معرفت فرهنگی اجتماعی

In contemporary theoretical debates, culture is neither a simple nor homogeneous concept; rather, it constitutes a multilayered, contested, and fluid constellation of meanings that spans a broad spectrum—from art and literature to the domains of ideology and politics. Terry Eagleton, as a prominent theorist within the Marxist tradition and cultural criticism, has sought to unveil the ideological façade of this concept. From his perspective, culture is not a neutral, autonomous, or purified sphere; it is continuously reproduced and consolidated through relations of power, social antagonisms, and mechanisms of domination. Employing an analytical–interpretive method, this study is organized in three stages: first, a historical and conceptual genealogy of culture in Eagleton’s thought; second, an analysis of the relationship between culture, ideology, capitalist logic, and the process of subject formation; and third, a critical appraisal and diagnostic evaluation of his theoretical system. Findings of this research indicate that although Eagleton succeeds in exposing the hidden and repressive functions of culture—and in critiquing its commodification and globalization—his commitment to historical materialism and his reduction of culture to the ideological realm lead to a neglect of the metaphysical, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of culture. Yet culture, beyond merely reflecting material relations, can serve as a locus for human connection with a transcendent reality and as a ground for the flourishing of innate human nature and moral virtues.