The “Classical” Concept of Alienation in the Light of Post-Structural Social Theory: Trans-Alienation and Hypo-Subjectivity of Working Man

In general, the studies of alienation can be divided into two strata: 1) processes of alienation in the "developed countries" due to formation of mass consumer society, 2) dynamics of alienation in "developing countries" that takes place in classic terms of alienated labor and a strong social stratification. But really in globalizing world we can see sharply distinguished types of alienation? Probably today we should talk about rhizome (Deleuze, 1980) of different dimensions of alienation. Using the concepts of diverse trans-phenomenon (trans-politics, trans-economics etc.) of French post-structuralist Jean Baudrillard (2006) I’m representing the concept of «trans-alienation» which is a hybrid of “new” Western and “old” Soviet forms of alienation which are products of the different types of social spectacle (Guy Debord, 2004). The “democratic” Western countries are more inclined to the methods of state regulation of the economy, whereas in developing countries there is still a tendency to anomie and imposing values of the market and the consumer society. Thus, the modern individual is represented as totally alienated, in other words, as a "dead subject": a vicious circle: alienated labor ↔ alienated consumption. Is there still hope today to reanimate the subject that is not more crushed by the discourses of power, labor, consumption and capital? If the early works of postmodernists abounded statements and attitudes regarding the death of the subject, some of their more recent works show revision of the terms "subject" and "subjectivity" and indicate the possibility of resuscitation active social agent as a full-fledged subject of power, of his will, intentions and desires. This "resurrection" is possible by the development of new ideas about the properties of the social environment (conditions): a flexible, non-linear, post-bureaucratic, rhizomatic (Deleuze, Guattari).