Gur-Ze'ev, I(2005). Adorno and horkheimer: diasporic philosophy, negative theology, and counter-education. Educational Theory, 55(3), 342-365. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=17562760&site=ehost-live.
This article explains in more detail the background philosophy that Horkheimer and Adorno are espousing in "The Culture Society." What I found fascinating about this article is the depth that it went into about their use of different religious notions throughout their careers. From what I understood these two authors were enamoured by the Agnostic world early in their careers but as their notions changed to Diaspora Theory their writings and thoughts garnered a distinct Jewish background. This is an interesting sentiment. The feeling I get from the "Culture Society" was a almost anti-religious feeling, not Agnostic, but just passively anti-religious. By understanding their background and how they were approaching their own writing, through this article by Gur-Ze'ez, I was able to better understand the thoughts espoused by Horkheimer and Adorno.
Benzaquen, A. (1998). Thought and utopia in the writings of adorno, horkheimer, and benjamin. Utopian Studies, 9(2), 149-161. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=4788827&site=ehost-live.
This article extends the last article that I posted. In this article readers are given an explicit view of the Jewish theology that inspired Horkheimer and Adorno. It is interesting to note that many philosophers from the Frankfurt school also subscribed to these theories. These included a ban on pictures and their objection to writing the word "Utopia," which is similar to Jewish scholars' objection to writing their lord's name. These religious notions are looked at intently and are examine not only in Horkheimer and Adorno's works but also in Benjamin's. One of the most important things about this article is that it sums up the idea of Critical Theory in one sentence: "Critical Theory is the activity of theorizing in the present in order to allow for a better future." This was so crystal clear that I had to include it in my bibliography. Also this exposed me to the ideas of geistige, spiritual renewal in German, and immanence, the principal that guides the explanation of every event as repetition, are two of the most essential terms I have seen in these readings yet.
for me, i think the _educational theory_ article was the most useful, since the other text-based resources deal largely with the authors' backgrounds, influences, and contexts. these are important factors, for sure, especially in terms of these works' means of production.
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