Reification: Etymology/Term, Meanings and Concept
Etymology
The term “reification” derives from the Latin root “res” (meaning “thing”) and the suffix “-fication” (implying “the act of making”). Hence, its literal meaning is “the process of making something into a thing.”
Meanings and Applications
Reification has various meanings across disciplines:
- Philosophy and Critical Theory: The act of considering, or representing, an abstract concept, idea, or social construct as a concrete or material entity. This can lead to a misperception of complex phenomena as immutable and independent of human action.
- Psychology: The act of conferring a concrete or seemingly ‘real’ existence to an abstract concept.
- Computer Science: In object-oriented programming, reification is the process of representing an abstract idea or concept as a concrete data structure or object.
Reification in Critical Theory
Reification holds particular significance within Marxist philosophy and subsequent critical theory movements:
- Karl Marx and Commodity Fetishism: Marx posited that capitalist societies obscure the social relations of production. Commodities (products) are treated as inherently valuable, obscuring the labor and exchange relationships that created them.
- Georg Lukács and Class Consciousness: Lukács expanded upon Marx’s theory, proposing that reification permeates modern capitalist societies. This leads to a misapprehension of complex social systems and relationships as natural or inevitable instead of products of human decisions and actions. This reification can hinder social awareness and the potential for systemic change.
Illustrative Examples of Reification
- Abstract Concepts: Treating abstract concepts like “love,” “success,” or “fate” as if they possess independent agency or material existence.
- Social Systems: Describing constructs like “the market” or “society” as autonomous entities rather than recognizing their foundation in human choices, interactions, and power dynamics.
Considerations
Reification can be a subtle yet pervasive cognitive process. Recognizing its manifestations is crucial for developing a critical understanding of social structures, economic systems, and the ways we conceptualize our world.
Reification: Definition of a Theoretical Term
Reification is the process of treating an abstract concept or theoretical term as if it were a concrete entity or thing. It involves attributing physical existence or qualities to something that is actually conceptual or abstract. This can lead to misunderstanding or oversimplification of complex ideas by treating them as if they were tangible objects or phenomena.
Reification: Theorists, Works and Arguments
Key Theorists and Foundational Works
- Karl Marx:
- Capital: A Critique of Political Economy (1867): Marx’s seminal work introduces the concept of commodity fetishism. Here, the social relations involved in production become obscured within capitalist societies, masking the labor and exchange systems that underlie the perceived inherent value of commodities.
- The German Ideology (written in 1846): Marx and Engels further explore themes of reification by examining how systems of thought can become divorced from their material conditions, taking on a seemingly independent existence.
- Georg Lukács:
- History and Class Consciousness (1923): Lukács expands upon Marx’s analysis, arguing that reification becomes a central feature of consciousness within capitalist systems. He posits that this obscures the underlying social structures and relations, presenting them as natural and unchangeable. This process erodes the potential for class consciousness and revolutionary change.
- The Frankfurt School: Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno
- Dialectic of Enlightenment (1947): These critical theorists examined the interconnectedness of reification with the rise of mass culture and technology under capitalism. They argued that this combination leads to the standardization of thought and the suppression of critical thinking, making individuals susceptible to dominant ideologies and less capable of challenging the status quo.
Influences and Cross-Disciplinary Applications
- Pierre Bourdieu (Sociology): Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and symbolic capital touch upon themes of reification. He examined how social structures and power relationships become internalized and reproduced, often without conscious recognition by individuals.
- Linguistics and Semiotics: The processes through which signs and symbols acquire seemingly natural or inherent meanings can be interpreted as a form of reification. The constructed nature of language and systems of representation becomes obscured.
Reification: Major Characteristics
Major Characteristics
- Treating Concepts as Material Objects: Abstract ideas, social constructs, or emotions are depicted as having a tangible, independent existence of their own.
- Loss of Agency: People are portrayed as passive actors within a system, with little control over the reified forces that shape their lives.
- Obscuring Human Origins and Power Relations: Reified structures or systems (like economies or social hierarchies) appear as natural or inevitable instead of human-made constructions. This can mask the power dynamics and social interests at play.
- Focus on Products over Processes: The outcome or end-product of a social interaction is emphasized, while the processes, labor, and relationships that produced it become obscured.
Literary References
- Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis: Gregor Samsa’s sudden transformation into a monstrous insect can be read as a reification of alienation and powerlessness within dehumanizing social structures.
- Charles Dickens’ Works (e.g., Hard Times, Oliver Twist): Dickens critiques industrialized society and its obsession with facts and figures, often depicting characters as cogs in a machine rather than individuals. This highlights the reification of labor and human relationships under capitalism.
- Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: The creature, as a product of scientific ambition, becomes a reified symbol of fear and the unforeseen consequences of tampering with natural laws.
- Dystopian Literature (Orwell’s 1984, Huxley’s Brave New World): Dystopian novels often portray extreme reification of social systems, where ideas like thought control or rigid class structures take on a concrete, inescapable form.
Additional Notes
- Reification in literature is not always negative. Authors can use it for satire, social commentary, and to enhance a work’s symbolic meaning.
- Identifying reification in a text adds a layer of critical interpretation to your analysis, enabling you to discuss power dynamics, social constructs, and their impact on the characters.
Reification: Relevance in Literary Theories
| Literary Theory | Relevance of Reification |
| Marxist Criticism | Reification is central in Marxist criticism, highlighting how capitalist societies can turn social relations into seemingly tangible commodities. |
| Postcolonial Theory | In postcolonial theory, reification is often discussed in the context of colonial discourse, where colonized people and cultures are objectified and dehumanized. |
| Structuralism | Structuralism examines how language and symbols can reify social structures and power dynamics, influencing how meaning is constructed and understood within a society. |
| Feminist Theory | Reification is pertinent in feminist theory to explore how patriarchal norms can objectify and marginalize women, reducing them to predefined roles and stereotypes. |
| Psychoanalytic Theory | Within psychoanalytic theory, reification is observed in the way unconscious desires and fears are symbolized and externalized, shaping characters and narratives in literature. |
Reification: Application in Critiques
**1. Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice **
- Reification of Money and Commodities: The play explores the power of money and its ability to be transformed into seemingly anything. Characters like Shylock embody the reification of greed and the dehumanizing aspects of monetary transactions taken to the extreme.
- Reification of Social Bonds: Relationships (romantic, contractual) become entangled with financial agreements. Portia’s worth as a romantic partner is intrinsically tied to her wealth. Antonio’s ‘pound of flesh’ becomes a reified representation of the debt owed.
**2. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice **
- Reification of Social Class and Status: The novel meticulously dissects the rigid class hierarchies of the time. Characters are often defined and judged by their wealth, lineage, and social rank. This reification acts as a barrier to individual expression and genuine connection.
- Reification of Marriage (especially for Women): Marriage is portrayed as a social and economic transaction rather than solely a union based on affection. Women’s value and success are intrinsically tied to securing a suitable (wealthy) husband, leading to reified ideas of female roles and worth.
**3. Toni Morrison’s Beloved **
- Reification of Trauma: The legacy of slavery and its horrors are not simply abstract historical events. The reified, embodied presence of the ghost Beloved represents the enduring psychological, social, and physical toll of dehumanization and violence.
- Reification of Memory and Identity: The characters struggle with fragmented memories and a sense of lost identity. This reflects the ways in which systems of oppression can reify the individual, erasing personal histories and damaging core concepts of self.
4. George Orwell’s 1984
- Reification of Thought Control: “Big Brother” and the manipulation of language exemplify the reification of totalitarian power. Concepts like freedom and truth are redefined or erased entirely, creating a pervasive system of control.
- Reification of the Individual: People become cogs in the state machinery, their thoughts and actions constantly monitored. The erasure of individuality and privacy reinforces the power of the reified system.
Reification: Relevant Terms
| Term | Definition |
| Objectification | Treating someone or something as an object, devoid of subjective qualities or agency. |
| Commodification | The process of turning goods, services, or ideas into commodities for exchange or consumption. |
| Fetishism | The attribution of magical or mystical powers to objects, often seen in commodity fetishism. |
| Alienation | The feeling of being estranged or disconnected from oneself, others, or the world. |
| Essentialism | The belief that entities have inherent, fixed qualities that define their essence or identity. |
| Ontology | The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of being, existence, and reality. |
| Symbolic Violence | The imposition of symbolic meanings and norms that reinforce power dynamics and inequality. |
| Semiotics | The study of signs and symbols and their interpretation, often revealing underlying cultural meanings. |
| Othering | The process of defining oneself in opposition to or as superior to an external group or individual. |
| Spectacle | Refers to the visual representation and manipulation of reality, often associated with mass media. |
Reification: Suggested Readings
- Adorno, Theodor W., and Max Horkheimer. Dialectic of Enlightenment. Continuum, 1986.
- Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin, 2008.
- Lukács, Georg. History and Class Consciousness: Studies in Marxist Dialectics. MIT Press, 1971.
- Marx, Karl. Capital: A Critique of Political Economy. Penguin Books, 1990.
- Marcuse, Herbert. One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society. Beacon Press, 1991.
- Sartre, Jean-Paul. Being and Nothingness: An Essay on Phenomenological Ontology. Washington Square Press, 1993.
- Simmel, Georg. The Philosophy of Money. Routledge, 2017.
- Smith, Adam. The Wealth of Nations. Bantam Classics, 2003.
- Williams, Raymond. Marxism and Literature. Oxford University Press, 1977.
- Zizek, Slavoj. The Sublime Object of Ideology. Verso, 1989.