The Routledge Guidebook to Horkheimer and Adorno’s Dialectic of Enlightenment

Fred Rush author Espen Hammer author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Publishing:27th Oct '25

£24.99

This title is due to be published on 27th October, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

The Routledge Guidebook to Horkheimer and Adorno’s Dialectic of Enlightenment cover

Composed whilst in exile in the United States during the Second World War, Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno’s Dialectic of Enlightenment is the most famous and influential text of the Frankfurt School. A theoretical exploration of history, modernity, and culture, its core warning of crisis and regression remains highly relevant today. However, it is also a notoriously complex work of philosophy.

The Routledge Guidebook to Horkheimer and Adorno’s Dialectic of Enlightenment is the first fully contextualized introduction to this foundational text in philosophy and social theory, addressing its central themes, reception, and influence. The Guidebook examines:

  • The conceptual and intellectual background to Dialectic of Enlightenment
  • The ideas, themes, and arguments of the text
  • The reception and legacy of Dialectic of Enlightenment.

A comprehensive and clearly written guide to this important text, The Routledge Guidebook to Horkheimer and Adorno’s Dialectic of Enlightenment will be invaluable to students coming to the work for the first time, as well as more advanced students and researchers in philosophy, politics, sociology, and the history of ideas.

'Presents the background and main steps of Horkheimer’s and Adorno’s seminal work masterfully, succinctly exposing and evaluating its controversial features. Precisely because these highly controversial considerations of the Dialect account for its undiminished topicality, this Guidebook is the ideal aid for anyone who exposes themselves to its claims and attempts to think with it.' - Christoph Menke, Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Germany

'Students are often keen to study Dialectic of Enlightenment, but find it tough-going. This book is an excellent aid in unriddling the context, structure, and goals of the Dialectic. Scholars will find it is equally well suited for the purpose of getting acquainted with the deeper features of the Dialectic, and as a teaching aid in discussing it with others.' - Owen Hulatt, University of York, UK


'Presents the background and main steps of Horkheimer’s and Adorno’s seminal work masterfully, succinctly exposing and evaluating its controversial features. Precisely because these highly controversial considerations of the Dialect account for its undiminished topicality, this Guidebook is the ideal aid for anyone who exposes themselves to its claims and attempts to think with it.' - Christoph Menke, Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Germany

'Students are often keen to study Dialectic of Enlightenment, but find it tough-going. This book is an excellent aid in unriddling the context, structure, and goals of the Dialectic. Scholars will find it is equally well suited for the purpose of getting acquainted with the deeper features of the Dialectic, and as a teaching aid in discussing it with others.' - Owen Hulatt, University of York, UK

ISBN: 9781032048901

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 453g

240 pages