A Study On The Critical Theory Of Popular Culture In Horkheimer And Adorno

Horkheimer and Adorno were the originator of the Frankfurt School.Their mass culture critical theory as the basic theroy of cultural theory，makes great influence on the later study of mass culture.With thedevelopment of the times and the progress of science，the mass culture as akind of commodity，has already be a part of peple’ life.It aslo infiltratedinto people’s daily life deeply.People’s vaules，lifestyles and the ways ofthinking are affected by it constantly. Horkheimer and Adorno treated theculture industry critically.In the course of their analysis，they found somenegtive effects in the development of culture industry in the period ofCapitalism society.The theory produced in the1940s with the idea of Marxand Lukacs theoretical origins to the German Nazi dictatorship and popularculture in American society during World War II domination of popularculture for social and historical background, profoundly expounded thecommercialization of popular culture, technical, same technology, flat,deceptive, digestion, handling characteristics and domination. Their criticaltheory from a new perspective on a critique of capitalism, in the culturalfield research has opened up a whole new way to promote the publicself-consciousness. Meanwhile, mass culture theory has its particular timelimitation, it lacks dialectical attitude, ignoring the positive significance ofpopular culture itself, underestimated the public’s lack of initiative and practicality. In the development of our contemporary popular culture alsoappeared in a series of problems: the quality and quantity of culturalproducts, a serious imbalance in the mainstream culture, elite culture andtraditional culture has been badly hit, the weakening of the public’s sense ofnational identity. The main reason for all of this situation is that thenegative effects arising from technological development, the negative valueof the market economy, mental stress and post-modern Western penetrationof modernism. By Horkheimer and Adorno’s critique of mass culture theoryto examine our popular culture, the development of China’s culturalindustry has a certain significance, it helps us to correctly understand ourpopular culture, and advance our construction practice socialism withChinese characteristics of popular culture.