The end of labour: critical theory on the economy

Rodney Doody

Chapter 8 in Research Handbook on Critical Theory, 2026, pp 74-87 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter argues that critical research into the economy must be grounded in the basic concepts of Marx's foundational critique of political economy—an approach affirmed by the first generation of critical theory, even as they moved beyond Marx in response to capitalism's ongoing transformations. This tradition regards the economy as a materialised abstraction that naturalises struggle while shaping perception, moulding sensibility, and determining human needs. Research in this domain must remain attentive to the historically specific configurations of capitalism, with particular focus on the forms of both subjective and objective domination that have sustained the economic order over time. The chapter concludes by proposing that, though primarily negative in its orientation, critical theory also opens the possibility for imagining and researching a qualitatively different economy—one centred on the fulfilment of genuine human needs and the transcendence of unnecessary labour.

Keywords: Alienated Labour; Transformations of Capitalism; Exchange Principle; Human Needs; Real Abstraction; Total Integration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781800373754
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