Ideological critique fused Marxist political economy with analysis of capitalist illusions.

Evidence

However, it remained unclear in what sense interdisciplinary collaboration' was intended; what status economic analysis was to have; and what message was being conveyed by the fact that the work described itself as an ideological critique’. The expression contained a declaration of belief in the Marxist model of a critique of political economy, at the same time suggesting a critique of the illusions created by the capitalist mode of production and a presentation of the contradictory essence of that mode of production. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 337

Categorization

• DEFINE: Unpacks the loaded term ‘ideological critique’ — simultaneously Marxist economics, illusion-critique, and exposition of capitalism’s contradictions.
• QUESTION: The text flags that the book’s interdisciplinarity and the status of economics within it were never resolved — worth chasing against the finished text.
• XREF: connects to: Treating ideology seriously in its own terms strengthens rather than dilutes Marxist analysis — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 335; Marx distinguishes material economic transformation from ideological forms of consciousness; Marx titled all his economic writings a critique of political economy (+3 more)
• yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: Treating ideology seriously in its own terms strengthens rather than dilutes Marxist analysis — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 335; Marx distinguishes material economic transformation from ideological forms of consciousness; Marx titled all his economic writings a critique of political economy (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• The base-superstructure formula weakened Marxism by reducing ideas to mere reflections #complicates (0.72) — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 1693