Privacy as a form of alienation: a critique of the liberal conception of privacy

Abstract

The atrocities carried out by the Soviet Union have done a considerable harm to the Marxist social theory. Hence, it is being suggested that the revival of socialist politics is contingent upon its ability to engage with some of the central ideas associated with liberal theory. In this regard, privacy is projected as one of the central values about which Marxists need to seriously rethink. In this broad intellectual context, this paper aims to offer an unorthodox critique of the liberal conception of privacy through the Marxist conception of alienation. It asks: why are Marxists opposed to the liberal conception of privacy? Is privacy a form of alienation? How to conceptualise the interface between privacy, private property, and alienation under the capitalist mode of production? The paper argues that the liberal conception of privacy cannot be borrowed without significant modifications—as some scholars think—since it is based on an abstract and possessive conception of the individual, which is not only in accordance with the logic of capitalism but also breeds alienation.