The Dialectical Imagination: A History of the Frankfurt School & the Institute of Social Research, 1923-50

Herbert Marcuse, Erich Fromm, Max Horkheimer, Franz Neumann, Theodor Adorno, Leo Lowenthal, Friedrich Pollock—the impact of the Institute for Social Research on the sociological, political & cultural thought of the 20th century has been profound. In America alone, the Institute’s analysis of our society has proved remarkably prophetic, & its attempt, particularly thru Herbert Marcuse, to redefine political radicalism has revolutionized contemporary politics. Under its auspices an astonishing variety of subjects has been studied, from law in Western society to horoscope columns, from Stravinsky to China, from jazz to the sado-masochistic character.
The Dialectical Imagination is a major history of this monumental cultural & intellectual enterprise during its early years in Germany & the USA. With grace, clarity & impressive knowledge, Martin Jay traces the genesis of the Institute & its philosophy & examines the life & work of the extraordinary collection of persons who served as its members.