Critical Theory, Marxism and Modernity - Douglas M. Kellner

The origins of critical theory, he argues, were connected to the transition from classical to state–organized capitalism. While some of the perspectives of critical theory are vital to social analysis today, in other basic respects the approach of critical theory must be updated to be able to confront the changes which have intervened in Western society over the past quarter of a century. The dialectical revision of Marxian theory carried out by the Frankfurt authors must now be applied to their own works to generate a critical interpretation of today's social world.

This, Kellner argues, requires a reassessment of the previous critical theory analysis of contemporary capitalism through new perspectives which take account of developments in consumer, media, technological, cultural and other spheres of what Kellner calls `techno–capitalism'. This revision and updating of critical theory constitutes a positive intervention in the debates over postmodernism.

This book will be of great interest to students and professionals in sociology, politics, cultural studies and philosophy.