Abstract: Some western Marxists believe that capitalism is not only an economic system， but also a socio-cultural system integrating various meanings. Only by breaking the traditional “economic-political” research perspective and using the cultural study approach， can we reveal the hidden ideology completely. In their opinion， “production”， “daily life” and “unconsciousness” diachronically constitute the main space of capitalist power control; “materialized consciousness”， “false needs” and “temptation” respectively constitute the specific ways to exhibit the control logic. The micro-power criticism paradigm was set up through cultural studies， and the hidden rule of capitalism was revealed in the new period. However， if the Marxist theory of capital criticism is put aside， the so-called micro-power criticism will inevitably became provincial and cynical.

Key words: western Marxism, cultural study, capitalism, micro-power criticism