What Do Cultural Studies and the Political Economy of Communication Have to Do with Marxism?

This contribution describes the divergences and convergences between work in the political economy of communication and work in cultural studies, focusing on a significant element : the role of the theoretical tools developed by Karl Marx, and of Marxism more generally, in the constitution of the two theoretical currents and in their main fields of study. This article highlights the fact that the characteristics usually associated with these movements are by no means self-evident. It shows that certain theoretical anchorages, such as Raymond Williams’ cultural materialism and the debates surrounding the autonomy of audiences and digital practices, offer areas of convergence.