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Theory, Democracy, and the Public Intellectual

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 October 2020

R. Radhakrishnan
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Extract

Hmm! A State-of-the-Art Essay About the Vvhereabouts of Theory Today? Should Such an Essay Be About Anything at all, considering the antirepresentational stance of radical theory? How does one write about theory, except self-reflexively (a question that Butler, Guillory, and Thomas raise)? If I did that, would I be guilty of professional narcissism, or would my rigorous self-reflexivity have a referent, whether the referent is called reality, the world, history, or experience? Would I be successful in combining the nuances and rigors of self-reflexive thinking with the mandate of having to say something about something?

Type
The changing profession
Information
PMLA , Volume 125 , Issue 3 , May 2010 , pp. 785 - 794
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 2010

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