Class Consciousness and Class Struggle in Lukács and Žižek
by Giuseppe Cascione
pp. 180-201 Issue 11 (6,1) – January-June 2019 ISSN (online): 2539/2239 ISSN (print): 2389-8232 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14718/SoftPower.2019.6.1.9
Abstract
This paper analyses György Lukács’ interpretation of the concept of ‘class consciousness’ in the light of Slavoj Žižek’s reflections on ‘class struggle’. Against the widespread assumption that Western societies have entered in a ‘post-political’ era, this paper aims to highlight how the conflict between labour and capital is still relevant to understand the contemporary dynamics of globalized capitalism. Class struggle, it is argued, is inherent to the modern capitalist world. The process of acquisition of class consciousness by the proletariat, an essential element of class struggle, is however constantly hindered by hegemonic classes through the smokescreen of populism. Thus, Žižek’s approach to ‘class struggle’ is discussed as a potentially successful means to the construction of a new revolutionary subject.