Kritische Theorie

Although Critical Theory occupied a dominant position in the sociology of the German Federal Republic's early years, it is nowadays hardly to be found in the discipline. This is partly due to the fact that since the end of the 1930s sociology has become increasingly aligned to a Hegelian interpretation of Marxism while at the same time neglecting its basis - the critique of Political Economy. Stefan Breuer examines this failure in light of systematic considerations and the history of sociological theory. He traces the formation of a core paradigm in Horkheimer's and Adorno's collaboration, investigates its elaboration by means of the three key concepts of »society«, »domination« and »reification«, and evaluates the proximity and distance of Critical Theory's main exponents to this core.