Feminist Interpretations of Theodor Adorno (Re-Reading the Canon)

Adorno is often left out of the canon of influences on contemporary feminist theory, but these essays show that his work can provide valuable material for feminist thinking about a wide range of issues. Theodor Adorno was a leading scholar of the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt, Germany, otherwise known as the Frankfurt School. With Max Horkheimer he contributed to the advance of critical theorizing about Enlightenment philosophy and modernity. Inflected by Kant, Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud, Adornos thinking defies easy categorization. Ranging across the disciplines of philosophy, musicology, and sociology, his work has had an impact in many fields. His Dialectic of Enlightenment (written with Max Horkheimer) was profoundly influential as a critique of fascistic and authoritarian impulses in Enlightenment thinking in the context of late capitalism. Questions addressed in the volume range from dilemmas in feminist aesthetic theory to the politics of suffering and democratic theory. The essays are exemplary as works in interdisciplinary scholarship, covering a wide range of issues and ideas in feminism as authors critically interpret the many facets of Adornos work. They take Adornos historical situatedness as a scholar into consideration while exploring the relevance of his ideas for post-Enlightenment feminist theory. His philosophical and cultural investigations inspire reconsideration of Enlightenment principles as well as a rethinking of postmodern ideas about identity and the self. Feminist Interpretations of Theodor Adorno will introduce feminists to Adornos work and Adorno scholars to modes of feminist critique. It will be especially valuable for senior undergraduate and graduate courses in contemporary political, social, and cultural theory. In addition to the editor, contributors are Paul Apostolidis, Mary Caputi, Rebecca Comay, Jennifer Eagan, Mary Ann Franks, Eva Geulen, Sora Han, Andrew Hewitt, Gillian Howie, Lisa Yun Lee, Bruce Martin, and Lambert Zuidervaart. Contents......Page 6 Preface by Nancy Tuana......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 12 1 Introduction: Feminism and Negative Dialectics......Page 14 2 An Interview with Drucilla Cornell......Page 34 3 Adorno’s Siren Song......Page 54 4 A Feminine Dialectic of Enlightenment? Horkheimer and Adorno Revisited......Page 82 5 ‘‘No Happiness Without Fetishism’’: Minima Moralia as Ars Amandi......Page 110 6 The Bared-Breasts Incident......Page 126 7 Mimetic Moments: Adorno and Ecofeminism......Page 154 8 Intersectional Sensibility and the Shudder......Page 186 9 An-aesthetic Theory: Adorno, Sexuality, and Memory......Page 206 10 Living with Negative Dialectics: Feminism and the Politics of Suffering......Page 230 11 Negative Dialectics and Inclusive Communication......Page 246 12 Feminist Politics and the Culture Industry: Adorno’s Critique Revisited......Page 270 13 Unfreedom, Suffering, and the Culture Industry: What Adorno Can Contribute to a Feminist Ethics......Page 290 14 Unmarked and Unrehearsed: Theodor Adorno and the Performance Art of Cindy Sherman......Page 314 15 The Economy of the Same: Identity, Equivalence, and Exploitation......Page 334 Selected Bibliography......Page 356 Contributors......Page 358 Index......Page 362 Introduction: Feminism And Negative Dialectics / Renée Heberle -- An Interview With Drucilla Cornell / Questions By Renée Heberle -- Adorno's Siren Song / Rebecca Comay -- A Feminine Dialectic Of Enlightenment? Horkheimer And Adorno Revisited / Andrew Hewitt -- No Happiness Without Fetishism: Minima Moralia As Ars Amandi / Eva Geulen -- The Bared-breasts Incident / Lisa Yun Lee -- Mimetic Moments: Adorno And Ecofeminism / D. Bruce Martin -- Intersectional Sensibility And The Shudder / Sora Y. Han -- An-aesthetic Theory: Adorno, Sexuality, And Memory / Mary Anne Franks -- Living With Negative Dialectics: Feminism And The Politics Of Suffering / Renée Heberle -- Negative Dialectics And Inclusive Communication / Paul Apostolidis -- Feminist Politics And The Culture Industry: Adorno's Critique Revisited / Lambert Zuidervaart -- Unfreedom, Suffering, And The Culture Industry: What Adorno Can Contribute To A Feminist Ethics / Jennifer L. Eagan -- Unmarked And Unrehearsed: Theodor Adorno And The Performance Art Of Cindy Sherman -- The Economy Of The Same: Identity, Equivalence, And Exploitation / Gillian Howie. Edited By Renée Heberle. Includes Bibliographical References (p. ) And Index. Addresses several questions, ranging from dilemmas in feminist aesthetic theory to the politics of suffering and democratic theory. This volume introduces feminists to Adorno's work and Adorno scholars to modes of feminist critique. It is useful for senior undergraduate and graduate courses in contemporary political, social, and cultural theory.