This handout is based very closely on one developed by Dr. Richard Flores in the Department of Anthropology at UT-Austin.

READING THEORY

There is no special trick to reading theory. While it may appear to be more difficult than other forms of writing, theory can be understood by trying to identify what is at stake and the rhetorical strategies used. Here are some important ideas to keep in mind as you read (and write) theory.

• What concept(s) is the piece focused on? Try to pinpoint as precisely as possible the concept, problem, or conflict the author wishes to address.
  
  
• What is left out, whether deliberately or not? Is what is not said or addressed important? Why or why not?
  
  
• Theory is never written in a vacuum. It evolves from other theories, building on the insights or ideas of others. What are these other, cogent theories?
  
  
• How is the author modifying other theories? What has he or she accepted or rejected from the work of others? Answering this question usually provides a clue as to what the author is trying to say -- whether to expand upon or refute the work of others.
  
  
• Theory is dialogical, that is, it is written with other theoretical positions in mind and for a particular audience. How does author situate the work in relation to other ideas in the discipline, other theoretical approaches, other schools of thought?
  
  
• You want to focus on what the author is saying. How has the author characterized the concepts or questions at issue? Does the work fairly represent its antagonists, or are they misrepresented only to provide a straw man to be attacked?
  
  
• Does the work address the point at hand in a logical manner, i.e., do the conclusions make sense, do they follow from the data?
  
  
• Finally, is this approach useful, does it help understand a particular situation better, does it help address questions that are otherwise problematic?

Base your criticisms on the merits of the work and in its historical context. What are the strong and weak points that you perceive? Why do you identify them as such? Be as specific as possible in addressing these questions.

Be an informed and critical thinker not a dismissive cynic; be part of the conversation of your discipline in the spirit of critique. All theory has its merits as well as its weaknesses. Anyone can find fault, only critical thinkers can explain both the positive and negative aspects of a particular approach and avoid criticizing for the sake of criticizing.

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