Božidar Debenjak
Encyclopedia
Božidar Debenjak is a Slovenia
n Marxist
philosopher, social theorist
and translator.
He was born in Ljubljana
, Slovenia
, then part of Yugoslavia
. In 1961, he became professor at the University of Ljubljana
For more than thirty years, he taught Marxist theory
and history of philosophy
at the Ljubljana University; many renowned Slovenian philosophers and sociologists were among his pupils, including Slavoj Žižek
, Mladen Dolar
, Rastko Močnik
, Igor Pribac
, Renata Salecl
and Tonči Kuzmanić. He was one of the first scholars to introduce the thought of the Frankfurt school
in the curricula of Yugoslav universities.
He has written several books, mostly on Marxist theory, including a monograph on the thought of Friedrich Engels
(Friedrich Engels: History and Alienation, 1970), in which he portrayed Engels as a "subtler historical materialist
than Marx", who "managed to establish a clearer dividing line between history and nature". His Introduction to Marxist Philosophy (1977) was published in 4 editions, and was one of the most influential synthesis of Marxist thought in Slovenia.
He also translated several works, mostly from German
, including several works by Karl Marx
(especially young Marx
), Friedrich Engels
, Rosa Luxemburg
, Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer
, Herbert Marcuse
, Karl Korsch
, Lenin, Jurgen Habermas
and Martin Luther
. He also translated Hegel's Phenomenology of the Mind, and co-authored one of the most comprehensive Slovene-German dictionaries.
He is married to Doris Debenjak, a Slovenian translator of Gottschee German
descent.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
philosopher, social theorist
Social theory
Social theories are theoretical frameworks which are used to study and interpret social phenomena within a particular school of thought. An essential tool used by social scientists, theories relate to historical debates over the most valid and reliable methodologies , as well as the primacy of...
and translator.
He was born in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, then part of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. In 1961, he became professor at the University of Ljubljana
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...
For more than thirty years, he taught Marxist theory
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
and history of philosophy
History of philosophy
The history of philosophy is the study of philosophical ideas and concepts through time. Issues specifically related to history of philosophy might include : How can changes in philosophy be accounted for historically? What drives the development of thought in its historical context? To what...
at the Ljubljana University; many renowned Slovenian philosophers and sociologists were among his pupils, including Slavoj Žižek
Slavoj Žižek
Slavoj Žižek is a Slovenian philosopher, critical theorist working in the traditions of Hegelianism, Marxism and Lacanian psychoanalysis. He has made contributions to political theory, film theory, and theoretical psychoanalysis....
, Mladen Dolar
Mladen Dolar
Mladen Dolar is a Slovenian philosopher, cultural theorist, film critic and expert in psychoanalysis.Dolar was born in Maribor as the son of the literary critic Jaro Dolar. In 1978 he graduated in Philosophy and French language at the University of Ljubljana, where he graduated under the...
, Rastko Močnik
Rastko Mocnik
Rastko Močnik is a Slovenian sociologist, literary theorist, translator and political activist. Together with Slavoj Žižek and Mladen Dolar, he is considered one of the co-founders of the Ljubljana school of psychoanalysis....
, Igor Pribac
Igor Pribac
Igor Pribac is a Slovenian philosopher and translator.Born in Koper in the Slovenian Littoral, then part of former Yugoslavia, where he attended high school. He studied philosophy and sociology at the University of Ljubljana. He obtained a MA with a thesis on Spinoza's criticism of Descartes under...
, Renata Salecl
Renata Salecl
Renata Salecl is a Slovenian philosopher, sociologist and legal theorist. She is a senior researcher at the Institute of Criminology, Faculty of Law at the University of Ljubljana...
and Tonči Kuzmanić. He was one of the first scholars to introduce the thought of the Frankfurt school
Frankfurt School
The Frankfurt School refers to a school of neo-Marxist interdisciplinary social theory, particularly associated with the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt am Main...
in the curricula of Yugoslav universities.
He has written several books, mostly on Marxist theory, including a monograph on the thought of Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
(Friedrich Engels: History and Alienation, 1970), in which he portrayed Engels as a "subtler historical materialist
Historical materialism
Historical materialism is a methodological approach to the study of society, economics, and history, first articulated by Karl Marx as "the materialist conception of history". Historical materialism looks for the causes of developments and changes in human society in the means by which humans...
than Marx", who "managed to establish a clearer dividing line between history and nature". His Introduction to Marxist Philosophy (1977) was published in 4 editions, and was one of the most influential synthesis of Marxist thought in Slovenia.
He also translated several works, mostly from German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, including several works by Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
(especially young Marx
Young Marx
Some theorists consider Karl Marx's thought to be divided into a "young" period and a "mature" one. There is disagreement to when Marx's thought began to mature, and the problem of the idea of a "Young Marx" is the problem of tracking the development of Marx's works and of its possible unity...
), Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
, Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg was a Marxist theorist, philosopher, economist and activist of Polish Jewish descent who became a naturalized German citizen...
, Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer
Max Horkheimer
Max Horkheimer was a German-Jewish philosopher-sociologist, famous for his work in critical theory as a member of the 'Frankfurt School' of social research. His most important works include The Eclipse of Reason and, in collaboration with Theodor Adorno, The Dialectic of Enlightenment...
, Herbert Marcuse
Herbert Marcuse
Herbert Marcuse was a German Jewish philosopher, sociologist and political theorist, associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory...
, Karl Korsch
Karl Korsch
-Biography:Korsch was born in Tostedt, near Hamburg, to Carl August Korsch, a secretary at the cantonal court and his wife Therese. In 1898 the family moved to Meiningen, Thuringia and Korsch senior attained the position of a managing clerk in a bank...
, Lenin, Jurgen Habermas
Jürgen Habermas
Jürgen Habermas is a German sociologist and philosopher in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. He is perhaps best known for his theory on the concepts of 'communicative rationality' and the 'public sphere'...
and Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
. He also translated Hegel's Phenomenology of the Mind, and co-authored one of the most comprehensive Slovene-German dictionaries.
He is married to Doris Debenjak, a Slovenian translator of Gottschee German
Gottschee County
Gottschee County refers to the former German speaking region in the Duchy of Carniola , a crownland of the Habsburg Empire, located in modern day Slovenia...
descent.
Major works
- Pota razvoja ("Paths of Development". Ljubljana, 1961).
- Friedrich Engels - zgodovina in odtujitev ("Friedrich Engels: History and Alienation". Maribor, 1970).
- V alternativi : marksistične študije ("In Alternative: Marxist Studies". Ljubljana, 1974).
- Meščanski kozmos in revolucionarna teorija: aspekti "kritične teorije družbe" ("The Bourgeois Universe and the Revolutionary Theory: Aspects of the 'Critical Theory of Society'. Ljubljana, 1977).
- Vstop v marksistično filozofijo ("Introduction to Marxist Philosophy". Ljubljana, 1977).