Christian Thein: „Kritische Theorie oder Critical Theory?“

The critical theory is currently presenting itself in very different types of varieties, through which the classic generation narrative should appear in the new light - and appear. The media -strategically established use of traditional labeling, whether transformed with a small 'k' or in the anglist translation, is accompanied by strong distinction needs against this tradition in a paradoxical way. In the lecture, from the perspective of the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, which is various marked as a 'old', is to be undertaken by a philosophical problematization of publicity-effective dogmatization of changes in paradigms in the post-adorno generations. On the other hand, it is important to subject current developments under the "Critical Theory" label of a critical analysis with regard to their ways of topic of socially relevant questions such as criticism of capitalism, anti-Semitism and racism, academization and politicization of theory as well as the affirmative reference to social movements. The lecture ties in with the book "Constellations and Transformations: Between Age and New Critical Theory" (Beltz-Juventa, Open-Access) published in March 2025. It tries to work out the relevance of insights of the 'old' critical theory for current problems of a profound social and cultural criticism, without falling back into anachronistic thinking patterns and habitualizations.