The Actuality of Adorno

The Actuality of Adorno Synopsis

Brings together some of the most prominent and influential contemporary interpreters of Adorno's work in a wide-ranging collection of essays that explores Adorno's relation to themes and problems in postmodern thought.

Always resistant to classification, the work of Theodor Adorno ranged from biting criticism of the emergent popular culture in the United States and Europe, through theories of contemporary music and literature, and sociological analyses of the rise of fascism and antisemitism in Germany and elsewhere, to careful readings of modern Continental philosophers. As a leading member of the famous Frankfurt School of critical social theory, Adorno influenced current discussions in cultural studies and Continental philosophy. However, the various dimensions of Adorno's significance for the range of contemporary postmodern theory remained unclear. This book demonstrates the relevance and power of Adorno's work for the state of critical social theory today.