COUNSELLING AS

PROFESSION AND
PRACTICE
WHO STARTED IT? KARL MARX
■ HE was a 19th century German
philosopher that became a part of
young Hegelians and later the
Communist League.
■ He is the most influencial socialist
thinkers of the 19th century.
■ THE GERMAN IDEOLOGY
■ COMMUNIST MANIFESTO
■ DAS KAPITAL
But we can’t have Marx without FRIEDRICH ENGELS

■ He was Marx’s best friend. He

shared Marx’s socialist beliefs and
provided support financially as well
as intellectually while Marx
developed his theories.
■ Co-authored the COMMUNIST
MANIFESTO
OTHER MARXIST

■GEORGE LUKACS
■ REFLECTIONISM
– BELIEVED THAT THE TEXT WILL REFLECT THE SOCIETY
THAT HAS PRODUCED IT.
LOUIS ALTHUSSER: INTERPELLATION

■ ARGUED THAT LITERATURE AND ART AFFECT THE

SOCIETY
■ BELIEVED THAT THE WORKING CLASS IS
MANIPULATED TO ACCEPT THE IDEOLOGY OF THE
DOMINANT ONE.
DEFINITION OF TERMS

■ BOURGEOISE: THE NAME GIVEN TO THE OWNERS OF THE MEANS OF

PRODUCTIONS IN A SOCIETY.

■IDEOLOGY: A BELIEF SYSTEM

■PROLETARIAT: THE NAME GIVEN TO THE WORKERS IN THE SOCIETY
■ CAPITALISM IS AN ECONOMIC SYSTEM THAT IS BASED ON PRIVATE
OWNERSHIP OF THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION AND THE CREATION OF GOODS OR
SERVICE FOR PROFIT.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A
MARXIST?
■ ENGELS AND MARX FOUNDED THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEM OF SOCIALISM
IN THE 19TH CENTURY. IT IS THE OPPOSITE OF CAPITALISM

■ CAPITALISM IS BASED ON PRIVATE OWNERSHIP AND MOTIVATION BY PROFIT. MARX

CRITICIZES CAPITALISM FOR ITS TENDENCY TO ABUSE THE WORKING MAN OR THE
PROLETARIAT BY PAYING A WAGE THAT BAREY GUARANTEES THE WORKER’S
SURVIVAL.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A MARXIST?
■ MARXISM UTILIZES SOCIALISM’S CONCEPT OF PUBLIC
OWNERSHIP

■ MARXISM THEORIZES THAT IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE

PROLETARIAT FROM ITS POOR ECONOMIC SITUATION, A
SOCIALIST REVOLUTION MUST OCCUR TO REMOVE THE
UNCONCERNED RULLING CLASS FROM THE GOVERNMENT.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A
MARXIST?
■ FOLLOWING THE REVOLUTION, A NEW SOCIALIST
GOVERNENT IS CREATED THAT SUBSEQUENTLY
BECOMES COMMUNIST IN NATURE.
MARXIST CRITICISM
■ MARXIST CRITICISM IS THE BELIEF THAT
LITERATURE AND ART REFLECTS THIS CLASS
STRUGGLE.
■ IT LOOKS AT HOW LITERATURE/ ARTS FUNCTIONS IN
RELATION TO OTHER ASPECTS OF
SUPERSTRUCTURE
■ IT INVESTIGATES HOW LITERATURE AND ART CAN
WORK AS A FORCE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE OR AS A
REAFFIRMATION OF EXISTING CONDITION.
MARXIST CRITICISM BEGS THESE
QUESTION ABOUT THE WORK
■ WHAT IS THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE CHARACTERS?
■ WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM AS A RESULT OF THIS STATUS?
■ HOW DO THEY FARE AGAINST ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ODDS?
■ WHAT OTHER CONDITIONS STEMMING FROM THEIR CLASS DOES THE WRITER
EMPHASIZE?
■ HOW SHOULD THE READER’S CONSIDER THIS STORY IN TODAY’S DEVELOPED OR
UNDERDEVELOPED WORLD?
GENRAL PRINCIPLES OF MARXIST
CRITICISM
■ IT PROMOTES THE IDEA THAT LITERATURE SHOULD BE A TOOL IN THE REVOLUTIONARY
STRUGGLE.
■ IT ATTEMPTS TO CLARIFY THE RELATIONSHIP OF LITERARY WORK TO SOCIAL REALITY.
■ IT IS POLITICAL IN NATURE
■ IT AIMS TO ARRIVE AT AN INTERPRATION OF LITERARY TEXT IN ORDER TO DEFIBE THE
POLITICAL DIMENSIONS OF LITERARY WORK
■ IT BELIEVES THAT THE LITERARY WORK HAS ALWAYS A RELATIONSHIP TO THE SOCIETY
■ IT JUDGES LITERATURE/ ART BY HOW IT REPRESENTS THE MAIN STRUGGLES FOR
POWER GOING ON THAT TIME, HOW MAY IT INFLUENCE THOSE STRUGGLE.
POINTS IN ANALYZING A TEXT USING
MARXIST THEORY
■ ECONOMIC POWER
– REMEMBER: ECONOMIC SYSTEM IS THE MOVING
FORCE BEHIND HUMAN HISTORY
– TO EXPLAIN ANY SOCIAL CONTEXT OR GENRE,
UNDERSTAND THE HISTORCAL CIRCUMSTANCE
– E.g.
■ In the story, the society depicted an unequal distribution of
goods
2. CLASS CONFLICT

■ CONFLICT HERE PRINCIPALLY MEANS THE FRICTION

BETWEEN TH EPROLETARIAT AND THE BOURGEOISE.
3. ART LITERATURE AND IDEOLOGIES

■ ACCORDING TO MARX, THE DOMINANT CLASS OR

HIGHER CLASS DO CONTROL THE ART, LITERATURE
AND IDEOLOGIES
■ MARXIST CRITICS SHOULD IDENTIFY THE IDEOLOGY
OF THE WORK AND POINT OUT ITS WORTH AND
DEFICIENCIES.