Revisiting the Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism

• In Event: 082 - Open Refereed Roundtable Session I
  In Refereed Roundtable: A. Table 01. Cultural Sociology

Abstract

The arrival of 2016 marks the 40th anniversary of the publication of Daniel Bell's well-known work, The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism (1976). In 1996, Bell wrote an afterword on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, reflecting on the original thesis in light of social changes during those twenty years. In a similar way, this paper considers the argument 40 years on. It specifically addresses the contemporary relevance of some of Bell's theses, and generally considers issues regarding the current relationship between the U.S. economy and culture. The central issue the paper considers is why Bell's contention -- that the culture of hedonism undermines the Protestant work ethic and thus capitalism itself -- does not seem to have come true.
The paper argues that the work of Boltanski and Chiapello could be profitably extended in order to address this issue. In 1999 they argued that a "new spirit of capitalism" had emerged in France. In a similar way, it appears that in the U.S. this "new spirit" enabled capitalism to avert the contradictions diagnosed by Bell. While Boltanski and Chiapello's publication focused on management texts and changes in work roles -- i.e., on the "production side" of capitalism -- this paper suggests that developments on the "consumer side" of capitalism are also to be included within this "new spirit of capitalism."

Author

• Steven W. Sherlock, Saginaw Valley State University