Communication and Class Struggle: Capitalism, Imperialism

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ARMAND MAITELART, born 1936 in Belgium; has Ph.D. in law and political economy from the Universite de Louvain, and a post-graduate degree in sociology from the Universite de Paris. He was professor at the Universidad de Chile from 1962 until the fascist coup d'etat in 1973. During the Popular Unity period he led various initiatives aimed at creating new forms of popular communication. He is presently a professor and researcher in the Audio Visual Department at the Universite de Paris Vll. He is the author of many studies on communication, ideology and imperialism published in several languages. Among the most recent are Mass media, ideologies et mouvement revolutionnaire (Paris, Anthropos, 1974), and Multinationales et systemes de communication (Paris, Anthropos, 1976), both of which will be published in English in 1978 (London). He is also co-author of How To Read Donald Duck (New York, International General, 1975). In addition, he is the clliector of a feature-length film on Chile, La Spirale (France, 1976, USA, 1978), and co-editor of the Latin Ameri{:an review Comunicacwn y Cultura, currently published in Mexico. SETH SIEGELAUB, born in New York City 1941, was educated in the New York City public school system. He has worked as a plumber. During the 19608 he organized and published art exhibitions and· art books, and towards the late 1960s, beCame active in anti-war fund-raising in the art community as part of the growing mobilization against the U.S. w;U in Vietnam. This activity led to his involvement~ $e political aspects of art generally, and in 1971 he co-authored the Artist's Rights agreement. After an extensive period of research in 1972 he edited and published the first issue of the Marxism and the Mass Media bibliography, and in 1973 founded the International Mass Media Research ~enter (IMMRC), a research institute and library of marxist studies on communication. Presently, he is director of IMMRC, and of International General.

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C MMUNICATION AND CLASS STRUGGLE I. Capitalism, Imperialism An Anthology In 2 Volumes Edited by

Armand Mattelart And Seth Siegelaub

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INTERNATIONAL GENERAL new york, IMMRCinternational mass media research center bagnolet, FRANCE.

The second volume, 2. LIB ERAi"ION, SOCIALISM, will be published in 1979-80, and will analyse the develop ment of popular and working-class commun ication practice and theory.

COMMU NICATIO N AND CLASS STRUGG LE: 1. CAPITALISM, IMPERIA LISM Selection, Introduction and Preface Copyright © Armand Mattelart and Seth Siegelaub 1?79Bibliography Copyright © Internatio nal Genera11979 All Rights Reserved. .. . · No part of this book may be reproduc ed or utilized m any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording or by any information st?rage and re~e~al system wit:?out pe~sion in writing from the Publisher, I.G. Editions, Inc. For information please address International General, P.O.B. 350, New York, N.Y. 10013; or the International Mass Media Research Center, 173·ave de la Dhuys, 93170 Bagnolet, France.

CONTENJ"S Preface 11 SETif SIEGELA UB A Communication On Communication v

Introduction 23

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ARMA:Nn MATIEL ART For A Class Analysis Of Communication

A. BASIC ANALYTIC CONCEPTS v

ISBN: 0-88477-011-7, Paperback

Mode of Product ion/ 73 KARL MARX (1859) ·stn.icturei and 1 (from) A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy Superstructure 74 FREDER ICK ENGELS (1894) (from) Letter to Heinz Starkenburg

March 1979 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in Great Britain

75 ANTONI O GRAMSC I (1929-35) Structure and Superstructure

:apitalis t Accumulation 75 V.I. LENIN (1913) ·and Surplus Value Marx's Economic Doctrine ' Commo dity Fetish 80 KARL MARX (1867) The Mystery of the Fetishistic Character of Commodities Monopo ly Capitalism 84 V.l. LENIN (1916) Imperialism The Place of Imperialism in History Classes, The State, and 87 FREDER ICK ENGELS (1888) Civil Society (from) Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Classical German Philosophy 90 ANTONI O GRAMSC I (1934-5) History of the Subaltern Classes: Methodological Criteria 91 V.I. LENIN (1917) Class Society and the State 97 ANTONI O GRAMSC I (1930-4) Hegemon y (Civil Society) and the Separation of Powers

·, Ideology 98 KARL MARX, FREDER ICK ENGELS (1845) Ruling Class and Ruling Ideas 99 ANTONI O GRAMS q (1929-35) The Concept of "Ideology " 100 V.I. LENIN (1913) National Culture 102 ANTONI O GRAMSC I (1929-35) The Formatio n of the Intellectuals I.

Theory and Practice ·105 MAO TSE-TUN G (1937) (from) On Practice Relations of Force 108 ANTONI O GRAMSCI (1933-4) Analysis of Situations, Relations of Force .

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B. THE BOURGEOIS IDEOLqGY OF GOMMUNICATION General Concepts 115 ARMAN D MATTEL ART (Chile, 1971) Communication Ideology and Oass Practice

l Public Opinion 124 PIERRE BOURDIEU (France, 1972) Public Opinion Does Not Exist Journalism 130 REVOLUTIONARY LEFT MOVEMENT (MIR) (Chile, 1971) On Journalism and' Objectivity

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Advertising 232 STUART EWEN (USA, 1969) · Advertising as Social Production · ·

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_Telephone/Electronics 241 NOOBAR RETHEOS DANIELIAN (USA, 1939) American Telephone and Telegraph Co.: Science in Business

Leisure/Entertainm ent 135 HENRI LEFEBVRE (France, 1958) Work and Leisure in Daily Life ·

Film 252 THE FILM COUNCIL (UK, 1936) .A Brief History of the American Film Industry

"Mass" Culture 141 LEONARDO ACOSTA (Cuba, 1973) Mass Media and Imperialist Ideology 158 MICHELE MATTELART (Chile, 1971) Notes on "Modernity'': A Way of Reading Women's Magazines Communication Science 171 DALLAS W. SMYTHE (Canada, 1971) The Political Chara