Critical Theory of the Masses

The application of Critical Theory to "the masses"—examining how this category is constructed, how it's used, and how it relates to power. Critical Theory of the Masses asks: Who are "the masses"? Who gets to define them? How have elites used fears of "the mob" to justify control? How have mass movements challenged power? Drawing on thinkers like Ortega y Gasset, Canetti, and critical social theory, it insists that "the masses" is never a neutral description—it's a political category, used to dismiss or to celebrate, to control or to liberate. Understanding the masses requires understanding who's speaking, and about whom.

"The masses are ignorant, they say. Critical Theory of the Masses asks: ignorant according to whom? The same masses that elite dismiss also rise up, organize, demand change. 'The masses' is a label the powerful use to dismiss those below. Critical theory insists on asking: who benefits from calling people 'the masses'? And what happens when the masses start speaking for themselves?"

Critical Theory of the Masses by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 4, 2026