O corpo-mercadoria na sociedade do consumo: um estudo a partir da teoria crítica

Abstract

The objective of this Course Final Assignment is to present the idea of a body as a commodity, notbecause of the labor overexploitation, but for the overvaluation in the consumption culture. TheCritical Theory of Herbert Marcuse allows to analyze the body transformation into merchandisethrough the technological rationality, that preconditions the subjectivity of the human person, whichgenerates the mimesis phenomenon or immediate identification with the capitalist society. Thetechnological rationality alleged by Marcuse makes explicit the idea that the conquest of naturebyscience was not limited to this, extending to the body, namely, the subjugation of nature scientificallyconquered individuals to the point of pre-empt subjectivities and shape the physical, physiological,and psychological needs to the achievements of science for the capital reproduction. The body, inthecontext of capitalism, receives the status of a commodity that needs to consume goods tomaintainanacceptability standard as a taking place industrial society achievement. The history of thebodywasanalyzed from a theoretical research that involved perspectives of authors fromdifferent areasofknowledge, making it possible to verify if these authors also observe the phenomenonof thebodybecoming a commodity in different moments of history, since the XIX century. The bodywasperceived as an object capable of undergoing transformations by technique to meet the needsandinterests according to the different purposes. The method for analysis is the Critical Theory, whoseperspective seeks to highlight the social contradictions, in this case, the contradictions spottedinthebody-commodity within the consumer society