The Sociology of Theodor Adorno

279 Pages·2011·1.25 MB·English

by  Matthias Benzer

The Sociology of Theodor Adorno
TheodorAdornoisawidelystudiedfigure,butmostoftenwithregardto
hisworkonculturaltheory,philosophyandaesthetics.TheSociologyof
TheodorAdornoprovidesthefirstthoroughEnglish languageaccountof
Adorno’ssociologicalthinking.MatthiasBenzerreadsAdorno’ssociol
ogythroughsixmajorthemes:theproblemofconceptualisingcapitalist
society;empiricalresearch;theoreticalanalysis;socialcritique;thesocio
logical text; and the question of the non social. Benzer explains the
methodologicalandtheoreticalideasinformingAdorno’sreflectionson
sociology and illustrates Adorno’s approach to examining social life,
includingastrology,sexualtaboosandracialprejudice.Benzerclarifies
Adorno’s sociology in relation to his work in other disciplines and the
inspirationhissociologytookfromsocialthinkerssuchasMarx,Weber,
Durkheim,KracauerandBenjamin.Thebookraisescriticalquestions
about the viability of Adorno’s sociological mode of procedure and
its potential contributions and challenges to current debates in social
science.
matthiasbenzerisPeacockFellowattheCentreforAnalysisofRisk
and Regulation at the London School of Economics and Political
Science.

The Sociology of Theodor
Adorno
Matthias Benzer
cambridge university press
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©MatthiasBenzer2011
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Firstpublished2011
PrintedintheUnitedKingdomattheUniversityPress,Cambridge
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata
Benzer,Matthias,1980
ThesociologyofTheodorAdorno/MatthiasBenzer.
p. cm.
ISBN9781107000094(hardback)
1. Adorno,TheodorW.,1903 1969. 2. Sociology. I. Title.
HM585.B467 2011
301.092 dc22
2010044891
ISBN9781107000094Hardback
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websitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
Dedicated to Nigel Dodd
ThereisanimmenseforceinsayingNo,
andsometimesitseemstomethatitissogreat
thatonecouldliveonitalone. EliasCanetti
Contents
Acknowledgements pageviii
Abbreviationsforfrequentlycitedtexts ix
Introduction 1
1 Nothingunderthesun 15
Societyasasociologicalproblem 15
Essenceandepiphenomena 39
2 Sociologicalmaterial 51
Saturatedsociology 51
Insearchofmaterial 60
EmpiricalresearchinAdorno’slatesociology 74
3 Sociologicalreflection 86
Theoreticalanalysisinsociology 86
Theoryinsociologicalresearch 100
4 Thesocio-criticaldimension 125
Sociocriticalsociology 125
Praxisinthetimeoftheory 145
5 Thesociologicaltext 162
Constellationinsociology 162
Constellationandmimesis 170
Illustration 181
6 Sociologyandthenon-social 197
Colours,grey 198
Miniatures 216
Conclusion 231
Appendix:Adorno’ssociologyinchronologicalperspective 243
References 248
Index 262
vii
Acknowledgements
Thisbookisbasedondoctoralresearchconductedoverseveralyearsunder
thesupervisionofDrNigelDoddattheLondonSchoolofEconomics.It
has benefited from an ongoing dialogue with Gwyneth Hawkins, critical
comments by two anonymous referees and Juljan Krause’s advice. My
doctoral examiners, Professor David Frisby, who has sadly passed away,
and Dr GraemeGilloch, provided generous guidance for developing this
publication.MyundergraduatestudentsonSOCY30011:TillerGirlsand
Terrorists, at the University of Manchester helped me understand how
Adorno’s sociology might be discussed with an interested audience.
James Thomas provided invaluable editorial support. I am grateful to
Professor Bridget Hutter at the LSE and Professor Nick Crossley at the
UniversityofManchesterforgrantingmethetimetofinishthemanuscript.
Fortheircompanyovertheyears,IthankMarkReady,whosepresencewill
notbeforgotten,SteveVanRiel,Ming-WheyLee,AlGlascott,Christopher
KnappandKlausFrick.EinherzlichesDankescho¨ntomyparentsMarianne
andWernerBenzerandtomysisterJudithfortheirsupport.Mygratitude
toJenniBenzerisbeyondwords.Allmistakesaremine.
Someofmythoughts,materialsandformulationsonthesocialdimensionof
conceptsandonsocialcritiqueinChapters3and4havebeenpublished
inthepaper‘SocialCritiqueintheTotallySocialisedSociety’,Philosophy
& Social Criticism, 37/5 by Sage Publications Ltd, All rights reserved.
©SAGEPublicationsLtd,2011.Itisavailableat:online.sagepub.com/
viii
Abbreviations for frequently cited texts
AE AgainstEpistemology(Adorno1982)
AP TheAuthoritarianPersonality(Adornoetal.
1950)
A&B TheCompleteCorrespondence1928–1940
(AdornoandBenjamin1994)
A&H1,A&H2,A&H4 Vols.I,IIandIVofBriefwechsel1927–1969
(AdornoandHorkheimer2003,2004,2006)
A&K ‚DerRißderWeltgehtauchdurchmich...’
(AdornoandKracauer2008)
CLA CanOneLiveafterAuschwitz?(Adorno2003a)
CM CriticalModels(Adorno1998b)
CoM CurrentofMusic(Adorno2009a)
DE DialecticofEnlightenment(Adornoand
Horkheimer2002)
GEX Gruppenexperiment(AdornoandDirks1955)
GS1,GS2etc. Vols.1,2etc.ofGesammelteSchriften(Adorno
2003b)
HF HistoryandFreedom(Adorno2006a)
HTS Hegel(Adorno1993b)
INH ‘TheIdeaofNatural-History’(Adorno
2006b)
IS IntroductiontoSociology(Adorno2000a)
ISW ‘IstSoziologieeineWissenschaftvom
Menschen?’(AdornoandGehlen[1965]
1974)
JA TheJargonofAuthenticity(Adorno1973a)
MCP Metaphysics(Adorno2000b)
MM MinimaMoralia(Adorno1978)
ND NegativeDialectics(Adorno2001;sincethisis
anunpaginatedonlinetranslationofAdorno
1996,pagenumbersrefertothelatterGerman
version)
ix