ABSTRACT
Alienation is a concept that Marx used throughout his life, from the early philosophical works like the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts to Capital. The concept on the one hand is Marx’s version of the general notion of domination. On the other hand, it has a more specific meaning, namely the objective conditions and the process of the exploitation of labour in class societies.
This chapter introduces Marx’s concept of alienation and its relevance for studying communication and culture. Section 7.2 focuses on economic alienation. Section 7.3 deals with political and cultural alienation. Section 7.4 discusses the relevance of alienation in the critical analysis of communication and culture.
Alienation is the process and a social relation of domination. In alienation, humans lack control over products, objects, and themselves as subjects. There are economic, political and cultural forms of alienation: Exploitation, dictatorship, and ideology. These forms of alienation interact with each other in a complex manner.
Marx used the notion of alienation throughout his works, from the early to the late ones. The claim of Louis Althusser that alienation is an esoteric concept that can only be found in Marx’s early works is incorrect.
Alienated communication systems feature alienated economic communication(s), alienated political communication(s), and alienated cultural communication(s). Ideas are, in class-based societies, often contested, e.g. social struggles over meanings, interpretations, and symbols.
