Social Memory in Theodor W Adorno
Social Memory, Working Through the Past; Theodor W. Adorno.
The objective of this thesis is to address the constitution of social memory and the process of working through the past from the critical theory of Theodor W. Adorno. Through the analysis of various elements of Adornian philosophy - his radical critique of capitalism, the predominant rationality in modernity, the relationship between subject and object, organizational fury, character formation, reified consciousness, among others - the idea of the plasticity of memory amidst the inherent contradictions of the capitalist system is explored. Far from being a deviation, the emphasis on social memory is revealed as an integral component of Adorno's critical diagnosis of modernity, reflected through his analytical duality, influenced by both Freudian psychoanalysis and Marxist critique of capitalism. The work aims to elucidate Adorno's understanding of social memory, seeking to comprehend its process of construction, through experiencing/elaborating without suppression of the object. This exercise may contribute to resistance against the impositions of the society of abstract labor and to the promotion of rationality that challenges the limitations imposed on individuals, as well as the permanence of dominant social and economic structures.