The Frankfurt School label originated with 1960s outsiders and gained mythical status through Marcuse

Evidence

The term Frankfurt School' was a label first applied by outsiders in the 1960s, but Adorno in the end used it himself with obvious pride. To start with, it described a critical sociology which saw society as an antagonistic totality, and which had not excluded Hegel and Marx from its thinking, but rather saw itself as their heir. The label has, however, long since become more vague and all-embracing. Herbert Marcuse's media notoriety as an idol of rebellious students along with Marx, Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh gave the Frankfurt School a mythical status. In the early 1970s the American historian Martin Jay brought this myth back down to earth, back to its basis in historical fact, and made clear how multi-faceted the reality behind the label Frankfurt School’ was. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 2

Categorization

• DEFINE: Precise origin of the contested ‘Frankfurt School’ label, with Marcuse’s role in mythologizing it and Martin Jay demythologizing it.
• XREF: connects to: The Frankfurt School is a retrospective construction mixing two distinct phases — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 10; The Frankfurt School label originated as an outsider term in the 1960s

Broader Connections

• The Frankfurt School is a retrospective construction mixing two distinct phases #corroborates (0.85) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 10