Cultural Studies: Frankfurt School
The Frankfurt School – The Institute for Social Research The term 'Frankfurt School' refers to a group of scholars who worked in the Institute of Social Research at the University of Frankfurt, Germany. Institute for Social Research (1923 - 1933) Felix Weil, a German Argentine Marxist, founded the Institute for Social Research at the university in 1923. Carl Grunberg, a Marxist economist, was the first director of the Institute. The main focus of the Institute was the study of the Labour Movement from a Marxist theoretical perspective. Development of Critical Theory (1930 - 1950) Max Horkheimer, 2nd director of the institute, changed the focus of the institute. He, with the help of other critics, namely Adorno and Marcuse, developed 'Critical Theory,' which succeeded Grunberg's 'Marxist Theory.' The critical theory aimed at critiquing the capitalist society and the role of capitalist ideology in shaping social relations. • Critical theory, a mixture of some...