Recuperation (politics)
Recuperation, in the sociological sense, is the process by which politically radical ideas and images are commodified and incorporated within a mainstream society and, thus, become interpreted through a more socially acceptable or conventional perspective. More broadly, it may refer to the appropriation of any subversive works or ideas by mainstream media or culture. It is the opposite of détournement, in which images and other cultural artifacts are appropriated from mainstream sources and repurposed with radical intentions.
The concept in political philosophy of recuperation was first proposed by members of the Situationist International. The term is intended to convey a negative connotation because recuperation generally bears the intentional consequence (whether perceived or not) of fundamentally altering the meanings behind ideas due to their appropriation or being co-opted into the ruling discourse.
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- Marcus, Greil. Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century (1989).
