New Books in Critical Theory

Marshall Poe

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This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to ... more

466 ratings

Publishes	Daily	Episodes	2339	Founded	14 years ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	Social SciencesScience

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Latest Episodes

In Pursuit of the Inconceivable: An Investigation of Metaphysics and Mysticism with Peter G. Jones (Essentia Books, 2025)

In Pursuit of the Inconceivable: An Investigation of Metaphysics and Mysticism (Essentia Books, 2025) is a compelling exploration of fundamental questions about existence, reality, and the meaning of life that challenges the traditional scepticism of... more

29 Oct 2026 • 1 hr 8 min

Poetry in General: How a Literary Form Became Public with Keegan Cook Finberg (Columbia UP, 2025)

What is the place of poetry in the modern world? In Poetry in General: How a Literary Form Became Public (Columbia UP, 2025), Keegan Cook Finberg, an Associate Professor of English at University of Maryland, Baltimore County narrates the contemporary... more

27 Oct 2026 • 46 min

Once Upon a Time in South Central LA: John Singleton's Hood Trilogy with Mark D. Cunningham (UP of Mississippi, 2026)

After the groundbreaking success of his debut film, Boyz N the Hood in 1991, filmmaker John Singleton (1968–2019) gained worldwide acclaim, earned the respect of major film industry figures, and became the topic of both scholarly and popular culture ... more

27 Oct 2026 • 1 hr

Rehearsing the Future: The Thought and Practice of James and Grace Lee Boggs with Michael Doan (AK Press, 2026)

In Rehearsing the Future: The Thought and Practice of James and Grace Lee Boggs (AK Press, 2026), Michael Doan explores the work and legacy of James and Grace Lee Boggs, two of the most influential American radical thinkers of the twentieth century. ... more

27 Oct 2026 • 1 hr 13 min

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Recent Guests

Michael Doan

Associate Professor of Philosophy at Oakland University, activist, educator, and philosopher

Oakland University

Episode: Rehearsing the Future: The Thought and Practice of James and Grace Lee Boggs with Michael Doan (AK Press, 2026)

Keegan Cook Finberg

Associate Professor of English at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and author of Poetry in General

University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Episode: Poetry in General: How a Literary Form Became Public with Keegan Cook Finberg (Columbia UP, 2025)

Mark D. Cunningham

Professor and chair of the Department of Radio-Television-Film at Austin Community College, specializing in film and television studies.

Austin Community College

Episode: Once Upon a Time in South Central LA: John Singleton's Hood Trilogy with Mark D. Cunningham (UP of Mississippi, 2026)

Maxime Polleri

Anthropologist studying contemporary Japan and Canada, with a focus on disaster governance and misinformation

Laval University

Episode: Radioactive Governance: The Politics of Revitalization in Post-Fukushima Japan with Maxime Polleri (NYU Press, 2026)

Sara Ahmed

Independent feminist scholar whose work includes eleven books, including The Feminist Killjoy Handbook

Episode: No! The Art and Activism of Complaining

Amanda Batarseh

Assistant professor of literature at the University of California, San Diego, whose research focuses on Palestinian literature and Arab cultural production

University of California, San Diego

Episode: Rooted Movements: The Radical Poetics of Palestinian Space with Amanda Batarseh (Syracuse UP, 2026)

Talitha L. LeFlouria

Historian of Black women, mass incarceration, and the legacies of American slavery

The University of Texas at Austin

Episode: Searching for Jane Crow: Black Women and Mass Incarceration in America from the Auction Block to the Cell Block with Talitha LeFlouria (Beacon Press, 2022)

Teresa M. Bejan

Political theorist and historian of political thought who teaches at Oxford

University of Oxford

Episode: First Among Equals: Visions of Equality Before Egalitarianism with Teresa M. Bejan (Harvard UP, 2026)

Thomas Fuchs

Karl Jaspers Professor of Philosophical Foundations of Psychiatry at Heidelberg University Psychiatric Hospital

Heidelberg University Psychiatric Hospital

Episode: In Defence of the Human Being: Foundational Questions of an Embodied Anthropology with Thomas Fuchs (Oxford UP, 2021)

Hosts

Matthis Frickhoeffer

Host of New Books Network (New Books in Critical Theory)

Lydian

Host of the interview

Morteza Hajizadeh

Host of New Books Network

Reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars from 466 ratings

Edward Yore
A podcast devoted to new books in critical theory would be great.
But this is infrequently actually about critical theory. So many cross posted interviews, appearing on multiple New Books podcasts. I’m sure these books are super interesting to some people but the heading is misleading.
Apple Podcasts
2
Edward Yore
United Kingdom7 months ago
unsubscribing due to ads
the placement of ads is abrupt and comes without warning, it's very annoying to the point that I can no longer listen to these episodes.
Apple Podcasts
1
irrelevance is taken
United States7 months ago
Thank you
Really enjoyed this conversation with Dr Welch.
Apple Podcasts
5
12345carole12345
Canada8 months ago
Learn to use a microphone
Trying to listen to Wolin’s discussion of his new Heidegger book. Not sure if it’s Wolin or his interlocutor who keeps touching his microphone, but good grief. Unlistenable, even beyond Wolin’s tedious prolixity.
Apple Podcasts
1
Hieronymus667
Canada10 months ago
More 2 Author Discussions
Absolutely engaging and informative discussion between Slobodian and Stern and the kind of format change that will set the pod apart. Hope you decide to continue in this direction.
Apple Podcasts
5
carterfrancis
United Statesa year ago

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Sound quality and ad placement are common critique points that affect listening experience.

Guest quality and topic relevance are generally praised, though some episodes feel unbalanced or too author-led for some listeners.

Listeners value the rigorous, idea-forward conversations and the chance to hear scholars discuss authorship and critique in depth.

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Apple Podcasts	#24	United States/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#250	United States/Science
Apple Podcasts	#26	Canada/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#67	United Kingdom/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#219	Canada/Science
Apple Podcasts	#28	Germany/Science/Social Sciences

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

How to Stay Human Forever: On America's Digital Technology Crisis with James Poulos

Q: Can you define for me what the paradox or puzzle of self mastery is?

Poulos says the paradox is that mastering the self raises the question of who is doing the mastering. The attempt can become an infinite regress, so he argues that a stable account of selfhood requires an authority beyond the self.

How to Stay Human Forever: On America's Digital Technology Crisis with James Poulos

Q: What is the digital catastrophe?

Poulos says the catastrophe is the unintended fallout of accelerating digital technology: machine memory and data have begun to shape human life, while political, economic and social systems struggle to adapt.

Working with Critical Realism: Stories of Methodological Encounters with Alpesh Maisuria and Grant Banfield (Routledge, 2022)

Q: If you're very new to it or you're still intimidated and struggling, where else should you be looking? What texts, communities, networks, or online resources would you recommend?

Banfield recommends searching online and joining a community of practice. Maisuria suggests reading foundational works by Roy Bhaskar, The Order of Natural Necessity, Grant Banfield's Critical Realism for Marxist Sociology of Education, the Encyclopaedia of Marxism and Education, and Mervyn Hartwig's Up From Midnight.

Working with Critical Realism: Stories of Methodological Encounters with Alpesh Maisuria and Grant Banfield (Routledge, 2022)

Q: Could you perhaps start by telling us about the genesis of the book? Why did you feel it was important to gather these stories of methodological encounters, and how did you set about bringing together such a wide range of contributors?

Maisuria and Banfield wanted to collect accounts by researchers who were new to critical realism, so newcomers could learn from others wrestling with its difficult ideas. Their own conversations and mutual support inspired the collection, which presents varied research journeys and encourages rigorous work with a socially progressive purpose.

Painting Paranoia: Cold War Art and Anti-Communism with Julia Bailey (U Illinois Press, 2026)

Q: How much do we have to understand what's going on through looking at singular people or the bigger institutions, state policies?

Bailey says she balances individuals and institutions because people had agency in constructing and sustaining anti-communist narratives. She describes McCarthyism as a gradual, collective mindset, rather than simply an institutional aberration beyond individual control.

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Frequently Asked Questions About New Books in Critical Theory

What is New Books in Critical Theory about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show features in-depth conversations with scholars about recently published books across philosophy, critical theory, politics, and social science. Episodes commonly cover topics like postcolonial theory, capitalism, environmental governance, feminist labor, and the ethics of argumentation, often connecting theoretical ideas to real-world case studies and teaching practice. A notable strength is the sustained, academically rigorous dialogue that situates complex texts within broader intellectual and social debates, occasionally pairing ground-breaking theoretical work with accessible applications for students and practitioners. Its focus on scholarly books and critical perspectives makes it a rich resource for researchers, educators, a... more

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What guests have appeared on New Books in Critical Theory?

Recent guests on New Books in Critical Theory include:

1. Michael Doan
2. Keegan Cook Finberg
3. Mark D. Cunningham
4. Maxime Polleri
5. Sara Ahmed
6. Amanda Batarseh
7. Talitha L. LeFlouria
8. Teresa M. Bejan

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