The purpose of this work has been to reinterpret Marx's mature critical theory by closely examining its most basic categories and, on this basis, to begin reconceptualizing the nature of capitalist society. An important concern of this reinterpretation has been to show the extent to which significant differences exist between Marx's theory and traditional Marxist interpretations. Indeed, I have shown that Marx's theory can provide a powerful critique of such interpretations, one that embeds them socially by analyzing them with the same categories with which it critically analyzes capitalism. This reinterpretation of Marx's analysis, in other words, allows for a critique of traditional Marxism that, at the same time, expresses another critical theory of capitalism. It also transforms the terms of discourse between Marxian theory and other sorts of social theory.

The key to the reinterpretation of Marx's theory developed here has been the distinction between a critique of capitalism from the standpoint of “labor,” traditionally understood, and one based on a critical analysis of the historically determinate character of labor in capitalism. My investigation has shown that the former conception lies at the heart of traditional Marxism, and that the Marxian analysis should not be understood in these terms. We have seen that Marx's analysis of the historically unique character of labor as a socially mediating activity in capitalism is central to his investigation of the social relations and forms of subjectivity that characterize this society.