Emily Zas (F Band), 2020
EMILY'S IPE PBA:
THE FRANKFURT SCHOOL
Question: How did the Frankfurt School explain the rise of fascism, and what would its members say about our current moment?
The Frankfurt School, formed in Germany in the midst of the Weimar Republic, was comprised of several philosophers, including Max Horkheimer, Herbert Marcuse, Georg Lukács, Theodor Adorno, and more. Its Critical Theory sought to observe and explain societal conditions, especially with regard to fascism; many of the theorists were exiled in the United States during the Nazi regime. Their commentary on American popular culture and the potential for authoritarianism in the U.S. is fascinating. What would they say about American society today?
CHECK OUT THE PODCAST BELOW!
In order to answer my research question, I interviewed three experts on the Frankfurt School:
Ingar Solty, John Abromeit, and Martin Jay.
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1. Episode 1: Ingar Solty
I speak with Ingar Solty about his Jacobin article, "Max Horkheimer, a Teacher Without a Class." Solty is a German political journalist and Senior Research Fellow in Foreign, Peace, and Social Policy at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation’s Institute for Critical Social Analysis in Berlin. We discuss the historical circumstances that shaped the School, the potential flaws in its thinkers' theories, and what they might say about modern society.
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2. Episode 2: John Abromeit
In this episode I speak with John Abromeit about his book chapter entitled "Frankfurt School Critical Theory and the Persistence of Authoritarian Populism in the United States." Abromeit is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY Buffalo State. He explains the characteristics of authoritarian populist movements as described by the Frankfurt School, and evaluates their presence throughout the last century and in our present moment.
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3. Episode 3: Martin Jay
For the final episode, I speak with Martin Jay on his article, "Trump, Scorsese, and the Frankfurt School's Theory of Racket Society," published in the Los Angeles Review of Books. Jay is a professor emeritus of history at University of California, Berkeley and a leading expert on the Frankfurt School. We discuss a somewhat underrated aspect of the School's Critical Theory and try to rationalize why Americans are drawn to gangster-like, racketeering leaders.