What is Critical Theory? | Definition, History, and Examples from Pedagogy of the Oppressed
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- Опубликовано: 26 сен 2024
- What is Critical Theory? Where and how did Critical Theory develop over the course of the twentieth century? And what are some examples of how theorists use Critical Theory today? In this explainer, we'll cover all of those questions with examples drawn from Paulo Freire's classic text, Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
We're on paternity leave right now, so we're re-editing some of our long form content to offer shorter explainers on accessible topics. This particular video is an excerpt from our two-part series "The Ten Most Important Theories in Social Science", which you can find here: (part 1) • The 10 Most Important ... (part 2) • The 10 Most Important ...
The host, Dr. Alexander K. Smith, holds an MA from Oxford University and a PhD in the anthropology of Tibet and the Himalayas from the University of Paris (EPHE - PSL).
Support independent social science education by supporting us on Patreon! / armchairacade. .
We're on paternity leave right now, so we're re-editing some of our long form content to offer shorter explainers on accessible topics. This particular video is an excerpt from our two-part series "The Ten Most Important Theories in Social Science", which you can find here: (part 1) ruclips.net/video/aMjGZ-H6GYs/видео.html (part 2) ruclips.net/video/6gl673_yTuw/видео.html
Corrections: I pronounce pedagogy very strangely at 2:30 for some reason. In English the term is pronounced "ped-duh-go-jee".
“He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.” Gandalf to Saruman.
This quote never gets old if you’re a dork
@@calebmatty5060 Or speaking the truth. Address the message, rather than act as a coward does when he is nonplussed and shamed.
Particle physics has left the room
I don't understand the relevance
You can't address the "message" when the "message"💣💅👅🦬🐽🦖🫔🌯🥢🌂🎆👋👍👆👈 is deliberate gibberish. Delivered (and defended) with brilliance@@andrjsh
Amazing video professor. Really amazed by your ability to simply explain critical theories. Wish I had a professor like you at university
Thanks so much, Staynomadic!
Concise, Clear, Informative--thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Critical Theory is a theory no one would stoop down to criticize.
ok commie
Dr. Alexander K. Smith, do you have any papers or journal articles that explores what you've discussed (so very well) in this video?
Hey there, Becburtenshaw! Thanks very much. Most of my published articles are available through academia if you're interested in my other work (uni-erlangen.academia.edu/AlexanderSmith). As an anthropologist and historian, though, I wouldn't say that I've written specifically on critical theory -- but rather than my work is informed by a critical theoretical perspective. I consider critical theory to be just one tool in my wheelhouse of skills that I can employ when I feel a particular case study is amenable to a critical lens.
Hi@@ArmchairAcademics! Wonderful - I'll be sure to check that out! I, too, hope to use critical theory as a tool for my own research! Just finding an unbalanced amount of literature favouring the "narrow" perspective as you call it!
Its just the modernization of Marxist theory though.
Bourgeoisy/Proletariat has been boiled down to Opressor/Opressed.
That's a great observation, @065Tim. Thanks for posting! In many respects, the early proponents of Critical Theory *did want to adapt and extend Marxist theory into new fields that did not traditionally fall within the purview of Marx's analytical lens. I would not go as far as to say that it's simply a modernization of Marxist theory, though. Early theorists (including Horkheimer) only selectively adapted aspects of Marxism and broke with others in introducing critical theory to their respective fields. The first example that comes to mind is Raymond Williams and Cultural Materialism, which is fair to treat as a form of Critical Theory in my opinion. Cultural Materialist authors, for instance, break pretty dramatically from traditional Marxist literary criticism, but still draw heavily from broader Marxian cultural theory.
In any case, thanks for the thoughtful comment! It's a breath of fresh air to have informed, interesting questions pop up in the comments.
Yes and it's used over and over to manipulate gullible ppl to accomplish its goals just like CNA did during their revolution or BLM during their protest to convince ppl to donate and vote for current admin and of course spend lavishly on themselves. 😂
@@ArmchairAcademicsYes, well.
Current Praxis seems to very much be We're assuming all our underlieing assumptions are true.
Therefore everything you do is corrupted beyond measure. And you should let our Soviets.....err Councils decide everything.
Even something as seemingly benign as Unesco's 2022 100 page vision of the future of education is rife with this.
It's all about special alternative methods of "Knowing" as to mere knowledge of the world ( i.e. Science ). Adjudicated by Experts and Stakeholders ofcourse....
I very much get the vibes of "The Party decides what is True". Very Leninist, the modern version.
@@ArmchairAcademics this was neither informed nor interesting question. Its a talking point learned from the type of thinker like Peterson. Unclear, vague and not with the idea to learn, rather to to humiliate and handwave CT away.
was very lost on what critical theory looked like after reading cox but this video was really nice, thanks!
No worries at all! Very glad to hear it was helpful!
Brilliant, very helpful :)
Glad to hear! Thanks for posting.
It has been a resounding and profound failure. It has brought untold pain and misery....just to a different group of people.
This really helped, thank you
Great to know! Thanks for posting.
Is it possible for students to discuss if 2 plus 2 equals 4 is true ?
Is it autoritarian if a teacher teaches this to the students ?
You missed the point. He said that there is a difference between social sciences and sciences. Social sciences have sujective elements, and that is where a critique is required for different minds to discern the subjectivity. You may live a billion years from now, or live a billion light years away, but 2+2 =4 will always equal to 4. You could write it as 10+10=100 in binary but the "fourness" is not in the bases, but in tge "separateness" unless your universe has collapsed into a singularity which means you do not exist...or rather, there is no existence.
@@dkblack1289 Uh, no. And you didn't answer his question.
@@dkblack1289without context 2+2 is an abstract truth. If you take 2 lions in a cage add 2 lambs to same cage how long does the cage contain 4 animals?
Great video
Thanks so much! Glad you found it helpful.
Great video. Thanks
Critical theory is tearing everything apart.
that's the goal
Natural Science has never been politically neutral either: racial science, eugenics, "hysteria," ...
You don't even have to reach back that far. Any understanding of science has to come from a tradition of ideas about the natural world which could be considered political and not all traditions have the same ideas as legitimizing forces.
@@KyleKortenhoeven True. I reach back because I am a historian.
@@heathers.7975 Oh, we didn't know much about science back when we coined that word. But let's be fair here. Percentage wise, which sex is likelier to become hysterical?
If critical theory is about asking questions and challenging paradigms, then how come that's not allowed in practice nowadays? Question the idea of dozens of genders, or the idea that the achievement gap is the result of oppression, and you'll be drawn and quartered.
You see how he skipped over your comment but reacted to everyone else's lol
You literally just questioned the truth about gender and no one is stopping you
@@taliaeategg2027 True, but this is not a university or workplace.
We switched to fast from a dogma where certain sexual behaviors were harshly crititicied to a new dogma where anyone who's views are slightly off is harshly crititicied or cencored.
We are losing the most valuable thing freedom of speech has to offer. To listen to contrary opinions, to correct each other and improve one another's ideas.
@@AlanMeile the freedom of speech doesn't just protect your freedom of speech, it also protects people's ability to criticize. In the first paragraph you say a dogma of criticizing ideas someone sees as wrong is wrong, but in the second paragraph you say the most valuable thing about free speech is the ability to correct on another, which is another way of criticizing. Freedom of speech protects everyone's ability to speak, even if that means your ideas get criticized, and that's not censorship. Zooey Zephyr is an example of a politician being actually censored.
Critical pedagogy is being used today in k-12 public education education to change the hegemony of the US to bring it into alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. I am well aware of Paulo Freire. I have heard these collaborative student discussions, which amount to Maos unity, criticism, unity struggle sessions. Public school children actually send videos to parents in real time, as students are abused by other students in their class for not mirroring the correct progressive socialist view, basically their will e one political party in America aligned to progressive socialist agendas and the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda.
in another words ? to manipulate and to conquered that is exactly what CNA revolution utilized now are the ppl free from the oppressor ? absolutely not ! the oppressor now is the GOV to its ppl instead.
And how is its ppl now ? Oppressed by the Gov instead ?
wow - thank you - I had no idea the UN had its fingerprints all over this !! I’ve been struggling to understand the organising structures that have led to the pernicious ‘long march through the institutions’
Damn you didn't say anything negative that convinced me to turn to the uncritical instead. Thank you.
@@MP-ye6tvlook at Unewco's 2022 future of education booklet. It's rife with "Knowing" ways and not knowledge to advance Humanity.
One is allowed to question critical theorists and then is met with a critically thought out response that goes against authoritarian and oppressive ideals as explained in the video, which are Eurocentric in nature. If you continue to choose bigotry after learning then you face social repurcussion as freedom of speech is not freedom of consquence, since intolerance cannot be tolerated (and people choose to not tolerate it). The world as a whole is falling closer to fascism as a reaction to this and an urge to bring back conservative, Eurocentric values (often spread through colonialism and historically justified with Christianity, including in the settler colonies), which brings back authoritarianism that ends with violence rather than purely social repurcussion, so let's not pretend that Critical Theory is the one leading to negative conclusions. We can simply look at the people who are the most against it to see how obvious it is, and even use critical theory to understand why they are so.
Disagreement is not bigotry. You sound a little authoritarian yourself but in holier than thou way. Eurocentric values have a place for tolerance, difference, open mindedness, and opportunity.
Critical theory influenced teaching for pre university pupils has been a complete disaster. A student needs to learn the knowledge and skills first in a disciplined environment before they can then apply a meaningful critique.
It is for universities not schools. The schools need to teach them the basics first and these traditional methods work very well. Children are chaotic and need structure in order to mature into psychologically stable adults who are then capable of learning complex philosophical concepts without losing their minds to unhinged ideology.
Leaning to run before one can walk never was a good Idea.
Marxism in other words
Not really. In simple terms critical theory arose to try to explain why Marxism failed. On paper Marxism seemed perfect, yet by the early 30’s it was evident to many that it was a failing system. Critical theory at its core attempted to explain this failure.
@@agrivere5494 Gramchi & cultural Marxism came to the fore .If the working classes won't except Marxism hhhmmm maybe the ghetto population, blacks sex workers, the intelligentsia,, the University students & any other fool who is willing to listen to communist B/ S....Marx..the God ..Marcuse the Prophet....Mao ..the Sword.
@@agrivere5494 because there is no such thing as opressor and opressed. these terms shifting from one group to an other even on individual level. if a bully gets beaten up he stays opressor or suddenly becomes opressed?
Maybe I’m biased wing cuck, but trying to deconstruct basic structure of society into categories of oppressor vs oppressed sounds like a lot of the dog shit politics we have today …😢 do we teach critical theory is social sciences still?
When you thought this was a flawed revision of the already flawed Marxist theory...
They've added Race as a middle name.
yeah, it's now the Social Justice ideology, mostly called 'woke' in popular culture now. Even schools are teaching this in a very pro-marxist way.
What harm do you think comes from this lens? What would you choose to replace it with?
@@digaddog6099 it’s simple having a lens that everything is a oppressor/ oppressed dynamic is hella toxic and would break down any sort of cohesion we have in society. Look At problems logically instead of ideologically, don’t look at stuff like a religious zealot. (Good vs evil) (black and white) things are generally more complicated than that.
@@digaddog6099 seeing everything as Oppressor and Oppressed created Nazi Germany. The Germans were the oppressed, and the Jews were the oppressor in their rhetoric.
I don't need to say what that created.
Social Justice does the same with each identity group.
You speak so fast catching words is so tough for non English speaking people 😢
Sorry to hear that, Gulab. All our videos should have subtitles enabled in English, if that helps. But reaching a wider audience is one of our goals, so I'll keep it in mind. Thanks for posting!