Routledge A Critical Sense: Interviews with Intellectuals

A Critical Sense brings together in a single volume the leading figures of contemporary radical theory. Moving freely between philosophy, politics and cultural studies, it offers a fascinating overview of the lines of thought of today's intellectual left. Marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis and critical theory, literary studies, deconstruction, pragmatism, postcolonial and queer theory are discussed in a series of interviews from the journal Radical Philosophy. Those interviewed are: Judith Butler Cornelius Castoriadis Drucilla Cornell Axel Honneth Istvan Meszaros Edward Said Renata Salecl Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak Cornel West Slavoj Zizek For those unfamiliar with the often daunting work of some of today's most important thinkers, ACritical Sense will offer an ideal introduction; for those already acquainted with the writings of the theorists interviewed here, the collection will throw new - and often surprising - light on familiar ground. Review "Rigorous almost to the point of impertinence, these interviews hold fashionable thought to the highest standard. We watch as these thinkers earn their celebrity, and thus we can see that they are sexier as thinkers, finally, than they are as celebrities." -Bruce Robbins, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Rutgers University From the Back Cover The interviews gathered in A Critical Sense bring together many of the leading figures of contemporary radical theory in a single volume. Moving freely between philosophy, politics and cultural studies, they offer a fascinating overview of today's intellectual Left. All the interviews follow the same underlying structure: starting from questions about the interviewee's influences and formative years, they move on, via critical exchanges about key concepts and ideas, to reflections on political issues and recent events. Peter Osborne's introduction situates the interviews within the broader history of the relations between philosophers, academics and public intellectuals. A Critical Sense offers a welcome introduction to the work of some of today's most important thinkers. The interview format makes their thought accessible without ever sacrificing the intellectual rigour or political implications of their theories. For those already acquainted with the writings of the theorists interviewed here, the broad contextualization, dialogical structure and comparitivist perspective of this collection will throw new - and often surprising - light on familiar ground.