Description
Book SynopsisPaying tribute to one of the more original theorist of the late 20th and early 21st century, Rational Radicalism and Political Theory probes the thought of Stephen Eric Bronner. This collection of essays encompasses themes such as the Enlightenment''s radical legacy, the impulse of cosmopolitanism, the rejuvenation of socialist theory and politics, and advances in Critical Theory. These essays make new contributions to many areas of left political theory, while at the same time reflecting on the ways Stephen Bronner''s ideas serve to generate a new kind of critical political theory. Blending political and intellectual history, normative and moral argumentation, and forays into the nature of politics itself, this book brings together new voices in political theory to assess Bronner''s contributions and pave new paths for the future of political theory.
Trade ReviewThis magnificent collection of essays in honor of Stephen Bronner is powerful and propitious. Bronner is one of the last grand figures in the rich tradition of Critical Theory. And in this time of the declining American Empire and contracting transatlantic capitalist vitality, we need this tradition and Bronner more than ever! -- Cornel West, Union Theological Seminary
This fine collection was written in honor of the theorist Stephen Bronner. The essays focus particularly on what is distinctive about Bronner's work, his preoccupation with the roots of socialist thought, and particularly critical theory, in enlightenment ideals. The essays show the depth of his influence on a new generation of theorists, not only as a result of the power of his theoretical work, but also because he is an example and a model to these young people as a scholar who tries to link theory to practice. -- Frances Fox Piven, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Table of Contents1 Acknowledgments 2 Introduction Part 3 Part I: Reworking the Enlightenment Tradition Chapter 4 Chapter 1. On Organizing, Solidarity, and the Enlightenment Chapter 5 Chapter 2. Combating Inequalities of the Sexual Kind: Enlightenment Universalism and the Horizon of Inclusion Chapter 6 Chapter 3. Reason and Enlightenment: The Values of Modernity Part 7 Part II: Cosmopolitanism and Human Rights Chapter 8 Chapter 4. The Curious Case of Cosmopolitan Sensibility Chapter 9 Chapter 5. Reclaiming Internationalism for Our Times: The Cosmopolitan Ideal and Human Rights in the Global Era Chapter 10 Chapter 6. The History of Human Rights and Critical Theory Part 11 Part III: Reflections on Critical Theory Chapter 12 Chapter 7. Psychoanalysis and the Rational Subject: The Problem of Agency Chapter 13 Chapter 8. Feminism, Tradition, and Ideology Chapter 14 Chapter 9. Embodiment as Resistance: Evaluating Stephen Bronner's Contributions to Critical Theory Chapter 15 Chapter 10. Marxism, Ethics, and the Task of Critical Theory Part 16 Part IV: Rethinking Socialist Tradition and Theory Chapter 17 Chapter 11. Socialism: Liberal or Democratic-Republican? Chapter 18 Chapter 12. Concepts, Traditions, and Actions: Rescuing Political Theory from the History of Political Thought Chapter 19 Chapter 13. The Materialist Principle "Unbound": Socialist History and the Reconstruction of a Movement Chapter 20 Chapter 14. Bronner vs. Fukuyama: 1989, the End of History, and the New Internationalism 21 Appendix: An Interview with Stephen Eric Bronner: The Enlightenment and its Critics
