Negative dialectics and the politics of hope: Bloch, Adorno and the return of the object

This thesis explores two fundamental texts, Adorno's Negative Dialectics and Ernst Bloch's The Principle of Hope. The objective of this thesis is to examine notions of representation as conceived by the two social theorists. Rather than seeing Adorno and Bloch at odds with each other, I attempt to establish relevant connections between their two positions concerning adequate forms of representation. Further, I am particularly interested in the concepts of hope, utopia and the future as developed by these theorists. The key theoretical orientation I use in my analysis is the concept of dialectics as developed by Kant, Hegel, Marx, and the Frankfurt School. I examine Adorno's notion of non-identity and make a parallel analysis of Bloch's hope-based "open system" in terms of a conceptual relationship capable of informing a progressive politics. I contend that Adorno poses some difficulty in applying his non-identical philosophy to political action and participation. However, complemented with Bloch's notion of hope, I believe individuals and groups may utilize Adorno's negative dialectic as a future oriented form of political representation. In closing, I explore a formulation of subject-object dialectics based on the conceptual relationship developed between Adorno and Bloch in which nature and the environment play a vital role in shaping political representation in the future.