Recontextualizing the notion of “cultural industry”: Critical analysis of its reception in communication training manuals

Abstract

In order to recontextualize and elevate the concept of "cultural industry" as articulated by Adorno and Horkheimer in Dialectic of Enlightenment, this article examines this notion, focusing on its treatment and reception in various teaching manuals on communication theory and research. The concept of "cultural industry" is frequently extracted from its original context in Dialectic of Enlightenment, leading to a simplified critique of mass culture that strips this concept of its complexity and critical dimension. This paper emphasizes the need to place the concept of “cultural industry” in its original framework in order to properly understand the meaning given to it by Horkheimer and Adorno. It is highlighted that, despite technological and social changes over the years, the concerns raised by the authors—more focused on the aims, principles, and methods of mass communication than on its effects—remain relevant for analyzing the role of the cultural industry in contemporary society.