Alienation. Recuperating the Classical Discussion of Marx et al.

Book excerpt: Nowadays alienation is naturally discussed as an existential condition of human beings, but in the 20th century, a strong Marxist current claimed alienation to be implied by capitalism, in particular by private property and the social division of labor. Alienation should therefore be criticized as part of the critique of capitalism and political economy, and might therefore also possibly be overcome. Today, under the hegemony of neo-liberal capitalism, the basic logic of Marx’s idea of alienation is more relevant than ever, having, as is argued in this book, critical social as well as constructive pedagogical and political potential.