In memoriam Jim Bohman

It is with great sadness that we let you know that Jim Bohman, our friend and colleague and founder of the Critical Theory Roundtable, died on Saturday January 9th, 2021.

Those who knew and worked with Jim know what a loss his premature death is. He was one of the most pioneering and influential critical theorists in his generation, and his scholarship connecting critical theory with broader themes in both political philosophy and the philosophy of social science has expanded and transformed our field, and the work many of us do. In multiple books and well over one hundred articles and book chapters, Jim's work ranged across a remarkably broad set of problems and authors: Habermas of course, but also first generation Critical Theory, German idealism, American pragmatism, theology, law, international relations, normative ethics, and the philosophy of social science.

Among his most influential works was Democracy Across Borders: From Demos to Demoi (2007), a book that brilliantly challenged normative political theorists to address the inadequate normative foundations for transnational democracy, and offered a fully developed deliberative theory to meet this challenge. Public Deliberation: Pluralism, Complexity and Democracy (1996/2000) and New Philosophy of Social Science (1991) were also widely read and influential books, and extended his influence in Deweyan pragmatism and interpretive social science, respectively.

At its core, Jim's own critical theory insisted that a Habermas-inspired theory of rational deliberation represented the best available route to a robust republican theory of transnational, indeed global democracy; a route that was already normatively demanded by the concept of democracy itself. The theory of republican cosmopolitanism JIm developed is multi-faceted and comprehensive.  It engages with, synthesizes, and transforms the discourse of normative political theory, effectively bringing Habermasian critical theory to the table with other major currents in contemporary political philosophy and international relations theory, where it remains to this day.

Jim was of course also the founder of the Critical Theory Roundtable—what began as the "Midwest Critical Theory Roundtable" nearly thirty years ago at Saint Louis University, where he spent his entire academic career after receiving his PhD from Boston University under the direction of Tom McCarthy. He was also one of the founding organizers of the Philosophy of Social Science Roundtable in 1998, along with Paul Roth and Alison Wylie. Jim was Danforth I Chair in the Humanities  at SLU when early-onset Alzheimer's disease forced him to retire several years ago, the disease that eventually ended his life. 

Jim's CTRT—it's hard to think of it any other way—was shaped by his own distinctive character and force of will.  Over the years and under Jim's guidance, the Roundtable grew to be an intense yet welcoming annual oasis where we critical theorists could try out new ideas in a spirit of shared excitement and inquiry, and where constructive criticisms could always be followed by socializing and a shared meal (and if possible, live jazz) to follow. For those of us who have participated in the CTRT since its beginning, the Roundtable became a crucial fixed point in the calendar of our professional lives. It remains an invaluable resource, and a source of continuity and growth, as the third generation of Critical Theorists has given way to a fourth and now an emergent fifth generation, and as our former graduate students begin to recommend to their own graduate students that they join the annual discussion. It is a significant part of Jim's legacy, and one he was very proud of.

For those who wish to make a donation in Jim’s honor, two organizations that meant a lot to him are Jazz St. Louis and St. Louis Crisis Nursery.