Topic outline of critical theory

:"For a more comprehensive list, see the List of critical theory topics."

In the humanities and social sciences, critical theory has two quite different meanings with different origins and histories, one originating in social theory and the other in literary criticism. The former is theory oriented toward critiquing and changing society as a whole, in contrast to traditional theory oriented only to understanding or explaining it. The latter is theory used in the critical analysis and understanding of literature and is discussed in greater detail under literary theory.

The following topic outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to critical theory:

Essence of critical theory

: "Main article: Critical theory"

Branches of critical theory

: Social theory - Literary theory - Thing theory

History of critical theory

: "Main article: History of critical theory"

Major works

: "One-Dimensional Man" - "Escape from Freedom" - "Theory of Communicative Action" - "Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere", - "Negative Dialectic" - "Dialectic of Enlightenment" - "Writing and Difference" - "Of Grammatology" - "Mythologies" - "Practice of Hope" - "Reinventing Social Work"

Major theorists

: Theodor Adorno - Louis Althusser - Roland Barthes - Jean Baudrillard - Jacques Lacan - Gilles Deleuze - Jacques Derrida - Michel Foucault - Jürgen Habermas - Herbert Marcuse - Edward Said

Critical theory lists

: "Main article: List of critical theory topics"

See also

* the Frankfurt School

External links