PHIL 217: Critical Theory - Eli Lichtenstein, Spring 2025

My scholarship seeks to explain how we can use history to critique present forms of state and social violence. I argue that genealogical research may become an instrument of emancipation when it is guided by the normative commitments that are immanent to social struggles. My broader research interests lie in 19th and 20th century continental philosophy, critical theory, social and political philosophy, and critical philosophy of race.

When not reading or writing philosophy, I like to go to the cinema, cross-country ski, and (try) to learn new languages.

Course Description:

Critical theory is a philosophical tradition that theorizes oppression and domination in order to contribute to efforts to transform the world. Philosophers in this tradition thus seek to reveal the nature of unequal power relations and to ultimately challenge the structures on which they rest. This class provides an introduction to key methods and themes in critical theory. We’ll consider methodological questions such as the nature of critique and the relationship between theory and practice. We’ll consider thematic questions such as: the epoch-defining effects of modern penal systems; the ways that colonialism causes lasting material and psychological harm; and the relationships between capitalism, ecological destruction, and racial and gender oppression. Finally, we’ll examine attendant political questions such as the possibility of resistance and the meaning of emancipation. Throughout the semester we’ll read important texts in twentieth and twenty-first century critical theory, with particular focus on major works by Michel Foucault, Frantz Fanon, and Nancy Fraser.