Marxist Criticism : Brief Discussion & Its Key-Features

'Capital is dead labor which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labor.'

(From 'Das Kapital')

- Narrator, Vol. 1, Part 3, Chapter 10

"I think it only makes sense to seek out and identify structures of authority, hierarchy, and domination in every aspect of life, and to challenge them; unless a justification for them can be given, they are illegitimate, and should be dismantled, to increase the scope of human freedom."

- Noam Chomsky

Introduction : This blog is a response to the thinking activity assigned by my professor Dr Dilip Barad concerning the Marxist Criticism as a part of Critical Studies, and is also the part of the series of blog wherein Marxist Criticism, Ecocriticism, Feminist Criticism, and Queer Criticism are dealt with. By clicking the following keywords, you will get redirected to the respective blogs. The thinking activity assigned to the students is to apply the ideas of chosen critical studies in day-to-day T.V. advertisements, serials, shows, songs, movies, poems, novels, etc. in order to practice what we have learnt and acquired under the umbrella of critical as well as cultural studies. 

Feminist Criticism, Eco-Criticism, Queer Criticism.

In this blog, I will be demonstrating the following points : 

• Brief Introduction to Marxism : 

• The Indispensability of Marxist Criticism : 

• Marxism & Capitalism : 

• Brief Introduction to Marxism : Marxism is an economical, social, and political movement emerged with the work 'Das Kapital : Kritik der politischen Ökonomie' (Capital : Critique of Political Economy) in 1867 with authorship of Karl Marx.

Marx aimed to reveal the economic patterns underpinning the capitalist mode of production in contrast to classical political economists such as Adam Smith, Jean-Baptiste Say, David Ricardo and John Stuart Mill. While Marx did not live to publish the planned second, third and fourth parts, they were both completed from his notes and published after his death by his colleague Friedrich Engels; the fourth volume was completed and published after Engels's death by Marxist philosoper Karl Kautsky. 'Das Kapital' is the most cited book published before 1950 in the social sciences. (Source)

Marxism is thus being known as the economical, social, and political philosophy that encompasses production and distribution of wealth amongst different social strata. It is generally thought to stand in favor of socialism over capitalist structure.

• The Indispensability of Marxist Criticism :

Despite the fact that Marxism provides the foundation for critical ground of economics, it has also to be seen under neutral eye of criticism. The criticism of Marxism is necessary as it outlines the pros and cons of the theory given by Karl Marx.

Changing the mode and forms of production, brings along the changes in social classes. It also incorporates with it the dominating industrial selling of products. Whenever there is selling, the marketing is correlative part of it. So, Marxist theory focuses on how the marketing of products are done by the industrial organizations and thus it brings the cultural criticism along with it. Sir Noam Chomsky, the present-day critic of Mass Media and Politics rightly states in his book 'On Anarchism' (2005) :

"All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume."

(From 'On Anarchism' (2005))

- Sir Noam Chomsky

Sir Pierre-Joseph Proudhon - a politician and philosopher - echoes same in his book 'General Idea of the Revolution in the Nineteenth Century' (1848) :

"To be governed is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be governed is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be placed under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality."

(From 'General Idea of the Revolution in the Nineteenth Century' (1st January, 1848))

- Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

So, we get to know about the ideas of how the controllers and the controlled in social, political, economical, and cultural strata are seen by Marxist Criticism approach wherein Marxism is placed at the centre while analyzing any given situation for study.

• Marxism & Capitalism :

The Marxism is always seen to be standing in favour of labour class or 'Lumpenproletariat' and voicing the rights of dominated people in social structures, especially the capitalist one.

There is always seen a constant rift between the ideology of Socialism and that of the Capitalism, including the abolition of Landlordism in India (1951), the abolition of Slave Trade in Britain (1807), the act of Slavery Abolishment in United States of America (1865) and rest are such glaring examples of people shifting from slavery to freedom.

We find certain movies like Mother India (1957), Namak Haraam (1973), Kaala Patthar (1979), Mazdoor (1983), and most recently Jai Bhim (2021).

Conclusion : Thus Marxist Criticism sets a never-before precedent in fields of Cultural Studies along with giving new approach and insightful view to look at any given situation for the analytical study and getting the best possible interpretations of the topic.

Thank you!