Adorno's culture industry: The "thing" with commodifying creativity
LE3 .A278 2014
2014
Biro, Andrew
Acadia University
Master of Arts
Masters
Politics
The purpose of my thesis is to analyze Adorno’s predictions of the “Culture Industry” and discover whether or not his observations in the mid-twentieth century remained prevalent in contemporary society. Adorno witnessed the influences that capitalism imposed on North American societies and expressed that this blanket nature limited autonomy and freedom of expression in the arts and ultimately, our everyday lives. I interviewed nine Halifax artists of varying backgrounds, achievements and disciplines to gather their personal experiences with the culture industry. The interviews, coupled with a literature review, shaped my conclusions. The results showed that the majority of these Halifax artists were impacted by the culture industry, demonstrating that mass social influence is both possible and present; therefore, demonstrating Adorno’s predictions true. However, not all artists expressed that their experience was necessarily negative or stifling, as Adorno argued, thus leaving room for contemplation on his original theories.
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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:367
