ABSTRACT
John Corner’s obituary for the concept of ideology in which he argues that we should not mourn its passing too much and begin to move on is premature (2001: 525-33).1 At the risk of appearing melancholic, I argue that the revival of the concept is of importance (no less) for the future of emancipation in general and the future of media studies as a politically engaged, critical field of study. The striking absence of the concept in current media studies, in contrast to its ubiquity in the 1970s and 1980s, is symptomatic both of the disturbingly widespread assumption of the theoretical and political exhaustion of the Enlightenment project and of the deeply unfortunate narrowness of media studies at the present time (itself a consequence of the otherwise desirable drive towards professionalisation of the field). There are, however, no compelling reasons for either to be the case. Indeed, the reverse is true. Persistent and indeed widening economic, social and political inequalities locally and globally mean that it is ethically imperative to breathe new critical life into media studies as media institutions are not only part of an economic system that prevents human flourishing, but also often present such a state of affairs as either inevitable or, indeed, desirable. The disheartening political situation should not sanction a turning away from critical intellectual engagement. There are, moreover, intellectual resources available for this enterprise that have been left untouched by media studies scholars.
