Lukács's Theory of Reification and Contemporary Social Movements

Lukács's theory of reification, explained in his 1923 work, History and Class Consciousness, is often interpreted as a theory of ideology, but it is also a theory of social practice and a work of social ontology. Reification and dereification describe different types of social practice: individual technical practices aimed at adaptation, survival, and success, and collective transformative practices with the potential for establishing a solidary socialist society. Although many aspects of Lukács's early work are no longer applicable, this distinction is relevant to struggles around technology today, such as environmental struggles or struggles over medical practices.