Globalizations of Cultural Criticism and the Transformative Roles of Critics

There is no shortage of criticism of globalization, but what of globalizations of criticism? Six transformative roles of cultural critics crucial to the 21st century are themselves critically examined here: exposure, dissent, analysis, interpretation, pragmatism and counter- production. Contemporary and historical examples ranging from Islamic criticism of the West to Chinese criticism of violence, from the Frankfurt School to that of Gandhi, become focal points around which a new "globalized criticism" of cultural, political and socioeconomic value is put forth, with worldwide campaigns underway for a "culture of peace" as a springboard. In these as contexts, as within our own, the empowering transformative roles of the critic emerge not from within single traditions organically, but from multiple ones by collaborative design. Questioning not only the assumptions of critical practices, but also their current technological and philosophical underpinnings, points to renewed critical practices for our times.