John B. Thompson 
Ideology and Modern Culture 
Critical Social Theory in the Era of Mass Communication

In this major new work, Thompson develops an original account of
ideology and relates it to the analysis of culture and mass
communication in modern Societies.

Thompson offers a concise and critical appraisal of major
contributions to the theory of ideology, from Marx and Mannheim, to
Horkheimer, Adorno and Habermas. He argues that these thinkers –
and social and political theorists more generally – have failed to
deal adequately with the nature of mass communication and its role
in the modern world. In order to overcome this deficiency, Thompson
undertakes a wide-ranging analysis of the development of mass
communication, outlining a distinctive social theory of the mass
media and their impact.

Table of Content

Preface.

Introduction.

1. The Concept of Ideology.

2. Ideology in Modern Societies.

3. The Concept of Culture.

4. Cultural Transmission and Mass Communication.

5. Towards a Social Theory of Mass Communication.

6. The Methodology of Interpretation.

Notes.

Index.

About the author

His previous books include Critical Hermeneutics: A Study in the Thought of Paul Ricoeur and Jurgen Habermas (1981) and Studies in the Theory of Ideology (Polity, 1984).