Begin with a review of the concept from the perspective of the theorist studied in this class: ex. “reification”: begin your analysis with a summary of Georg Lukacs’ view of the concept.
Begin with a review of the concept from the perspective of the theorist studied in this class: ex. “reification”: begin your analysis with a summary of Georg Lukacs’ view of the concept.. Paper requirement
The concept of “Reification”
In Five page, double-spaced paper, research the significance of the concept by conducting a literature review.
Steps:
1. Critically analyze the concept in a brief essay, which clearly examines the meaning of the concept as it has been defined and interpreted by different theorists.
Your analysis should be organized like this:
Begin with a review of the concept from the perspective of the theorist studied in this class: ex. “reification”: begin your analysis with a summary of Georg Lukacs’ view of the concept.
2. Then explore the origins (intellectual roots) of the concept:
(i.e., before Lukacs)
3. In the remainder of the paper, explore the subsequent development of the concept:
(i.e., after Lukacs)
Important!! Must satisfied these requirements:
• You are required to employ at least six published sources in your analysis of the concept
• Your sources should be published in reputable journals or books, and authored by different theorists
• Your analysis should summarize and review these publications within the larger context of these debates (when relevant)
• No long quotes; no long passages in quotes
• If you quote someone or make allusions to their ideas in your paper, place their name, the publication year of the work, and the page number in a parenthetical statement: (Jason, 2015: p.156)
• A full citation of the work should be included in the bibliography at the end of the paper.
Grading based on:
The papers will be graded according to the following criteria:
1) The ability to articulate a clear and concise understanding of the concept presented in the course;
2) The ability to find sources within the literature that have a close bearing on the concept;
3) The ability to compare and contrast (in writing) the ideas and claims of the different theorists.
Important main point:
. Georg Lukacs
1. “Reification” as an extension of Marx’s concept/process of Commodity Fetishism – capitalism’s tendency to transform social relations (exploitative ones) into things/commodities, and thereby obscures the real source of value (i.e., labor), and the injustice and inhumanity of the system.
2. reification of civil society – market penetration in, and commodification of, every nook and cranny of our life, beyond economic life
3. Overcoming false consciousness: conditions under which when a “class in itself” becomes a “class for itself” (see Ritzer). The rise of capitalism over feudalism facilitated this process of becoming a class-for-itself among workers, but under late capitalism, it has once again become difficult for workers to identify with their class interests due to pervasive reification ala consumerism and “status” distinctions.
