking can lead to political detachment and ineffective transformative strategies. The critique emphasises grounding theory in concrete social formations to render history legible and serve national liberation movements. By contrasting decolonial abstractions with historical examples from anti-colonial struggles on and beyond the African continent, it highlights decolonial thought’s limitations in addressing capitalism as a world system. It advocates for a global historical materialist analysis that integrates capitalism’s interconnected nature and reintroduces the social formation as a unit of analysis for understanding social relations.

Feser, Edward. All One in Christ: A Catholic Critique of Racism and Critical Race Theory

Feser, Edward. All One in Christ: A Catholic Critique of Racism and Critical Race Theory

Guest Editors' Introduction: What is Psychoanalysis Today? A Critique of Psychoanalytic Theory and Clinic from the Philosophical Point of View

In this paper, we seek to draw new lines of demarcation in relation to the debates concerning both Philosophy and Psychoanalysis. Through the historical trajectory of the psychoanalytic movement, the reader is shown the importance of disciplinary mixtures. Namely, interdisciplinary dialogues that psychoanalysis in its theory and practice maintained since early times. It is proposed to think Psychoanalysis and Philosophy as a knot that finds its usefulness and responsibility in the social and political field. That is to say, the mixture and the collision between the conceptual machineries of both fields of knowledge contribute to think and analyze the situation of our century.

Unveiling the Issues: Feminist Legal Theory's Critique on Rape Formulation in Indonesia

The crime of rape remains a crucial issue in Indonesia. The formulation of the rape offence regulated in Article 285 of the Criminal Code has several weaknesses. It is considered no longer in line with current legal developments, leading to suboptimal handling of rape cases. This research further analyzes the problematic formulation of the crime of rape in various laws and regulations, especially in the Criminal Code, and the reformulation and redefinition of rape in the new Criminal Code using the Feminist Legal Theory approach. This is a doctrinal study utilizing a literature review. The results indicate that the formulation in Article 285 of the Criminal Code has weaknesses, including issues related to the scope of rape, the conventional interpretation of intercourse, and limitation to a specific gender. Rape is closely linked to gender relations' inequality, placing female rape victims at risk of victimization from various parties. Therefore, it is essential to shape laws with a gender perspective.Tindak pidana perkosaan masih menjadi permasalahan krusial di Indonesia. Formulasi delik perkosaan yang diatur dalam Pasal 285 KUHP memiliki sejumlah kelemahan dan dianggap tidak lagi sesuai dengan perkembangan hukum, sehingga penanganan kasus perkosaan tidak optimal. Penelitian ini mengkaji lebih lanjut mengenai problematika formulasi tindak pidana perkosaan dalam berbagai peraturan perundang-undangan, khususnya dalam KUHP, serta reformulasi dan redefinisi perkosaan dalam pembahasan KUHP baru dengan menggunakan pendekatan Feminist Legal Theory. Penelitian ini bersifat doktrinal dan menggunakan studi pustaka. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa formulasi dalam Pasal 285 KUHP memiliki kelemahan, seperti ruang lingkup perkosaan, pemaknaan konvensional tentang persetubuhan, dan keterbatasan pada satu gender tertentu. Perkosaan terkait erat dengan ketidaksetaraan dalam relasi gender, yang membuat perempuan korban perkosaan rentan terhadap viktimisasi dari berbagai pihak. Oleh karena itu, penting untuk membentuk hukum yang berperspektif gender.

Resonance as a medio-passive, emancipatory and transformative power: a reply to my critics

This is a response to a critique of my theory in the Journal of Chinese Sociology. In this response, I take the relationship between resonance theory and the tradition of critical theory as the starting point, and discuss the contributions of the five commentators in terms of the focus of resonance theory and its extension to critical theory, the questions and concerns that such an extension may raise, and the overcoming and reflecting on Eurocentrism in resonance theory. Finally, I will conclude with some reflections on their approach.