‘Theory is always for someone and for some purpose’: The theoretical limits of critical and emancipatory theory

The central aim of critical and emancipatory approaches is to call ‘into question prevailing social and power relationships and the institutions into which they are organized’, as Neufeld argues (2004:109). Through this, critical theorists claim to be orientated towards change and challenging contemporary power relations (Hutchings, 2007). As we have seen in particular this entails a focus on and critique of the state and state sovereignty. However, in chapter 2 I argued that critical and emancipatory theorists do not engage with contemporary structures and discourses of power; their theoretical approaches are idealistic.