CTWG RACKET THEORY DOSSIER
Translations, transcriptions from + essays on the ISR's early 40s 'Racket' project
Critics and theorists! Cross-posting this here because readers of ‘Substudies’ should be especially interested in the CTWG dossier on the ISR’s 1940s sketches on racket theory, or the return of direct forms of social domination under the impersonal rule of value in late capitalist society. With more to come this summer, our dossier thus far includes:
“Introducing Racket Theory: On the History and Themes of the Frankfurt School’s Racket Theory”—by J.E. Morain & yours truly. An introduction to our collection of texts by Horkheimer on 'racket theory.' This essay covers the history of the Frankfurt School's racket theory project as well as some of the core theoretical problems and themes.
“Fragments and Texts on Racket Theory: Texts by Max Horkheimer.” Translations of 5 “Concepts” on racket theory from the 1st print of Dialectic of Enlightenment in 1944–including the rest of the full “Theory of the Criminal”! + 1 fragment & 2 previously unpublished internal memos on the racket project from ‘42.
“On the Sociology of Class Relations. Essay by Max Horkheimer.” of Max Horkheimer's 1943 essay “On the Sociology of Class Relations.” This text analyzes the return of direct domination in late capitalism, conformist reformism in the labor movement, and the role of hierarchies in human history.
“From Racket Theory to Real Domination. A Comparison of the Frankfurt School and Jacques Camatte.” by J.E. Morain, a critical confrontation between the Frankfurt School and Jacques Camatte (RIP)!
“Class and Rackets, Part I - Conditions. On the Frankfurt School's racket concept.” by Re Tejus, who works towards synthesizing a critical theory of class!
I’ll update this page as more pieces from our dossier are published. A special thanks to webmaster, Anatarah Bin Alkaf, to J.E. Morain, whose careful and constant editorial work is the only reason this dossier saw the light of day, and to both Re Tejus and Mac Parker, whose enthusiastic reception and criticism of the ISR’s racket theory has inspired my own work on this collection since last fall!
Take care and, as always, nil admirari
—James Crane (6/24/2025)