Title: Class, uneven development, and praxis: Beyond the 'Communist manifesto' hauntology
Abstract:This article critiques views of class development under capitalism which, following a particular reading of the 'Communist manifesto' (Marx and Engels, 1848/1969), seek to align capitalism's structura...This article critiques views of class development under capitalism which, following a particular reading of the 'Communist manifesto' (Marx and Engels, 1848/1969), seek to align capitalism's structural development with the immense majority's homogeneous circumstances and socialist consciousness. This critique interacts with Bourdieu's (1987) reading of the 'Communist manifesto' as 'naming' and 'making' the working-class; Derrida's (1994) concepts of 'hauntology' and 'specularity'; and with the residue of objectivism in Althusser's (1976) intervention into Marxist theory. This paper's alternative praxis approach takes its point of departure from Gramsci's (1971) 'philosophy of praxis' and his related distinction between 'pessimism of the intellect' and 'optimism of the will'. In the spirit of the former, the 'Communist manifesto' theory of class is compared with the 'Capital, Volume 1' (Marx, 1867/1976) account of the 'relative surplus population'. In contrast to the 'Communist manifesto' account, 'Capital, Volume 1' predicts that capitalism's extended reproduction will generate complex and variegated class effects. Further, the article outlines a theory of uneven development that builds beyond 'Capital, Volume 1' but, nonetheless, reinforces its prediction of heterogeneous class effects. From this pessimistic theoretical grounding, the article introduces elements of an optimistic and creative counter-hegemonic project that interconnect the diverse experiences of the global labouring population. This relationship, linked with a deepening and extending of Marx's particular concept of praxis, is also theorised. In sum, this article outlines a second-generation neo-Marxist praxis approach for examining the complex causal relations between the theory and practice of the variegated class-in-itself effects of capitalism's uneven development and the dynamic creativity of an emancipatory project.Read More
Publication Year: 2018
Publication Date: 2018-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 3
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