Summary and Overview of class themes:

Overview:
A. modern theory is still dominant in how we organize our political world, but foundation of life has changed
   1. 18th and 19th century premises
      a. relationship between the individual and state authority
      b. public/private division
      c. self-governing individual (reason)
      d. science/technology is reflection of reason
      e. nature is inferior to culture
  2. agrarian/industrial base of society
     a. class structure primary & permanent
     b. divisions are binary and natural
     c. revolution is society-wide
     d. all institutions of society reflect & reinforce status quo

B. 20th century theory tries to reconceptualize basic concepts into one that works for advances in economy, technology, science and deals with problems faced in 20th and 21st century.
  1. existentialism
  2. critical rationalism (Frankfort school)
  3. post-modernism/discourse theory
  4. post-colonialism
  5. technology/media studies

C. Common problems addressed:
  1. problems of individual freedom to act & think in a world in which larger institutions and forces constrain that freedom.
    a. Frankfort school  (capitalism, popular culture, manipulated dialogues)
    b. gender/racial/cultural  biases embedded in/across society and its institutions
    c. dominant discourses  (normal/deviant)

  2. increasing power and penetration of surveillance techniques

  3. problem of being the "Other"
    a. systematic disadvantages to moving outside of "mold"
    b. Fanon, De Beauvoir, DeLoria
    c. techniques and strategies for fighting it from the position of the OTHER

4. Merging of oppositions together
   a. nature/culture
   b. market/art
   c. human/machine
   d. biology/technology

5. role of contradictions/fragmentation/flux
  a. critical theorists- capitalism will collapse on its own contradictions
  b. discourses can be exposed as arbitrary, through contradictions
  c. technology- contradictions/fragmentations are normal- no need for reconciliation

6. Resistance- how do we fight back?
   a.  art, or negation, tuning out
   b. critical theorists- class revolution
   c. Fanon- purification through violence
   d. DeLoria- strategic manipulation & exposure of contradictions on dominant discourse
   e. "transgressive" individual- make you question assumptions
   f. playing  out of contradictions & flux
      1. Haraway, Rheingold
         a. biological metaphor- viral resistance
         b.. localized resistance- not global
         c. more elusive, since self-organized
     2. different form of political action
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