The Theory Toolbox: Critical Concepts for the New Humanities (Culture and Politics Series)
Always readable, often funny, and frequently profound, Nealon and Giroux tackle the most difficult and timely topics in theory with aplomb. An entire education in one tidy package. Students will find it invaluable, and advanced scholars will read it under the covers at night. (John McGowan, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)From their opening engagement with the punk song 'Why Theory?,' Nealon and Searls Giroux perform an impassioned and compelling argument for the productive work of theory as a crucial social action. As the title suggests,The Theory Toolbox, instead of simply reviewing schools of theory and criticism, aims to help students figure out what they can do with theoretical concepts as tools for living. Organized to provide a productive immersion in key concepts such as agency and ideology,The Theory Toolboxengenders pragmatic encounters with theorists from Nietzsche to Deleuze. Through pertinent political and social examples, Nealon and Searls Giroux succeed in demonstrating why theory matters and, most remarkably, why postmodern theory matters in everyday life. In succeeding, they make a critical intervention in undergraduate education and in wider debates over theory and practice. This book should be required reading for all students desiring to become thinking citizens. (Kevin DeLuca, University of Georgia)The Theory Toolboxis original and unusual, breaking the standard mold of social theory textbooks. It puts itself in the young theory student's shoes and imagines what s/he needs to know, and how best to convey difficult material. A distinctive feature of this book is its interdisciplinarity, borrowing concepts from humanities disciplines in order to enrich social and sociological theory. My theory students will definitely need this path-breaking book in their toolboxes. (Ben Agger)