Society of the spectacle.

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Guy Debord: Society of the spectacle. (1977, Black & Red)

English language

Published Nov. 8, 1977 by Black & Red.

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4 stars (29 reviews)

15 editions

Review of 'Society of the Spectacle' on 'GoodReads'

3 stars

Debord's short book is a prescient and driven polemic about how the "spectacle" became normalised in capitalist society in the postwar west. Written in 1967, much of the book has stood the test of time but much of it seems like an unfinished chapter in a broader critique. It is written in a series of short arguments, many of which don't quite address the spectacle, but make a broader comment on Marxist theory. Some of the observations, on advertising and individualism, influenced a generation of thinking.

The strongest argument of this book is in the repeated assertions of the spectacle as a colonising action. This, repeated in each chapter, is emphasised and remains relevant in current dialogue about our colonised structures.

Review of 'The society of the spectacle' on Goodreads

3 stars

First half clearly condemns capitalism's commodification and all-encompassing veneer of appearance, making very relatable critiques of celebrity, alienation, absorption of leisure time, and technological expansion of the service industry for the 60s. Second half theorizes on Marx & Hegel, on time and history and space. Presents worker's councils and active participation in history as counterforces to the spectacle.

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