Critical Theory in Critical Times

Penelope Deutscher is Joan and Sarepta Harrison Professor of Philosophy at Northwestern University. She is the author or editor of a number of books, including Foucault/Derrida Fifty Years Later (2016) and Foucault's Futures: A Critique of Reproductive Reason (2017), both from Columbia University Press. Cristina Lafont is professor of philosophy at Northwestern University. She is the author of The Linguistic Turn in Hermeneutic Philosophy (1999), Heidegger, Language, and World-Disclosure (2000), and Global Governance and Human Rights (2012), and coeditor of The Habermas Handbook.

• Acknowledgments Introduction: Critical Theory in Critical Times Part I. The Future of Democracy 1. An Exploration of the Meaning of Transnationalization of Democracy, Using the Example of the European Union, by Jurgen Habermas Part II. Human Rights and Sovereignty 2. Democratic Sovereignty and Transnational Law: On Legal Utopianism and Democratic Skepticism, by Seyla Benhabib 3. Human Rights, Sovereignty, and the Responsibility to Protect, by Cristina Lafont 4. A Critical Theory of Human Rights-Some Groundwork, by Rainer Forst Part III. Political Rights in Neoliberal Times 5. Neoliberalism and the Economization of Rights, by Wendy Brown 6. Law and Domination, by Christoph Menke Part IV. Criticizing Capitalism 7. Behind Marx's Hidden Abode: For an Expanded Conception of Capitalism, by Nancy Fraser 8. A Wide Concept of Economy: Economy as a Social Practice and the Critique of Capitalism, by Rahel Jaeggi Part V. The End of Progress in Postcolonial Times 9. Adorno, Foucault, and the End of Progress: Critical Theory in Postcolonial Times, by Amy Allen 10. "Post-Foucault": The Critical Time of the Present, by Penelope Deutscher 11. Criticizing Critical Theory, by Charles W. Mills Bibliography About the Contributors Index

Critical Theory in Critical Times tackles a crucial topic: the relevance of German and French critical theory to 21st-century politics and emancipatory projects. This excellent collection of essays shows that we have to rethink the core concepts and scope of critical theory in light of contemporary challenges to democracy, human rights, and socioeconomic justice posed by neoliberal forms of globalization and by critical theory's own insufficient attention to colonialism and postcolonialism. By reflexively reassessing and revising critical theoretical approaches, this volume demonstrates the continued relevance of critical theory today and is a must-read for anyone interested in progressive social change. -- Jean L. Cohen, Nell and Herbert M. Singer Professor of Political Thought and Contemporary Civilization, Columbia University The collection of essays contained in this volume is impressive and unprecedented in its presentation of the leading figures and themes of contemporary critical theory. It represents the epitome of critical theory as it is currently practiced across different fields of concern. -- David Ingram, Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago This is an extraordinary volume of contributions by outstanding contemporary thinkers, topically focused on urgent issues raised by our critical times. Its individual essays and its overall approach are sure to have a significant and lasting impact on contemporary thought. -- Christopher Zurn, Professor of Social and Political Philosophy at University of Massachusetts, Boston