Cultural critical theory is the theoretical achievement of Western cultural theorists in the 20th century who critically reflected on the cultural development of developed industrial societies。The concept of critical theory was first developed by German sociologists、Proposed by the philosopher Horkheimer。1937，Horkheimer in the article "Traditional Theory and Critical Theory"，First use of the term "critical theory"。He emphasized the difference between critical theory and traditional theory，Think that critical theory is in the way of thinking、There are a series of characteristics in terms of logical structure and observation angle，For example, traditional theory emphasizes empirical methods，Critical theory emphasizes intervention in society；Critical theory is not exactly a theory，And emphasize the derivation of theory；etc.。These theoretical features later became the main ideological connotations of critical theory and were discussed by people。At the same time，Because the critical theory advocated by Horkheimer is very prominent in the criticism of culture and ideology，Special emphasis on the critical function in the interpretation of Western social culture in the 20th century，So people often call it cultural critical theory。

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Horkheimer proposed the concept of critical theory，Also a major advocate of cultural critical theory，But cultural critical theory is not limited to Horkheimer’s research，But it contains a complex theoretical genealogy。Western cultural theorist Lukács、Horkheimer、Adorno、Benjamin、Marcuse、Lefebvre、Lefebvre、Lefebvre、Agnes Heller、Jameson、Althusser、Raymond Williams、Terry Eagleton and others have played an important role in promoting the development of critical theory，All can be classified into the camp of cultural critical theory。

Historically，Cultural critical theory has roughly gone through several theoretical stages: from the publication Bet365 app download of Lukács's "History and Class Consciousness" in 1923，By the publication of Horkheimer's "Traditional Theory and Critical Theory" in 1937，It is the early theoretical reserve stage of critical theory。The main theoretical achievement at this stage is the development of cultural critical theory and methods，The cultural critical theory group in the complete sense has not yet been formed，But the basic theoretical preparation is already available，Especially in 1923, Horkheimer and others established the famous Institute of Social Research at Frankfurt University，The formal Frankfurt School has been established。Another thing worth remembering is the "Journal of Social Research" founded by Horkheimer and others in 1932，Benyamin's famous "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" was published in early 1936。

The second stage is the theoretical promotion stage of the Frankfurt School，The time is probably from the 1930s and 1940s to the 1960s and 1970s，Main theoretical representatives include Horkheimer、Adorno、Marcuse、Fromm、Benjamin et al。1947，Horkheimer and Adorno publish "Dialectic of Enlightenment"；1964，Fromm publishes "Sound Society"；1964，Marcuse publishes "The One-Dimensional Man"，Greatly promoted the development of cultural critical theory。The theoretical research of the Frankfurt School is the most concentrated theoretical achievement of Western cultural critical theory research，Whether it is about cultural critical theory，It still played an important role in the evolution of the entire Western cultural trend。

The third theoretical development stage of cultural critical theory is the theoretical ebb of critical theory and the subsequent development stage of the new generation of critical theory，The time is probably from the late 1970s。After 1969，The Institute for Social Research of the Frankfurt School gradually disintegrated，Cultural critical theory begins to diverge。At the same time，The new generation of critical theorists such as Habermas、Rancière、Badiou、Agamben、Zizek、David Harvey and others began to have an important impact。The cultural critical bet365 best casino games theory of the new generation of critical theorists does not completely follow the theoretical path of the Frankfurt School，This means to some extent that the theoretical paradigm and influence of cultural criticism change with the development of the times。

　Inheriting the critical spirit of Marxism

Throughout the development of Western cultural critical theory，Basically, six major theoretical paradigms and development directions have been formed: First, popular culture and ideological criticism，The main representative is Horkheimer、Adorno、Benjamin、Fromm et al.；The second is criticism of daily life and modern reflective research，The main representative is Lukacs、Lefebvre、Agnes Heller、Marcuse et al；The third is spatial turn and critical research on spatial culture，The representative figure is Jameson、David Harvey、Lefebvre、Edward W. Sawyer and others；The fourth is research on cultural consumption and cultural production，The representative figure is Baudrillard、Mike Featherstone、Bourdieu、Terry Eagleton et al；The fifth is research on technical philosophy and technical rationality，Representative figures include Habermas、Lyotard、Andrew Feenberg et al；Sixth is the study of aesthetics and cultural politics，Representative figures include Gramsci、Rancière、Badiou、Agamben、Zizek et al。These theorists are based on the aesthetic and cultural reality of Western capitalist society since modern times，Through Literature、Art、Aesthetics and popular culture research and other methods and media，An in-depth theoretical analysis and criticism of contemporary Western capitalist social culture，Became the most important theoretical representative and ideological group of cultural critical theory。

Cultural critical theory has common ideological sources and theoretical characteristics。Cultural critical theory first inherits the critical reflection spirit of classic Marxist aesthetics and cultural theory，Adhering to the methodology of unifying aesthetics and history，The theoretical paradigm of cultural Marxism and its ideological interpretation method have been formed in the theoretical and ideological perspective of culture and society。Bet365 app download The second is the formation of the methodological proposition of cultural criticism。Under the guidance of Horkheimer and others，Cultural critical theory attaches great importance to the methodological spirit of Marxist materialism in philosophy，Rethinking the critical traditional logical positivism or logical empiricism method，Emphasis on economic life in capitalist society、Research on cultural lifestyle and other aspects replaces the traditional theoretical approach of philosophical speculation，Thus moving towards a critique of the cultural logic of capitalism。

From a theoretical perspective，Cultural critical theory emphasizes the study of popular culture and ideology、Criticism of Daily Life and Research on Contemporary Art Experience，In Culture and Society、Theory and experience、Research on the cultural structure and aesthetic experience of criticism and practice，Reveals the cultural transformation of modern Western capitalist society、The process of value change and thought fission，A complex relationship is established between aesthetic discourse and the development of modern culture，Expanded the vision and theoretical territory of contemporary cultural studies。Horkheimer and his fellow philosophers were once ambitious，Strive to open a theoretical avenue in the critical analysis of contemporary social culture with critical theory as the core。Practical proof，The theoretical efforts of Horkheimer and others have been rewarded in the development of critical theory，The cultural critical theory they pioneered updated people’s understanding of cultural theory，Greatly expands the scope of issues in contemporary aesthetics and cultural theory research，It also makes cultural critical theory continue to receive attention in the development of contemporary cultural thought。

　　Observation and thinking based on different contexts

Cultural critical theory as an important literary trend，Introduced to China in the 1980s，And it has had a positive impact in the process of combining it with the Chinese context。After decades of development，Currently，Cultural critical theory is still one of the theoretical trends that has the greatest influence on contemporary Chinese literary theory。In the development of bet365 best casino games new cultural theory，How to further criticize and draw on the theoretical advantages of Western cultural critical theory，Promote the construction of the theoretical discourse system and discourse methods of contemporary Chinese cultural criticism，This is the main question that Chinese scholars should consider when studying contemporary Western cultural critical theory。

About this issue，First of all, there is a consideration of the context of cultural critical theory。There are two observation dimensions here，First, the origin context of cultural critical theory。As a social and cultural trend，The origin context of cultural critical theory emphasizes the cultural structure of capitalist society、Performance of cultural experience and cultural logic。At this level，Western cultural critical theory connects the Marxist concept of cultural criticism with the cultural issues of contemporary Western capitalism，Creating a "theoretical concentric circle" structure with the origin theory and classical thought of Marxism as the core，Which contains Marxism、Sociology、Cultural Studies、Psychoanalysis、Semiotics、Feminism、Space theory、Postcolonialism and other theoretical concepts。How to deeply analyze the theoretical paradigm and aesthetic spirit contained in this "theoretical concentric circle" structure，is the key to studying this origin context。

The second is the Chinese context of cultural critical theory。The Chinese context of cultural criticism，What stands out is the study of the correlation between cultural critical theory and the Chinese context。Contemporary Chinese cultural studies and cultural criticism have actively applied Western cultural critical theory in many studies。But，Chinese scholars in the process of accepting Western cultural critical theory，In theoretical form、What changes have occurred in theoretical analysis and practical form？What kind of problems arise during the process of deepening the interpretation？In what sense does Western cultural critical theory strengthen and promote the development and value of contemporary Chinese literary theory？These issues still belong to the Chinese context of Western cultural critical theory。

　　Displaying the paths and characteristics of Chinese theoretical research

Bet365 lotto review Currently，On the one hand，Cultural critical theory has shown more of a “Chinese form” of critical theory in China，Critical theory has also become a typical "aesthetic theory"，This itself shows a difference from the development path of Western cultural critical theory: Western cultural critical theory does not occur from the aesthetic level，It happens from the social level and later affects aesthetics；China’s path to accepting Western cultural critical theory is different，More from the aesthetic level，From popular culture、Occurs from the perspective of the particularity of aesthetics such as consumer culture。The differences in theoretical paths mark the differences in historical and cultural situations during the travel and expansion of theory，Of course it will also affect the process and trend of theoretical development。For example，Critical theory has become a typical "aesthetic theory" in China，This has also led to the continuous emergence of cultural critical theory in China，It became more of a theoretical study，The study of economic life、Research on cultural capital、Research on production methods and cultural logic is relatively lacking。

On the other hand，Facing the rise of various emerging cultural forms and contents，Contemporary Chinese cultural critical theory research still has not found a suitable theoretical grasp form between culture and society，Multiple theoretical integration and development are still needed on the theoretical and practical levels。All this indicates the necessity of strengthening the Chinese context and problem level research of cultural critical theory，Cultural critical theory cannot be reduced to a cultural concept or form of expression，Otherwise it loses its sharpness and edge。With the perspective and method of cultural critical theory，In-depth cultural field of contemporary literary aesthetics research，Reflections on the value of realizing cultural research；In the critical spirit of cultural critical theory，Focus on aesthetic and cultural issues in the era of the rise of popular culture；From the caring perspective of cultural critical theory，Pay attention to the aesthetic communication and spirit of contemporary people、Bet365 lotto review Changes in psychological structure；Taking the study of cultural critical theory as an opportunity，Making a difference in the revitalization of traditional culture and the construction of cultural soft power。These are the contemporary issues raised by the study of the Chinese context and issues of cultural critical theory。

(Author’s affiliation: School of Liberal Arts, South China Normal University)