The first half of the 20th century was marked by phenomenology and existentialism as major currents in European thought. In the second half of the century, the critique of phenomenology and existentialism led to the emergence of post-structuralist and critical theory approaches questioning the modern subject and the categories of Enlightenment rationality. These approaches have had a profound impact on the theoretical landscape in the humanities, and continue to play a decisive role in current debates in ethical and political theory.
This unit begins with a close examination of key works by post-structuralists such as Foucault, Deleuze, Levinas, and Derrida, and critical theorists such as Adorno, Benjamin, and Habermas. We then turn to critical developments of this work by more recent thinkers such as Agamben, Badiou, Nancy, Negri and Ranciere. The aim throughout is to emphasise the significance of these thinkers for contemporary ethical and political questions, notably the critique of liberalism, the problem of community, the relation to the Other, and the question of justice.
