Commodity fetishism: Marx revisited

Lauren Langman and Peter Hudis

Chapter 4 in Research Handbook on Critical Theory, 2026, pp 28-40 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: In contemporary consumer capitalism, commodities serve as signs of identity and social status, reflecting cultural capital and insinuated needs. The Frankfurt School, influenced by technological advancements and media, updated Marx's critique of commodity fetishism to include rationality, psychodynamics, and the culture industries. To understand modern commodity fetishism, the aesthetics of commodities, their symbolic values providing “distinction”, and the psychological impact of advertising and media spectacles must be scrutinised. The proliferation of simulations for Baudrillard, and spectacles of consumption analysed by Debord, reflects a society where appearances and commodity relations supplant human interactions, leading to a loss of authenticity and the rise of hyper-reality.

Keywords: Commodity Fetishism; Society of the Spectacle; Distinction; Consumption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781800373754
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