Michael Dawson wrote:
>
> Commodity fetishism must be one of the top 3 most over-rated and misused
> Marxist concepts.
Misused, yes; and all the recent uses of it on this list have no relation whatever to what Marx meant by it. Buying something for snob value or for display is _not_ commodity fetishism. Following fashion is _not_ commodity fetishism.
But, it is not over-rated. It is absolutely core to the whole of Marx's thought. It has to do with the structure and dynamic of capitalism, and it has nothing to do with individual psychology. It is also the most difficult concept in all of Marx. People should swear off using the phrase until they have read and reread Rubin on Marx.
Carrol