What are the crucial conflicts of our time? What hopes and wishes for a better future are expressed within these conflicts? The podcast Critical Theory in Context combines analysis of the present with perspectives on societal transformation. We host conversations with theorists and activists about social crises and the possibilities of their emancipatory overcoming.
Are we heading towards socialism or barbarism, or both? With Die Linke winning in Berlin and the AfD surging in the east, the question of liberation has become ever more urgent. In this episode, Jacob Blumenfeld speaks with Rahel Jaeggi and Christian Schmidt about the Centre for Social Critique’s annual theme for 2026-2027, “Blockade and Liberation.” The conversation touches upon a range of topics, including the ambivalence of liberation, the politics of fascization, the blockages of society, the form of the commune, and the logic of institutions. How can a critical theory of society be responsive to the complex dynamics at play in ambivalent and blocked movements for liberation? Listen and find out!
Thanks to Jürg Meister for sound editing.
25 Sept 2026
Das Gespenst der Vergesellschaftung – Land, Energie und die Frage nach dem Eigentum
Vergesellschaftung – das klingt für die einen nach demokratischer Kontrolle über Dinge, die alle etwas angehen. Für die anderen klingt es nach Enteignung und Sozialismus. Tatsächlich ist die Frage hoch aktuell: Im Juli 2026 hat die regierende Bundeskoalition angekündigt, Vergesellschaftungen auf Landesebene künftig gesetzlich verhindern zu wollen. Aber was heißt Vergesellschaftung eigentlich genau? Wer oder was wird da vergesellschaftet? Und wer entscheidet anschließend darüber? In dieser Folge geht es um ein am Center for Social Critique angesiedeltes Forschungsprojekt, das diesen theoretischen und praktischen Fragen nachgeht – am Beispiel von Land und Energie. Sabine Nuss und Rahel Jaeggi sprechen mit Jacob Blumenfeld, Rabea Berfelde und Solveig Degen darüber, auf welche Probleme Vergesellschaftung antwortet, wie sich eine mögliche Umsetzung bei Agrarland und Energieversorgung gestalten könnte und worin die jeweiligen Herausforderungen liegen.
28 Aug 2026
Forces of History
“Human beings make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances,” Marx wrote in 1852. But do human beings still make their own history, and if so, under what circumstances? That is the question of this episode, which explores the potentials and limits of the forces of history for human emancipation in an age where natural catastrophes, global crises, and economic chaos seem to be overwhelming the possibility for human control over their own fate. Can human beings live up to the demands of the present, or are they condemned to replay the past? Can revolution create something new? And what does it mean to let the dead bury the dead? To get into this deeper, Jacob Blumenfeld speaks with Robin Celikates about history, emancipation, and the promises of critical theory today.
The occasion for this discussion was the Forces of History roundtable that took on July 8, 2026 in Berlin with Alyssa Battistoni, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Lillian Cicerchia, Maeve Cooke, and Massimiliano Tomba, moderated by Robin Celikates and Rahel Jaeggi. The episode discusses and plays numerous clips from the event.
Thanks to Lane Hots for sound recording and editing.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
30 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 29 / 100
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Quality
25
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
82
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