Theodor W. Adorno, a philosopher, sociologist, cultural critic, and music theorist who would be 120 years old today, held a chair in philosophy and sociology. During the positivism dispute, he was the protagonist of the most famous debate in the German Sociological Association, which he presided over four years. However, did he develop a sociology at all? Has not his theory of a›totally administered‹world, developed in the context of state and welfare capitalism, become obsolete in the course of its neoliberal transformation into a total mobilization of individualized self- entrepreneurs? Can Adorno's›exchange society‹fit the return of war, mass migration, and racism, the emergence of the internet and social media, and the rise of feminism or the global south? His successors in Frankfurt already criticized a›sociological deficit‹of Adorno's work, with which the complexity of contemporary society, open to action, could not be understood. Or, conversely, is our present becoming more and more like Adorno's theory of society outlines it?
Our conference invites contributions that take up Adorno's sociological thinking, discuss its relevance today in dialogue or in the context of competing approaches in order - above all - to analyse contemporary problems. - The presented contributions will be considered for inclusion in a coherent anthology on Adorno's sociology.
Abstract Submission
- Abstracts in English should be between 150 and 250 words and submitted online no later than April 1.
- Please register an account and submit your abstract at the conference website: www.uibk.ac.at/socialtheory/adorno
- Notification of acceptance & conference registration: early April
- If acceptance notifications are needed prior to the submission deadline, please contact the organizers (Frank Welz, frank.welz(at)uibk.ac.at)
- Sessions will depend on submitted papers. Possible topics are:
- Adorno's sociology today
- Philosophy of social science
- Theory of society
- Theory of the subject
- Constellation analysis & social research
- Neoliberalism, political economy and politics
- Internet, media, culture & art
- Adorno and contemporary social theory
- Limits of Adorno's sociology
We expect the conference to begin on Thursday evening, include two keynote speeches, an Author-meets-Critics session, and a Theory Summit (the latter on Friday evening, see website), and conclude on Saturday afternoon. Presenters will have approximately 30-40 minutes combined for paper presentation and discussion. We look forward to your contribution!