Theoretical Argumentation
The theoretical essay is one of the most common forms of academic writing. Using a theory is like using a tool: you take it with you to your job of reading and interpreting a text and use it to structure your attention and aid in discovery. Sometimes we refer to theoretical arguments as “lens” essays since you view the text(s) you are analyzing through the theory you have chosen. Like a lens, the theory will color the text, bring certain things into focus, and make others fade out of view. Theory helps remove “noise” from analysis, allowing you to notice certain features of a thing more clearly and comprehensively.
We might, for example, use a feminist theory to examine a novel. In this case, the theory would sensitize us to certain aspects of the text such as the power relationships between the female and male characters or how social authorities or institutions treat men and women differently. Alternatively, we might perform a Marxist analysis which would cause us to study how social class and disparities in wealth shape the narrative and the various characters’ outcomes in the fictional world they inhabit. But theory is not just for the analysis of literature or film. We might, for example, appropriate some sociological or economic theory to analyze how people behave at the mall, use some psychological model to explain why individuals submit to fraternity hazing, or show how game theory helps explain the nuclear postures of global superpowers.
There is an extraordinary variety of theoretical models that may be used for the interpretation of texts, cultural forms, and various kinds of data. In fact, every field of study uses theory in some way—from literary criticism to the hard sciences. As you begin to specialize within a chosen discipline of study, you will encounter the theoretical models that are important for that discipline. However, it is important to understand that virtually any text may be used as a means of thinking about, or analyzing, some other text, artifact, or situation.
The essential feature of this form of writing is the explanation of an idea, term, or argument from the theory and its use as a way of understanding or describing the target text. If we assume that the audience we address does not know the theory, what context must they have in order to follow the logic of our analysis?
Theory Example
Here is a slice of a theoretical analysis that might give you a sense of how to use the theory and provide proper context for your analysis. We might imagine discovering the following paragraph several pages into the argument:
Although Freire argues that liberation education culminates in a collective effort to change the world, Max’s efforts in this regard fail to embrace the communitarian philosophy that Freire espouses. Freire insists that education and knowledge may only occur within dialogue—in the open exchange of ideas between equal partners engaged in a process of mutual inquiry directed toward the world (88). For Freire, these moments of co-inquiry inevitably lead to “praxis”—where the views, ideas, and values held by a community are used to transform the world into a more democratic and free society (75). While Max is keen to change the world, shaping it to his needs and wants, his praxis is always self-interested; he fails to understand Freire’s imperatives of community, dialogue, and consensus. In essence, rather than shape the world with others, as Freire implores, Max insists on altering the world for himself alone.
Perhaps the most revealing instance of Max’s failed praxis is his effort to construct a world-class aquarium on the Rushmore campus. [Blah, blah, blah].