New Books Network Martin Jay, "Immanent Critiques: The Frankfurt School under Pressure" (Verso, 2023)
Dec 30, 2025
Join Martin Jay, a historian and expert on the Frankfurt School, as he delves into the relevance of Critical Theory in today's world. He explores the tension between immanent and transcendent critique while questioning the legacy of figures like Walter Benjamin. Jay tackles sensitive topics like antisemitism and the criticism of authoritarian personalities, and creatively connects these ideas to contemporary political narratives, even comparing them to Scorsese's 'The Irishman'. A thought-provoking discussion that challenges traditional views!
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Immanent Vs. Transcendent Critique
- Immanent critique targets gaps between a society's professed values and its practices rather than appealing to abstract universal norms.
- Transcendent critique resurfaces when those gaps narrow and the society's values become identical to its practices.
Author Puts Frankfurt School Under Pressure
- Jay says his book itself applies immanent critique to the Frankfurt School, putting its ideas 'under pressure' rather than defending them uncritically.
- He frames the essays as internal critiques that tease out tensions without wholesale repudiation.
Expanded Field Breaks Heroic Narratives
- Expanding the field breaks single heroic narratives by assembling fragments from multiple moments like 1945, 1967, and 1968 into dialectical images.
- Global reception has internationalized critical theory but true de-centering requires symmetrical influence from the Global South.