Culture is today one of the primary interests of Marxist thought, which
takes to cultural analysis rather often. Karl Marx himself gave little
attention to the concept and working of culture in his own writings. This as a
result of Marx's focus on economical and political factors, granting culture
only a secondary position. Marx positioned culture in the superstructure, which
for him was derived for the economical base of material practice. The role of
the superstructure, according the Marx, is to mask and justify the inequalities
and exploitation which take place in the material base. Culture for Marx is therefore something which
abstracts the truth and creates "false consciousness" and an
incorrect perception of social, political and economic reality endorsed by the
ruling class.
Marx's successors in the 20th century had a hard time maintaining
his perception of culture as secondary to the material dimension. Neo-Marxist
thinking throughout the 20th century began to focus more and more on
culture and its workings, giving birth to the discipline known as cultural
studies. One field of cultural research within the Marxist tradition is that of
asking how, and if, art and culture can subvert the workings of capitalism or
how the cater for its greedy needs. The Frankfurt School for social thought is
famous for the notion of cultural industry is an example of such research of
culture within the Marxist tradition. Such a view of culture could stress its
repressive function, such as in popular and mass culture. Another way Marxist
thinkers can analyze culture is by asking how the interchange of power if facilitated
by it, and the battle between different interests drawn through it. Unlike the
Frankfurt School, this Marxist approach for cultural analysis, which is often
attributed to the legacy of Gramsci, feels that culture can indeed be
subversive and to challenge the ruling order.
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