What Would Adorno Say?: Seeing the Current Right Wing Attack on Education through Theodor Adorno's Eyes

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 11:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Theories of Educational Histories

Abstract

I will discuss, in broad strokes, a few central points from Adorno’s public lectures that he gave in Germany from 1949-1968 into how and why right-wing extremism continues to thrive in the 21st century and the central role of education and culture in combatting or perpetuating these extremist ideologies. The clarion call to unfreedom from the podium of authoritarianism grows more insistent every day. What seemed impossible to many only ten years ago seems inevitable to them now. Neither assumption was or is true; yet, our ability to critically analyze how social structures support and engender certain behaviors and mindsets says a lot about our ability to transform them.

Author

• Eric J. Weiner, Montclair State University