:) reminds me of when i first encountered critical theory in the lit theory
sense. i'd been trained in marxist critical theory as an undergrad --
especially habermas, horkheimer, adorno, and marcuse.
in grad school, i scan the offerings and spy a course on feminist critical theory offered through the english err I mean textual studies department. i was on it!
boy! was i surprised to find myself reading patricia williams (legal theory?!) diana fuss (what kind of theory is this?) and judith butler (woah!)
I mean, sure, theory. i'd already taken course in postmodernist thought and incorporated some of it in my thesis. but calling it critical theory had me stumped. moreover, coming from a science background, it had me even more stumped! sure, iwas a philosophy minor, but then it was called epistemology, ontology, and metaphysics -- where critical theory was a particular variant.
for the life of me i couldn't figure out how you could use literature to develop a social theory of how, say, social change happened -- which was what i was studying as social theory in the social sciences.
ha. i even remember asking you once to please please please explain the way theory was used in literary theory.
funny enough, doing seminars at the old blog, i figured it out on my own.
thank you, though (something i forgot to say earlier) for the informative posts, especially referencing that article -- which you've mentioned before. i finally decided to order it via interlibrary loan.
oh, speaking of, not that i will have time, but i ordered the book on french theory, along with Wendy Brown's book on the problems with the liberal enlightenment embrace of "tolerance."
i plan on reading it when taking breaks from house painting and finally, finally, finally! having a chance to refinish furniture again! wheee.
http://cleandraws.com Wear Clean Draws ('coz there's 5 million ways to kill a CEO)