Frankfurt Institute (Institute for Social Research)

The Frankfurt Institute refers to the Institute for Social Research (Institut für Sozialforschung) at the University of Frankfurt, the institutional home of the Frankfurt School of critical theory. It was founded with private wealth, was confiscated by the Nazi regime as Communist property, and was later exiled, eventually entering American academia through methodological collaborations.

Claims that use this term

• The Rockefeller Foundation refused to fund independent Frankfurt Institute research
• The Nazi regime legally confiscated the Frankfurt Institute as Communist property
• Lazarsfeld’s methodological collaboration helped the exiled Frankfurt Institute enter American academia
• Private wealth alone allowed the Frankfurt Institute to exist independently of the university
• The exiled Frankfurt Institute isolated itself from American academic life while resenting its marginalization.
• The exiled Frankfurt Institute ran on grants while preparing its staff for academic careers.