Thanks for that Mark
I really found these ideas really helpful and thought provoking:
"Where is your argument taking us and in whose interests are you
doing it in?"
"What's the action - and what's your action?"
---- Original Message ----
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: [COMMUNITYPSYCHUK] on being critical
Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2005 21:43:12 -0000
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><div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="4"><span
>style="font-size:14pt">Being critical?</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><br/>
></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span
>style="font-size:12pt">The term 'critical' as currently used to
>prefix various
>disciplines (including community psychology!) has
>multiple origins, but perhaps the most significant one is
>from its use in 'critical theory'. This itself refers to
>several things - in some contexts it was used as code for
>Marxism, or rather for historical materialist analysis. It
>became best known in referring to the Frankfurt School
>of Marxist intellectuals concerned with questions of
>culture and its relation to society - e.g. Adorno,
>Horkheimer, Fromm, Habermas. What is being meant
>by the term 'critical' is an approach that tries to
>understand a social reality through introduction of
>another, more penetrating frame of reference, one that
>has to do with a general theory of human society (or at
>least late capitalist society) understood in terms of
>contradictions between different social interests and
>economic processes of exploitation, capital
>accumulation, and so on. So these critical theorists
>apply a powerful set of practical-theoretical tools to
>social phenomena to try and get a more thorough
>understanding that can help foment progressive social
>change. Not very post-modern, and there are some
>rules implied.</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><br/>
></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span
>style="font-size:12pt">Another use of 'critical', however, seems to
>come from
>the lay notion of the 'critic'. At its worst (and most post-
>modern) that can mean 'say what you like', and 'pose
>around as the most critical voice of all'. There is no
>method, just individual opinion. The process is
>destructive not constructive. It is part of the 'society of
>the spectacle', of consumerism, of capitalism
>itself.</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><br/>
></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span
>style="font-size:12pt">Here I've set up two ideal types, with a clear
>bias as to
>the one that I'm more comfortable with, and why. The
>idea is to use the two models to evaluate contributions
>that march under the critical banner.</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><br/>
></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span
>style="font-size:12pt">So if you want to convince me that you are
>being critical
>in the best sense, I'll be asking</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span
>style="font-size:12pt">"Is your analysis one that requires
>stepping outside the
>hegemonic frame of reference of this society and its
>dominant psychology?"</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span
>style="font-size:12pt">"Where is your argument taking us and in
>whose
>interests are you doing it in?"</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span
>style="font-size:12pt">"What's the action - and what's your
>action?"</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span
>style="font-size:12pt">and</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span
>style="font-size:12pt">"Are you doing this in a comradely
>way?"</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><br/></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span
>style="font-size:11pt">--</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">37
>Chandos Rd South</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span
>style="font-size:11pt">Manchester</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">M21
>0TH</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span
>style="font-size:11pt">UK</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span
>style="font-size:11pt">0161 881 6887</span></font></div>
><div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span
>style="font-size:11pt">Local rate phone no: 0845 458
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><div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">Fax
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><div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span
>style="font-size:11pt">[log in to unmask]</span></font></div>
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