Rather than merely dismissing Theory writing as visibly pretentious and abstract, this book examines its principal concepts from the perspective of academic psychology and shows that although many of these analyses sound like revolutionary psychological theory, few, if any, have empirical implications that students can evaluate.

Chapter One:
Cultural Studies and Capital-T Theory The Problem of ‘Theory’ Cultural Studies and/as Psychology Texts and Science  Theory's Challenge    Chapter Two:
What is Theory About? Immaterial Foundations After the ‘Sokal Hoax’ Theory is Not Metaphor   Chapter Three:
Different Things Language Problems Reductionism and ‘Essentialism’ Relations and Things Becoming Theoretical Real Differences: ‘Race’ and Identity Making Sense of Difference   Chapter Four:
Theory, People and ‘Subjects’ Psychology and the Emergence of Cultural Studies The ‘Return to the Signifier’ Semiotic Subjects, or Persons? Decentring Psychology Equivocating: Anti-‘Essentialism’ Subjects Need Biology   Chapter Five:
‘Post-Human’ Theory and Cultural Studies The Printing Press, Digital Media and Humanism Enlightenment Humanism Escaping the Human? Problems of Coherence   Chapter Six:
Affecting Ontologies Affect as an Entity The Trinity: Feeling, Emotion, Affect Becoming Ontological – The Student’s Problem Affect extraordinaire: Horse Sense?   Chapter Seven:
Real experience, Un-real Science Moving Science: The Body in Theory Vital Phenomenology Neo- or Non-Psychology? Realism as an Ethical Attitude   Chapter Eight:
Theory and Education Realism as a Default Position When Students ‘do Theory’ Teaching Theory Bluffing  ‘Post-Humanities’ and Education No Laughing Matter