British New Left’s Multiple Paradigm Analysis and Theoretical Review of Marxist Cultural Theory

Since the 20th century, culture has gradually become the central discourse, becoming increasingly complex and difficult to understand. The current academic research on Marxist cultural theory is more based on the perspectives of cultural and political philosophy, while the inspection from the perspective of paradigm has not been fully reflected. This paper attempts to sort out the multi-dimensional paradigm analysis of Marxist cultural theory by British New Left and clarify how they solve the cultural crisis by reconstructing cultural concepts. Firstly, by re-exploring the relationship between culture and the base/ superstructure theory model, breaking the shackles of economic determinism and releasing the relative autonomy of culture. Secondly, focus on the materialist view of culture, criticize elitism, and stimulate the political liberation potential of culture. Finally, combine ideology and hegemony theory to solve the cultural structure and subject dilemma. After the transformation of multiple paradigms and theoretical disputes, British New Left has expanded the interpretation space of Marxist cultural theory, but it has also gradually fallen into the whirlpool of postmodernism and has drifted away from historical materialism.