ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the roots of critical event studies (CES) as an emancipator event studies by showing that it shares a common inheritance with other critical fields and approaches. It considers the theoretical framework that constitutes the foundation and structures that form the building blocks of CES as a critical and emancipatory event studies by using an overview of a range of areas of academic activity as a stepping stone. In order to show the character and importance of criticality to CES we make a number of connections to sister fields. The list of example fields is not intended to be exhaustive or definitive; instead, it is intended to illuminate how the 'critical' part of 'critical event studies' fits into the work and ideas of those who attempt to engage in emancipatory scholarship. In the part the emancipatory character of CES is broken down into a number of theoretical building blocks.
