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    Marxism After Polanyi PDF

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    Gerson Ocaranza

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    Faron Michelle Willi sms and Vicawas Garane (eds) comoren PUARKIME Joe THE QI Cemrway J Coby Sofa: Ws Dae MARXISM AFTER POLANYI Michael Burawoy Wat should we do wih Mars? Bor mot he anve issn Bary Matta scl cece ha lng since i wel Mar, To anos (967198) Sami Manos her who igen enti ond othe nineteenth cet wero of inctentyeary lari fm ean thewentth em. nial enh be eome thee reco in 18 inthe mit» jr eval af Maa Sought scr the oe eval ated Set Marina ing ioe ened Marti anc andrea There dot It log ut fled etch ltnay hope were ‘anguished by tees nd top and ten by mae finden ‘lam Wi heal ape ofc oi rd in 199, th simenens Ice ration n Chin he genedigges pronounced ars aly esd dbl led aso thw cng schon Mart coor helt ol-usofen appr dognatc 2nd anacvonitic Mr enced someting ged te ems by Semantran telus rr intactsha eu elon wey ‘fending arson nit pine, eee nth sires of a Mare ‘nd rich Eg The cle th flowed Mar and Engl Let Plhaoo, Toy, arin, br, Rwy Lad Gem Fano -) Amin, Mao — were bata loss on bli readings of vgs Toda’ epgones ‘do nt pace Marxard Engels inher context ible elgs whose hought ‘elle the period in which the ved, tas Christie gars and thus the source of eral truth nthe view the founders can speak no falsehood. ‘Adopting neither bul norreeation, third approach to Marie has been more menste. Many in thesia sciences and beyond have sppeope ated what they consider slvagenble, which might inde Marisnsanalss of the creative power acpi, the notions of explitaion and cls stage, the idea of primi astmalation, or even Marit views of ideology and the sat. There neo Marxists and post Marat often combine the idexs of Mars and Marsa wit thote of oer social theorists ~ Max Weber, Emile Durthsim, Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu, Jigen Habermas, Simone de Beauvoir, Catharine MacKinnon and soon Indeed, these ater theorists had themscherabrrbedmany Mersis notions ofen without acknowledging thet et, even a they expres her ost to Marais. The neo Maras teat Marnsm at upernarht They ake what plese them ad eave behind what does ot, sometimespaying heir rept atthe checkout, sometimes not. They have no qusns abort dscrding wha doesnot st the times “The fourthapprosch th one adopted hee is that Marais isaliving to ‘on that enjoys renewal and reensracion tthe worl it describes and seks to transform underjoes change, ARer all, a the heart of Marais i the den that beliefs scene or ideology - neces change with society. Ths, the word verges so must Marxism, reflecting diverse socal and economic structures and histricl legis, However, Maxim cannot simply near the wold It est change the world but changing such variegated word requiesavarigate theory. theory hat keeps up withthe times and accom smodates places, [MARXISM AS AN EVOLVING TRADITION IF Marxism ie an volving tation, what do all its variates share that make them st of that tration? What makes Maris Marxism? Whats itsabiding ‘cot irrespective of he period espectiv af the national train? What dal branches of Masi have in common? If we think the Maps ation a5. am ever-growing te, we can ae What are roost What defines its unk? ‘What retract ‘The oot themsevs grow in shiing entanglement of fou foundations lan: historical materialise as id otinthepreficto the Critique of Paitin Ezonony he premises of history as found in The German ely. notions of human satura ound in the Banani ond Pinhal Mameript and the ‘elation of theory and practice as fund inthe The onFevertach The tn ofthe Masses the theory of capitals, presented in the thee volumes of Cipita and revised by inheritors oer the ast entry anda hall ‘Thes there are the successive branches of Marxism ~ German Maram, Russian Soviet Marxism, Western Marxist, Thid World Marsa ~ some branches dead others dying and yet others flourishing, Each branch spring from its own reconstruction of Marxism, eiponding to specific historia ‘reumstanees. German Marts responded othe reformist tendencies within ‘the Geaman socialist moverent of 1890-1920 a8 well as capitals eapacty to absorb the eres it generates: Russian Maris sprang fom the derma fhe combined and uneven developmen of capitalism on a wold sale and of the bate over socialism in ane counte: Wester Maris was a response {0 Soviet Maris fis andthe aire ofevoltion inthe Wess and The ‘World Marxism grapples with the dilemmas of underdevelopment at wel ot colonia and postcolonial struggles. ‘When we examine this tee wee hat Marssm may hve begun asa ‘eae project that cid inded fink people sco ational boundaries ~ think ofthe Fst Intemational. As asic! Marssm garnered poplar suppor it became i to national pls (Russi, German, French and so on rom ‘which expanded into regional Mocs ~ Soviet, Western and Thi Word ‘Marxism, What i the sale of Marxism today? Eventhough its popular hase ‘as shrunk, 1 wil argue that Maasm can no longer respond ony to loa, ational or rgioal issues thas to embrace lol issues ses tat affect the entre pine. To reconstruct Maram ona global scale requtes1ague, ‘eshnking the materi bass ot Maris through the es ofthe markt, but ‘notin terms ofits geographical seope (since markets have always been lab at wells local), no even in terms of neoliberal scendancy (ine markets have slays move through pesiods of expansion and contraction} but in terms of ‘he novel modes of eommosifcation 4m rit dhere ve been three waves of markatistion hat ave swept the ‘word: theft spanning the nineteenth century, the second beginning ater ‘Wold War andthe hid begining in the mi 1970s Associated with exch ‘ave the commotiation of a leading force of prodcton, successively Isbout, money and natu. These ate Kal Polanyi (1944) chee ftous commodities whose commodifation, be csimed, destroys thir ute value ‘Thus, when our is subjet to unregulated exchange seit se value «annot be productive mone is subject to unregulated exchange he val of ‘money becomes So volatile that business go out of busines and if nature i tured into acommodityit destroys ur means existence =the aie breathe, ‘the water we drink the lind upon which we grow fod, the bos we ihabit, isintve st of expanding sights (labour, social and human) organized on 25, ‘rer-widening sal: loa atonal and presumptively global. ial teach, ‘ountermovereat there coresponds 2 disineive configuration of Maram ~ dlasial Marxism based onthe projection ofan economic utopias Soviet, ‘Westen and Third Wold Maxim bed on state eplation; nd Sinaly sco logical Marxism base onan expanding and selregulating vi society. "The perodtion of Marxism may be ied tothe periodsaton af xpitalism but the periods themes ae continually reconstructed asa history of the volving present history that make eae ofthe present as bot dint rom ‘nd continuous with the past. Marx (1967) sony one pevod of capitalism, Lenin (1963) saw two and Ernest Mandel (1975) sae thee, We, to,se thee, ‘ot bused on production bot ates onthe market at the mos stent expe ence of today. Here I do, indeed, break withthe contntional Marist cm that production provides the foundation of appouion to captaim. This ino longer tenable: in part because production ithe locus ofthe organisation of onset to captain apd ia part because inthe fe ofthe plabal production of surplus abou popolaton, exploitation iapidly becoming sought afer rive ofthe fe. Exploitation continues our cetely nthe dynamics, ‘of accumulation, but atin the experience of sbjugsted populations Inthe ‘Maraian analysis the experience of the musket appears the ‘esis of ‘commodities camouflage for th hidden abode of production, butts mech ‘more than that, shaping mulpl dimensions of human exstence RECONSTRUCTING POLANYI 1m making the market fundamental prop of human exitence 1 dr on ‘Polanyistheoryand history of eaptalism. Ween in 1944, Polanyi The Great “Tanformavionexaines the politcal and sacl consequences ofthe rie ofthe ‘market rom the end ofthe eighteenth century to the Great Depression. The markt Pony ares, had sich devastating consequences tha genera ‘ountermovement to protect society. The countermorement,howeve, could bas structive as the mate it sought contin Thus it ncade fain snd Saini a5 well as the New Dea nd sci dmocrcy. Indeed, Play concluded that such were its consequences thst ree asin would humanity "experiment with market fundamentalism. He was wong - markt fundamen ‘alm struck our planet onc gain in the 19704, thratening human existence and anoihiating communi. ‘The eso for Polany’s fale opis sn ise tae the logic of «aplalism serouy. While he embraces Mars eat wrtngs on alienation he ‘ejects Mant’ theory of history. whether understood succession of modes Of production, the slf-destroying dynamics of capitalist competition, or the intensification of class struggle. But in reecting the idea of law of istry, Polanyi alo fetisons the lopc of capital n particular is recurrent deployment of marke fundamentalism as strategy for overcoming its intemal contradic tions. Thi of couse i where Davi Harvey (2003 al 205) steps inrepadng, “neoliberal as an ideological offensive of epital iss the pin made by Inbouri he period afer Word War IL? Recognising the contemporary wave of market fndamentalism leads to ‘uetioningPoany’s homogenising history of capitis a a singular wave of maretstion giving way ta singular countermonement— what he cal the “great ransormatin’Refesing spicata the history of Fnglnd, Palen counts in deta the way the Speenhamland sper protected labo from commodification until the pase ofthe I83 New Poot Law that bashed ‘outdoor lit The year 184 marked, then theesablahment of pre market in labour that enough the nineteenth centr, gonewated movements sinst ‘ommodifiation = from the Chartist movement of L848 that sought to ge ‘orkersthe ote, othe fctory movement that soughtolinitthe length of the ‘working dy to the abolition ofthe Combination Acs that sought to advance "rade unions, to demands for unemployment insurance and minimum wages ‘These struggles were not about exploitation, argues Play. but about the rtetion of labour from ie commodification. Soity wishing bac gins he mark. 1 Polanyi history, the commodification of labour was but part of long sscendany tht continues from the end ofthe eiheenth century through World War 1 the Great Depression, Fatal by the commode of money ise ensured though the egulation of exchange ats by pegging them tothe gold standard the nrkt expanded ito the realm of international trade (Opening up an unregulstd global mare in trade with the fluctuating value of national rence so dstabilied indivi national econo df sucenivey went aff the gold standard and undertook protectionist police, Proectonst regimes took the form of fac in counties such a5 Ta, (Germany nd Austria, tok the form ofthe New Deal inthe US 10K the fore of Stalin with is colletvition and central planing in the Soviet Union and took the form of social democracy in Scandinavian countries, In Plan's ye the upward swingin commodification ultinaely give way to contr. ‘ovement that could edt soilam ted onthe collie ai elation of society bts justasielytogve way to fascism andthe estiction of feedom. ‘Knowing that Planyi was wrong about the trees nto question his account ofthe pst. Thus re-examining Plans argument reveals that there ‘remota singular pwd trajectory in are stion butt ete waves of rmarketation (sce Figure 2.1)-The fst takes us from Speenhamland to World War Landis primary dive bythe commodifation of abou, flowed bys roteton, whereas the second wave takes from Weld War Ito the idle 1970s The second wave originates with he commodication of money (anda renewed commodification of abour) nding toa countermovement involving the regulation of nation economies. The third wave, known to enany a8 neoliberal, begins in 173 with the ol ris and nites third wave of ‘marketsation featuring the tecommodfaton of abou and money, but ao the commeodifeation of mature. We are il in the mia ofthe xcendancy of this third wav of marketsation. Along the way we hve pase through struc ‘ual ajustment administered othe fang ecnomies ofthe South id shock ‘therapy adopted bythe post-Soviet regime and its satelite in East and ental Europe. Sucetve economic failures of stat-regulated economies served to ners the ascendant belt inthe art. The ces of roca exist in ‘Asin and Latin America during the 1905 culminating in the fanciers of 2008 served to consolidate the power of nance capital? ‘What i unique about the third period, howews isthe way the expansion of captlio hat given rie to environmental degradation, moving toward ‘colopcl catastrophe. Whether we ae referring 1 climate change or the dumping of toxic was, the privatisation of wate, ai and an, or the ade inhuman organs, the commodification of nate at the hear of cpt’ impending cre Thecountermovement nthe thir period wil have to iit ‘ait tendency destroy the foundations of humen extenes, cling forthe restction and regulation of markets and sacastion ofthe means of prodition which would be as compatible with the expansion of freedoms swith her contraction. Figure 2.1: The waves ofmaketnaton Fiawae [Sadan eww costa | cere [ners I ve y as wat | ake | ‘ pee : 1 Faton Yio Money bor) Nace ‘cnmedty [Money + tabs Isaleoh Jeet natorat [raters clots | obs! Bee tan soc ten ‘uta single great transformation rom ascendant marketistion to con ‘ermovement, gives may lice wees of marktiton each vith on rel or imagined countermovement. Esch wave of martian is marked by shading fcttios commodity. As wll s incorporating 2 new Betious commodity, ach wave of marketistionreeommodifes that which had been ‘commodified before, bt in new ways Labout, fr example, is commodied, ‘deommodified and then recommodifid in sucesve wane. We shoud nt ‘hink ofthe thre waves as compartmentlied and separate rom each othe, utter aa form of ili progresion of, perhaps ete, represion “The rhythm and experience ofthese wave is dillerentin dere parts of ‘the world. Polanyi himself recognise how the frst wave of markeistion in ‘henineeethcenciry had epeily deracine consequences in the oles where there wa, he argues, no capacity to resi the annihilation finigenous societ en. Much as he exaggerated the destruction ofthe working class inaine- reent-centry England, be alo exaggerates the destrction af indigenous omni in South Afica® We now know hat colonialism acl Fined land dapostesion, so sto create the bass of indict rule as well 3 abour resents fr industry. Sil in bis exploration of colonialism, Polanyi dss ase he question ofthe differentia eonsequences af markatisation scoring to postion inthe world apt order. Ne les important i the hisoial contet. Thus Rusia and China today, msrting from a period of state socialism = tel 2 reaction to wecond.wave smaratstion~ face the simuanety ofall thee waves of marketsaton that simultane i the commodiftion of lind, labour and mane. Inthe Rss cae, marketistin, at least forthe st seven years ofthe post-Soviet, a, as accompanied by an unprecedented economic dene asta in Cina ‘twas accompanied by unprecedented economic growth, In Russ, wanton denuction of the pry sate wat inspired by marke fendamentaliam and the ‘bein a market road to market apts, whereas in China the market was imcutted under the dieton ofthe ary tat. The sagerng pace of Chinese ‘concmic development i a resounding confirmation of Plans own argu rmentthat mares requie pla organisation, Inshor cach wave of makati marked by avceve articulations of| the cammodifatin of kbour, money and natre wih corresponding coun termevements of dient sis and defending particular rights. Each wave feral less countse according othe history and placement in the worldeconomy Moreover wll no show ach wave aso reflects particular ontraitions of expt, anda particular vison of soils well the defence ofa patcular et of rights This movement of history gives ise to's sccession of Marais: daa! Maris, flowed by Soviet, Western snd Thid World Marxian, whi i tr gv way to wht ll socologicl Marsa, Lets take each in urn. FIRST WAVE: CLASSICAL MARXISM Inthe fst wave of marketistion, during the nine eth emu the focus ison {he commosiation of abou ~ is the separation of labour from mean of subsistence so that itcan be Bought nd sold in abou marke and then stat stiesby capital to rece the cos of abou power trough desl. plying ‘ukiple members ofthe family nd ereting were atmy of Ibs Tie edt sugges that emanated fom production rom factories rages for labour rights sich a limitation ofthe length ofthe working dy, protection "inst unemployment the ight to organi inc trade unions, the extension ‘ofthe vote, the development af cooperatives andthe development of pola ties The countermoverent is foal charicer, building toward nation ‘working elas organisation to secre sat enforcement of bor right ‘To this coresponds the csc! Mars of Marx and Engel and ofthe {olden years of German social democracy the Mansm of Kathy, Lsemburg ‘and Eduard Bernstein 1 is bse on the ides tht cptalism is aytem of ‘exploitation that isineviably doomed besuse the rltons of production wll fnally and deity fee the forces of proton. Competiion among, ‘palin lens to the aecurltion of wealth atone pol of society and te immiseration a the the pole, which in turn gives is toon the one ride the deepening crises of overproduction andthe recta destraction of th means of production and on the ater sie, the smultsneous intensifcation of cae struggle, What classical Maris shares the view that capitalism i doomed by its own as to destoy isl, herby ving wo soil, ‘The debate between Laxembur (1970) and Kets (197) (aio Goode 1983) is about precisely when the fal criss wl occur, when the force of Production wl finaly be feteredor whether af te view of Bernstein (196), there is no fia rss because capitalism will re into soils. Despite Aitring views, they all shared the bel that the rise of socialism was pu ‘ante because capitalism was doomed. Ae resltocialsm remand largely 'mexamined, twas presumed t develop onthe batisof the selection of ‘the capitalist mode of production though the concentration of eaptal ad he «olletvsation of boar. In this view soci in conomic Wop and the eguton of capil Classical Marxism depended on laws of history ~ the sucesion of modes of production, the dynamics of pti that sows the seeds ois own destruction and history the tory ofc sug ~ tht ‘il ceil ea eaptalia tonard esi, ‘Cisial Maxim steed fom the fatal fas, Fists theory of eas struggle was wrong ~cls stage doesnt neces let ot intensifier tion tut rather, ehvough the concessions it wis, the working cass becomes organised within the farewosk of exptlism, Second ts theory of the ste vas undeveloped the sates organised to defend capitalism agains capitals a wel 2 workers. The state renga and enforces the mtr interests of “workers ina lite but ruil way, through trade unions an partes but it lo replates lations among capitalists so that competition doesnot destroy ‘apts. Tir and Bally theory of soil transition hardly existed — ‘except inthe ease of Berscin who saw ita an evoitionsy process sed on ‘the inevitable expansion of decor democracy~ thereby config the end of -

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