The contribution of Raymond Williams to the marxist social theory: the criticizes to the base model and superstructure

Abstract

The proposition of a determinant “base” and a determined “superstructure” marked Marxist social theory in the first half of the twentieth century. In our work, we intend to examine Raymond Williams’ critique of the mechanical application of these categories of analysis, projected in his 1973 essay entitled “Base and superstructure in the theory of Marxist culture”. To do so, in the first instance, we will mark the historical context in which Williams’ work emerged, and of which he was discussing. In a second moment, we will focus on the development of the author’s critique, mobilizing the essay in question. Our analysis has the central objective of projecting a presentation of Williams’ thinking and some of his contributions within Marxist thought, especially in the investigations that intend to focus on cultural production from a materialist and historical perspective.