A Study Of Theodor Wiesengrund Adorno’s Critical Theory Of Culture

Among the various theories of Western Marxism, the Frankfurt School is one of the most enduring, influential, creative, and has made the one of greatest contribution to its development. Theodor Wiesengrund Adorno is one of its leading representative. His critical theory of culture is the most cherished intellectual treasure in the history of culture. His theory has made culture a key research subject of various Western Marxist schools in later generations. His work sets the general direction of research on cultures for the entire Frankfurt School.Adorno’s critical theory of culture launches a scathing critique of Enlightening Rationalism. His work exposes the totalitarian nature of technological rationality, political ideology, and the mass culture.In essence, Adorno’s critical theory of culture is revolutionary. It aims to expose the real conditions of humanity in the21st century and the cultural dilemma it faces. If we examine the unique historical background of Adorno’s theory, and penetrate into its core rational, we will realize that his painful experience in the Fascist Germany and his experience of the thriving mass culture in America are the two inseparable historical factors for the formation of his critical theory.To study Adorno’s critical theory of culture, first of all, one needs to understand his theoretical background and his academic career. I will examine six primary factors of his theory, namely, non-mainstream Western Marxist thoughts, modernist aesthetics, upper-class culture conservatism, weak and yet obvious Jewish element, spirit of deconstructionism before the French post-deconstructionism, and Freud’s psychoanalytical method. These parallel, non-overlapping factors, with internal tensions, constitute the framework of the theory.Born in an unique historical context, Adorno’s critical theory of culture has many origins, and he approaches to his subject matter from a unique angle. To grasp the spirit of Adorno’s critical theory of culture, one must go back to his theoretical origins, and this is the only path through which one can come to a full understanding. These theoretical origins are Marx’s theory of alienation, Lukacs’ theory of materialization, and Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis. All these theory have contributed to the formation of Adorno’s critical theory of culture.One should conduct a thorough and logical analysis of Adorno’s critical theory of culture from all different angles to grasp its content and major points. The mass culture is a standarizied commody for sale. It aims to manipulate the mass and control them. Down to the bottom, one realizes that the mass culture functions as an ideology in order to control. Adorno’s theory relentlessly criticizes the mass culture, revealing its nature as neither cultural nor for the mass. Furthermore, by criticizing the nature of technological rationalism of the mass culture, Adorno pointes out that the mass culture is totally industrialized. He concludes that the mass culture represents the enlightenment and rationalism structured deep in modern industrial society. In essence, Adorno’s critical theory of the society is a critique of the mass culture.Comparing Adorno’s theory with the theories of other thinkers, contemporaneous or near his time, such as Birmingham School, Benjamin School, and Postmodernism, we will find the similarities and differences, inheritances and critiques. Because of its historical limitations and one-sidedness, every theory has its strengths and shortcoming, and Adorno’s critical theory of culture is no exceptional. We can be sure that his theory will be challenged and surpassed by other theories in the future. On the other hand, when various critical theories of culture interacted with Adorno’s critical theory of culture, the debate and dialogue have generated new thoughts and ideas. This in turn proves the vitality and value of Adorno’s critical theory in the history of cultural criticism.