12/5/2016

TheLatestTheoryIsThatTheoryDoesn'tMatterTheNewYorkTimes

TheLatestTheoryIsThatTheory
Doesn'tMatter
ByEMILYEAKIN

APRIL19,2003

Theseareuncertaintimesforliteraryscholars.Theeraofbigtheoryisover.
Thegrandparadigmsthatsweptthroughhumanitiesdepartmentsinthe
20thcenturypsychoanalysis,structuralism,Marxism,deconstruction,
postcolonialismhavelostfavororbeenabandoned.Moneyistight.And
theleftistpoliticswithwhichliterarytheoristshavetraditionallybeen
associatedhavetakenabeating.
Inthelatestsignofmountingcrisis,onApril11theeditorsofCritical
Inquiry,academe'smostprestigioustheoryjournal,convenedthescholarly
equivalentofanAfghanstyleloyajirga.Theyinvitedmorethantwodozen
ofAmerica'sprofessorialelite,includingHenryLouisGatesJr.,Homi
Bhabha,StanleyFishandFredricJameson,totheUniversityofChicagofor
whattheycalled''anunprecedentedmeetingoftheminds,''anunusualtwo
hourpublicsymposiumonthefutureoftheory.
Understandably,expectationswerehigh.Morethan500people,mostly
studentsandfaculty,squeezedintoalecturehalltohearwhatthe
mandarinshadtosay,whilelatecomersmadedowithalivevideofeedset
upinthelobby.
Inhisopeningremarks,W.J.T.Mitchell,thejournal'seditoranda
professorofEnglishandarthistoryatChicago,setanupbeattoneforthe
proceedings.''WewanttobetheStarshipEnterpriseofcriticismand
theory,''hetoldtheaudience.
Butanythoughtthatthiswouldbeagleefulstrategysessionwithaneye
towardextendingtheory'sglobalreach,oranimpassioneddebateoverthe
meritsof,say,DerridaandLacan,wasquicklydispelled.
WhenJohnComaroff,aprofessorofanthropologyandsociologyatChicago
whowasservingastheevent'smoderator,turnedthefloorovertothe
panelists,forseveralmomentsnoonesaidaword.

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12/5/2016

TheLatestTheoryIsThatTheoryDoesn'tMatterTheNewYorkTimes

Thenastudentintheaudiencespokeup.Whatgoodiscriticismandtheory,
heasked,if''weconcedeinfacthowmuchmoreimportanttheactionsof
NoamChomskyareintheworldthanallthewritingsofcriticaltheorists
combined?''
Afterall,hesaid,Mr.FishhadrecentlypublishedanessayinCritical
Inquiryarguingthatphilosophydidn'tmatteratall.
Behindatableatthefrontoftheroom,Mr.Fishshookhishead.''IthinkI'll
letsomeoneelseanswerthequestion,''hesaid.
SoSanderL.Gilman,aprofessorofliberalartsandsciencesatthe
UniversityofIllinoisatChicago,repliedinstead.''Iwouldmakethe
argumentthatmostcriticismandIwouldincludeNoamChomskyinthis
isapoisonpill,''hesaid.''Ithinkonemustbecarefulinassumingthat
intellectualshavesomekindofinsight.Infact,ifthetrackrecordof
intellectualsisanyindication,notonlyhaveintellectualsbeenwrong
almostallofthetime,buttheyhavebeenwrongincorrosiveand
destructiveways.''
Mr.Fishnoddedapprovingly.''Ilikewhatthatmansaid,''hesaid.''Iwishto
denytheeffectivenessofintellectualwork.Andespecially,Ialwayswishto
counselpeopleagainstthedecisiontogointotheacademybecausethey
hopetobeeffectivebeyondit.''
Duringtheremainderofthesession,theonlypanelisttoventureadefense
oftheoryormentionaliterarygenrewasMr.Bhabha.''Therearea
numberofpeoplearoundthetablehereandanumberofpeopleinthe
audience,infactmostofyouhereareevidencethatintellectualworkhasits
placeanditsuses,''heinsisted.''Evenapoeminitsownobliquewayis
deeplytellingofthelivesoftheworldweexistin.Youcanhavepoemsthat
areintimatelylinkedwithpoliticaloppositionalmovements,poemsthat
actuallydrawtogetherpeopleinactsofresistance.''
Butnoonespokeuptoendorsethisclaim.Infact,foraconferenceofficially
devotedtotheory,theoryitselfgotverylittleairtime.Formorethanan
hour,thepanelistsbemoanedthewarinIraq,theBushadministration,the
ascendancyoftherightwingpressandtheimpotenceoftheleft.Afterward,

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TheLatestTheoryIsThatTheoryDoesn'tMatterTheNewYorkTimes

Mr.Gates,whoarrivedlatebecausehehadbeenattendingaconferencein
Wisconsin,said:''Foramoment,IthoughtIwasinthewrongroom.I
thoughtwewouldbetalkingaboutacademicjargon.Instead,itwasAl
QaedaandIraqnotthatthere'sanythingwrongwiththat.''
Finally,ayoungmanwithdreadlockswhosaidhewasagraduatestudent
fromJamaicaasked,''Soistheorysimplyjustanice,simpleintellectual
exercise,orsomethingthatshouldbetransformative?''
SeveralspeakersweighedinbeforeMr.Gatesstoodup.Asfarashecould
tell,hesaid,theoryhadneverdirectlyliberatedanyone.''MaybeI'mtoo
young,''hesaid.''Ireallydidn'tseeit:theliberationofpeopleofcolor
becauseofdeconstructionorpoststructuralism.''
Iftheory'spoliticalutilityisthisdubious,whydidthetheoristsspendso
muchtimetalkingaboutcurrentevents?CatharineR.Stimpson,apanelist
anddeanoftheGraduateSchoolofArtsandScienceatNewYork
University,offeredone,well,theory.''Thisparticulargroupofintellectuals,''
shesaid,''hasaterrorofbeingpoliticallyirrelevant.''

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