Abstract
An analysis of Marx’s notion of ‘commodity fetishism’ – as a theory of the necessary (systemically induced) misperception of underlying production relations by participants in market exchanges. The appeal of the notion to the two main opposing tendencies of mid- and late 20th-century Marxism – Marxist humanism and structuralist Marxism – is discussed. Reasons are proposed to account for a recent decline of interest in the phenomenon among both economists and philosophers. It is suggested, however, that the concept remains viable.
This chapter was originally published in The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 2nd edition, 2008. Edited by Steven N. Durlauf and Lawrence E. Blume
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Levine, A. (2008). Commodity Fetishism. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_532-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_532-2
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Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-95121-5
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Chapter history
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Latest
Commodity Fetishism- Published:
- 15 March 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_532-2
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Original
Commodity Fetishism- Published:
- 17 October 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_532-1