Greetings,

The Future Team of the Contemporary Korea Research Cluster invites you to a colloquium featuring a lecture and discussion with Professor Yongtaek Jung (Research Professor, Institute for Theological Thought, Hanshin University).

 Date: Monday, May 26, 2025
 Time: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
 Venue: Room 501, IBK Communication Center (Bldg. 64), Seoul National University

This talk explores the thought of Moishe Postone (1942–2018), a Jewish-Canadian critical theorist based in the U.S., as a way of rethinking the potential of contemporary critical theory.

In response to debates about the “end of critique,” raised by figures like Bruno Latour and Jacques Rancière, the speaker will analyze how Postone’s work serves as a “critical theory that critiques critical theory.”

Focusing on Postone’s seminal book Time, Labor, and Social Domination: A Reinterpretation of Marx’s Critical Theory (1993/2003), the presentation will examine key concepts such as the “treadmill effect,” capitalism’s fundamental contradictions, and the dynamics of its contradictory historical development.

Central themes will include:

• The distinction between material wealth and value

• The dialectic of abstract time vs. historical time

• The paradox of value reconfiguration driven by productivity

• The superfluity of labor and the necessity of value

Unlike traditional critical theory grounded in dichotomies such as “essence vs. appearance” or the “logic of inversion,” Postone’s approach is positioned as a new mode of critical praxis grappling with capital as a moving contradiction.

The lecture will also explore the contemporary applicability of Postone’s theory to financial capitalism, and—through a brief concluding section—demonstrate its relevance to the analysis of “exterminationist” hate politics in Korea’s far-right Protestant movements, using Postone’s controversial theory of modern antisemitism.

Ultimately, this presentation aims to investigate how Postone’s work opens up a new horizon for critical theory in times of theoretical crisis—and how it may contribute to understanding complex problems in today’s society.

We warmly invite all those interested to join us for this thoughtful and timely discussion.

Inquiries: Teaching Assistant Yongrae Jung (jyongr422@snu.ac.kr)