This episode discusses the following source: Harris, N. (2024), Chapter 5: The Early Frankfurt School: What Happened to the Revolution? Links to an external site. In Foundations of Social Theory: A Critical Introduction, Oxford: Taylor & Francis Group (pp. 84-98).

This academic chapter, "The Early Frankfurt School," explores the origins and core ideas of this influential group of thinkers centred around the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt, beginning in 1923. It examines their central question of why Marx's predicted socialist revolution failed, leading them to develop critical theory through an interdisciplinary lens combining Marxism with other intellectual traditions. Key concepts such as reification, instrumental rationality, and the culture industry are introduced as explanations for capitalism's continued dominance and its impact on consciousness and culture. The text further considers the enduring influence of the Frankfurt School on social theory and research, while also acknowledging contemporary critiques regarding its historical oversights concerning gender and race.