Dialectical Method and the Critical Political Economy of Culture

Abstract

This article argues that the quality that defines critical political economy is its critical method. Definitions of the critical political economy of culture are considered and shown to focus on specific theoretical concerns while not fully addressing the fundamental issue of method. Method is here discussed in terms of the way human reason is used to produce knowledge. A critical method for Marx is a historical materialist dialectical method, thus this paper argues for a deeper consideration of the Marxist dialectical method in relation to critical political-economic theorizing. Sources for methodological consideration from Marx to 20th-century Western Marxists are outlined. The potential contribution of the Marxist dialectical method in the continued development of the critical political economy of culture is demonstrated by showing the possibility of developing a complementary critical political economy of consciousness. Smythe's theorizing of audiences as workers is considered as a useful starting point, and its potential development through incorporation of the work of other critical scholars of media and culture is outlined.

Social justice for the poor: The framing of socioeconomic rights in selected South African newspapers

“…Beginning in the 1970s, a number of scholars have contributed to the growth of a political economy approach to studying media. These scholars defined their approach as ‘critical’ to distinguish it from neoclassical economics (Nixon, 2012). The CPE of media is associated with a wide range of theoretical standpoints, but almost all are broadly dedicated to macro questions of media ownership and control.…”

Toward a Political Economy of ‘Audience Labour’ in the Digital Era

“…There also seems to be the potential for tracing a long history of audience labour exploitation within the history of communication as capital, or the capitalist mode of communicative production. 8 8 I attempt both a preliminary examination of the history of audience labour exploitation and an analysis of two cases of digital audience labour exploitation in Nixon (2013).…”

“…Smythe (1978, 126) insisted the necessary method of integrating audience activity into political economy is a "historical, materialist, dialectical method." I have previously argued that a dialectical method that is also historical and materialist is the necessary method for political economic theorizing of communication (Nixon 2012). In this section, I will expand on that argument in order to develop a method specifically for producing a political economy of audience labour.…”

Dallas Smythe Today - The Audience Commodity, the Digital Labour Debate, Marxist Political Economy and Critical Theory.

“…It also shows a sustained interest in and relevance of Dallas Smythe's work, especially in the context of the digital labour debate. Several contributors stress that Smythe's audience commodity theory is very well applicable to digital labour on platforms like Facebook or YouTube (Ekman 2012, Fisher 2012, Hebblewhite 2012, Nixon 2012, Prey 2012, Prodnik 2012.…”