Social criticism is a form of academic or journalisticcriticism focusing on social issues in contemporarysociety, in respect to perceivedinjustices andpower relations in general.
Five fragments of text produced by theancient Greek philosopherXenophanes (c.570-c.478 BC) cover aspects of social criticism, including comments on theadulation directed to leading sport players and advice on living a life of moderation. These fragments have been seen as anticipating some of the later writings ofPlato in hisRepublic.[1]
The origins of modern social criticism date back at least to theAge of Enlightenment. According to the historianJonathan Israel the roots of the radical enlightenment can be found inSpinoza and his circle.[2]
Satirical fables are also creatively used as a criticism strategy to expose the inaction and the superficial, performative efforts of governments and corporations in mitigating climate change and addressing environmental problems. For instance, Vuong Quan Hoang wrote inWild Wise Weird, "*Grand conclusion: The report is still completely honest, trustworthy, and ethical, even though the data are fabricated, and measurements are falsified. The methane emission reduction campaign has achieved phenomenal success. Therefore, the bird village approves the inclusion of the report in Kingfisher’s lifetime achievement archive."[6]
Walter Benjamin:Zur Kritik der Gewalt. In:Archiv für Sozialwissenschaften und Sozialpolitik, 1921, engl. Toward the Critique of Violence: A Critical Edition, Stanford University Press 2021
Cornelius Castoriadis: L'Institution imaginaire de la société (1975), engl.Imaginary Institution of Society: Creativity and Autonomy in the Social–historical World, London: Polity, 1997 (new edition)
Michel Henry:La barbarie. Bernard Grasset, Paris 1987,engl.Barbarism, Continuum 2012
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak:Can the Subaltern Speak? in: Cary Nelson & Lawrence Grossberg (Hgg.): Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture, University of Illinois Press, Chicago 1988,
Gilbert Rist:Le développement, Histoire d’une croyance occidentale. Presses de Sciences Po, Paris 1996 – engl.The History of Development: From Western Origins to Global Faith. Zed Books, London 2003
