Rethinking Critical Theory: Weaknesses and New Directions

Towards a history of critical marketing studies

“…Certainly, from the literature consulted above, critical marketers seem to be unconvinced that the marketplace provides people with the opportunity to 'selfactualize' (Kilbourne, 1987a(Kilbourne, , 1987b or 'self-realize' (Freundlieb, 2000). They are especially critical of the idea that the 'market' produces 'certain kinds of consumer positions that consumers can choose to inhabit' (Arnould & Thompson, 2005, p. 871;cf.…”

“…As a neo-Marxian perspective (Agger, 1976), broadly speaking research inspired by critical theory assumes that social reality is structured by socio-economic, cultural, and biological influences, together with power relations (Freundlieb, 2000;Fromm, 1942Fromm, / 2002Horkheimer & Adorno, 2002). Critique, for this diverse group of thinkers, functions in 'unmasking' inequalities in exchange relationships (Horkheimer, 1935(Horkheimer, / 1972, as well as by questioning the privileging of 'having', that is, consuming, over 'being' and relatedness to the world (Fromm, 1942(Fromm, /2002(Fromm, , 1976(Fromm, /2007.…”

“…The ultimate goal of critique was consequently to fuel positive social transformation (Freundlieb, 2000;Hartmann & Honneth, 2006;Leiss, 1978;Marcuse, 1964Marcuse, /1972Murray & Ozanne, 1991). Social transformation would be effected, Marcuse claimed, by helping the individual recognise the one-dimensional nature of the current ordering of society, whereby certain 'false' needs are promoted that serve the interests of industry (cf.…”

On the very idea of normative foundations in critical social theory

“…2.Habermas has also suggested that Adorno’s work lacked normative foundations because it relied on the “philosophy of consciousness” (Habermas 1984, 377–386); Freundlieb (2000) responds to this argument.…”