School of Social Sciences Karl Marx’s Concept of Time: Its Validity for Contemporary Historical Interpretation Karen Miller Presented as part of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Curtin University of Technology March, 2001Abstract While Karl Marx’s concept of time has not received the same attention as other elements of his work, itis nonetheless an important aspect of his idea about history. Of those studies which have dealt with this problem, three questions stand. First, to what degree does time contain transhistorical and historically specific elements? Secondly, to what extent does human agency or deterministic forces underpin the construction of historical time? Thirdly, what is the nature of the relationship between absolute and relative time? In attempting to answer these questions, this thesis argues that Marx saw each of these elements as playing an important role in the constitution of historical time. In particular, this thesis argues that Marx demonstrates that time is manifested in the material world through a process that expresses transhistorical features in the emanation of time through human creative activity, and historically specific elements in the socially constructed forms of time that reflect the material conditions of the particular society in which they appear. It suggests, moreover, that he shows how time is shaped by both human agency, in the form of class struggle over the appropriation and control of time, as well by deterministic forces as seen in the role of institutional structures and the movement and reproduction of capital. Again, it endeavours to show that Marx develops the notion that absolute time, which is an historically specific concept, plays a crucial role in capitalist society as a measure of exchange-value and labour time, and that it co-exists with relative time, which emanates through different production processes as multiple and discontinuous temporalities. It further argues that Marx saw capitalist society as giving rise to an historical time that is universal and directional, and that is changing in its nature in response to changes in methods and relations of production. More generally, this thesis attempts to demonstrate that Marx’s ideas about historical time have the inherent ability to transcend their place and time to be relevant to ‘contemporary historical interpretation. Such an approach, it suggests, can help historians to understand the operation of historical time in the different phases of the development of capitalist society, the nature and functioning of temporal logics of non-capitalist societies, and how changes in the forms of time occur within and between different social forms. Above all, it argues that his concept of time is highly relevant to the interpretation of history in the postmodern phase of capitalist development and that, indeed, his idea of time both shares a number of similarities with Michel Foucault’s idea about time, as well as goes beyond such an explanation.Contents Preface Chapter One: Introduction: The Problem of Historical Time ‘The postmodern critique of historical time ‘The modem concept of historical time ‘The ofigins and development of modern historical time Marxism, post-structuralism and historical time today Outline of the thesis Chapter Two: The Historical Context of Marx's Concept of Time Introduction ‘The philosophical basis of Marx’s concept of time ‘The experiential basis of Merx’s concept of time The culmination of Marx's idea of time Conclusion Chapter Three: Historical Time in Marxist Thought Introduction Orthodox Marxist time Critics of Marxist orthodox time Ideas about time in “western Marxism” Conclusion. Chapter Four: Moishe Postone’s Time, Labor and Social Domination Introduction Postone’s interpretation of Marx's understanding of time Is historical time transhistorical or historically specific? Do human agents or deterministic forces construct time? ‘What isthe relationship botween absolute and relative time? Conetusion, Chapter Five: The Social Construction of Historical Time Introduction ‘The construction of time in feudal and capitalist societies The construction of time through legislation ‘The construction of time through experience and discourse Conclusion Chapter Six: The Nature of Historical Time in Capitalism Introduction Absolute and relative time in capitalist production ‘Time through the movement of ‘many capitals" Changes in the historical constitution of time Conclusion Chapter Sever Introduction Mandel’s long waves of capitalist development ‘Time in postmodern society Foucault's concept of time Conclusion Conclusion Appendix: Marx’s Citations Concerning Time in Capital Bibliography Marx’s Concept of Time in a Contemporary Context 84 1 102 118 128 133 140 47 152 156 163 170 178 188 193 203 205 214 220 231 242 2a 249 259 27 285 293 351Preface ‘Time is one of the most alluring and fascinating of subjects to study. Its enigmatic nature; its paradoxes and inherent contradictions; its many different facets; and its tendency to raise profound questions about the meaning of history, has meant that, for me, writing this thesis has been a fascinating journey that has taken me through many strange and beautiful intellectual landscapes. | formulated the questions that are addressed in this thesis on the basis of research done for my honours dissertation, completed in 1994, in which I examined Michel Foucault's concept of time. In the dissertation I concluded that, while Foucault's contribution to thought about historical time was significant and valuable, there were inherent problems with his approach, problems that could perhaps be resolved by reference to Marx’s ideas about time. It seemed to me that a dialogue between Marxism and Foucauldian thought presented the opportunity to develop an understanding of historical time that was relevant and applicable to historical understanding today. However, the surprisingly limited number of studies into the role of time in Marx’s ideas, and the consequent frequent misunderstanding concerning it, made an investigation into his concept of time a pre-requisite to the development of such an understanding. | completed the thesis with the financial support of an APA scholarship, while research funding provided by the Curtin School of Social Sciences enabled me to travel to London, where [ utilized the resources of the City University Library and the British Library, and the facilities offered by Institute of Historical Research. I feel very fortunate to have had this practical support to research and write the thesis, as weil as to have had wonderful help from individuals along the way. Associate Professor John McGuire has been an outstanding supervisor in every way. Dr. Patrick Bertola, my co-supervisor, and Emeritus Professor Peter Reeves, the thesis committee chairman, have offered unqualified support. Geoffrey Kay and Scott Meikle asked the right questions and offered valuable comments, Many staff and students of the Curtin School of Social Sciences, too numerous to name, have made many helpful suggestions at various stages in the research and writing process. Christine Power, with her probing intellect, has been a source of inspiration, while all the members of the Philosophy of History Reading Group, through countless stimulating discussions over the past years, have sustained me. My parents, Tom and Helen Miller, have given welcome advice and encouragement. Bruce Sawyer has been constant in his support on many levels, and Stella, who arrived in the world last, year, has provided the impetus for me to bring the thesis to a conclusion. J thank them all. KM. March 2001