Abstract
This paper demonstrates how Williams’ reconsideration of cultural analysis and criticism from a Marxist perspective was an essential contribution to the renewal of Marxist theory in the post-World War II period. His definition of base and superstructure inherently includes the idea of processualism and distances itself from any abstract formulation. Hence, the concept of cultural materialism is a key point in Williams’ analytical system, as it puts into perspective the constitutive uniformity of the capitalist economy. As abstract as cultural products may seem, they constitute the production and circulation dynamics of works and ideas, favored by institutions and a certain structure aiming at their symbolic and material reproduction.
Keywords:
Cultural criticism; Cultural materialism; Marxism and culture; British New Left