Simon Mussell - Critical theory and feeling: The affective politics of the early Frankfurt School

Critical theory and feeling

Critical theory and contemporary society

Series editors:

David M. Berry, Professor of Critical Theory and Modern European History University of Sussex

Darrow Schecter, Reader in Critical Theory, University of Sussex

The Critical Theory and Contemporary Society series aims to demonstrate the ongoing relevance of multi-disciplinary research in explaining the causes of pressing social problems today and in indicating the possible paths towards a libertarian transformation of twenty-first century society. It builds upon some of the main ideas of first generation critical theorists, including Horkheimer, Adorno, Benjamin, Marcuse and Fromm, but it does not aim to provide systematic guides to the work of those thinkers. Rather, each volume focuses on ways of thinking about the political dimensions of a particular topic, which include political economy, law, popular culture, globalization, feminism, theology and terrorism. Authors are encouraged to build on the legacy of first generation Frankfurt School theorists and their influences (Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Marx, Nietzsche, Weber and Freud) in a manner that is distinct from, though not necessarily hostile to, the broad lines of second-generation critical theory. The series sets ambitious theoretical standards, aiming to engage and challenge an interdisciplinary readership of students and scholars across political theory, philosophy, sociology, history, media studies and literary studies.

Previously published by Bloomsbury

Critical theory in the twenty-first century Darrow Schecter

Critical theory and the critique of political economy Werner Bonefeld

Critical theory and contemporary Europe William Outhwaite

Critical theory of legal revolutions Hauke Brunkhorst

Critical theory of libertarian socialism Charles Masquelier

Critical theory and film Fabio Vighi

Critical theory and the digital David Berry

Critical theory and disability Teodor Mladenov

Critical theory and the crisis of contemporary capitalism Heiko Feldner and Fabio Vighi

Previously published by Manchester University Press

Critical theory and epistemology Anastasia Marinopoulou

Forthcoming from Manchester University Press

Critical theory and legal autopoiesis Gunther Teubner

Critical theory and contemporary technology Ben Roberts

Critical theory and sociological theory Darrow Schecter

Critical theory and demagogic populism Paul K. Jones

Critical theory and feeling

The affective politics of the early Frankfurt School

SIMON MUSSELL

Manchester University Press

Contents

The cover of this book is a lie, for no book has a single author. Over the past decade, I have had the good fortune of sharing ideas with many friends and comrades. Their generosity and engagement have made this book possible. Our interactions some fleeting and sporadic, others more sustained have moved me, both affectively and intellectually. In this regard, I am particularly grateful to Darrow Schecter, Doug Haynes, Chris OKane, lise Derroitte, Antonia Hofstaetter, Gordon Finlayson, Federica Gregoratto, Tim Carter, Zoe Sutherland, Christos Hadjioannou, Annabel Haynes, Daniel Steuer, Silvia Panizza, Teodor Mladenov, Arthur Willemse, Danny Hayward, Phil Homburg, Keith Tester, Marc Botha, Jennifer Cooke, Chris Allsobrook, Matthew Feldman, Verena Erlenbusch, and Jana Elsen.

At a time when there is much talk of the intangible and immaterial qualities of the arts and humanities, we must not lose sight of the material conditions that surround and enable any act of writing. For all its abstraction, this book could not have been written without the concrete support of my family and friends. I am forever indebted to them.

Finally, I am especially grateful to Julie Taylor for her love, encouragement, and intellectual stimulation over the years. The book is dedicated to her.

Whatever material has made it into the following pages bears traces of this collective experience. Needless to say, responsibility for the texts inevitable shortcomings lies solely with me.