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Leni n’ss day or of Zapata’ Lenin’ Zapat a’ss knew kne w, since they t hey didn’ did n’tt exist exi st anywhere . Our experiences as exploited women, urban or rural, third world or metropolitan, are unique in each case. Our needs and our desires are increasingly international and universal: to be free, to be free of the labor that has worn us down over centuries, to be free of domination and dependence on men. We repudiate the assumption that we who are not socialized, collectivized, unionized, are the “backward ones.” he backward technology with which they have burdened us is no measure of our own aspirations. And that is our dilemma. REFUSING THEIR DEVELOPMENT
In the metropolis when we demand a wage from the state, we are told that we can c an get a wage w age in the off offices ices or factories, f actories, which are waiti waiting ng to suck up what litt little le of our live livess the was washing hing mac machine hine has lef leftt free free.. Mil Millions lions of us are driven there daily by an inflation that is transforming bringing home a wage—and therefore doing a double shift—into another household duty, another chore, another obligation of the wife. In Mexico, with a 40 percent rate of unemployment or underemployment, to propose that women who want a wage take a second sec ond job in factories, off offices, ices, and so on (if they don don’’t already have one on the land) is even e ven more laughable. None None of us wants that t hat second job—not those who have it and the pittance of a wage that may go with it or those who desperately need need a wage despite the sixteen-hour day of the full-time housewife. More work will never sweeten our bitterness. Yet third world women (in fact all women) women) are told there is no other solution but to accept this “development,” to accept, that is, more rationalized exploitation, if they are lucky enough to get it in that sea of wagelessness. here is only one development development today in the t he world, and that is capitalist developm development, ent, even greater exploitation than we have suffered up to now. hat is the price we have traditionally paid for the wage. We We will still stil l bear, train, and care for the new generation while we are “benefiting” from f rom the assembly line of their development. developm ent. Also, because so many of us are wageless, they t hey will get the very few they hire cut-rate. Passively to accept that development is to accept a development of slavery, the opposite of its abolition. For us in the metropolis to demand a wage from the State for the work we are a re doing in the home is our only real choice, so that we can c an massively refuse that job and the second, waged, job we do. As capital’s crisis deepens it is not clear what place metropolitan women will have in its plans. One thing, however however,, is already a lready clear. clea r. hough we are surrounded by development, development, they have begun to plead poverty and austerity and are expecting women to be the prime shock absorbers. When we demand wages for housework in whatever form—child form— child care that we control; free birth control and abortion
Praise for Against Capital in the Twenty-First Twenty-First Century Centur y “In Against Capital in Asima kopoulos ulos and Gilmanin the Twenty-First Century , Asimakopo Opalsky have assembled a collection of texts that traverses the borders of Marxism, feminist radicalisms, anarchism, a narchism, and the interstices interstices existing between them. his hi s will be the leading leadin g collection for contemporar contemporaryy students of radical thought and practitioners of freedom for decades to come.” Resistan ce, and the —D���� S������, editor of The End of the World as We Know It? Crisis, Resistance, Political al Sociology: Oppression, Resistance, and the State Age of Austerity and and coauthor of Politic
“ Against is more than just a reader. Draw Against Capital Capital in the Twenty-First Twenty-First Century is ing upon a vast body of theoretical, scholarly, and political literature, ranging from the theoretical ideas of Cornelius Castoriadis to the transformative analysis of Staughton Lynd, this book generates stunning insights into the continuity contin uity and a nd transformation of radical thought thought.. It deserves the widest possible readership. re adership.”” —A����� G����č� G����č�ć ć, Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Social Change at the California Institute of Integral Studies
“In this extremely timely volume, Asimakopoulos and Gilman-Opalsky do an excellent job of weaving together the loose and disparate ends of transformative theory into a unified, mutually reinforcing whole. Against Capital in is essential reading read ing for anyone anyone seeking to understand the Twenty-First Twenty-First Century Centur y is the theoretical and practical trajectory of radical thought in today’s world.” Associate ssociate Professor of Philosophy, Philosophy, Midwestern State University —N����� J. J��, A
Against Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Edited by
J��� A������������ A������������ ��� R������ G�����-O� G�����-O������ �����
Against Capital in the Twenty wenty-Firs -Firstt Centu Century ry A RE READ ADER ER OF RA RADI DICA CAL L UN UNDE DERCU RCURR RREN ENS S
EMPLE UNIVERSIY PRESS
Philadelphia Rome Tokyo •
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EMPLE UNIVERSIY PRESS
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122 www.temple.edu/tempress Copyright © 2018 by emple University—Of he Commonwealth System of Higher Education Alll rights Al right s reserved reser ved Published 201 20188 Library of Congress C ongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Asimakopoulos, Asima kopoulos, John, editor. | Gilman-Opalsky Gilman-Opalsk y, Richard, Richa rd, 1973– 1973– editor. itle: Against capital in the t he twenty-first century : a reader of radical radica l undercurrents / edited by John Asimakopoulos and Richard Gilman-Opalsky. Gilma n-Opalsky. Description: Philadelphia : emple University Press, 2018. | Includes index. Identifiers: Identif iers: LCCN L CCN 2017022629| 2017022629| ISBN 978143991 97814399135 3574 74 (cloth (cloth : alk. al k. paper) p aper) | ISBN 9781439913581 (paper : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781439913598 (e-book) Subjects: Subj ects: LCSH: Socialism. Socia lism. | Equality. Equa lity. | Capitalism. Classification: Classificat ion: LCC HX73 .A344 .A 344 2018 2018 | DDC 335—dc23 335—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017022629 he paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the A merican National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Printed Library Materials, Materia ls, ANSI Z39.48-1992 Z39.48-1992 Printed in the United States of America 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Plato —J��� A������������ To a world ungoverned by capital —R������ G�����-O������
Contents
Acknowledgments
xi
Introduction: Ag Again ainst st Capital in the wenty-First Centur Centuryy •
1
R������ G�����-O� G�����-O����� ������ ��� J��� A������������
| Theory/Praxis
31
1.1 Tink Hope, Tink Crisis J��� H������� 1.2 Te New Spaces of Freedom F���� G������� 1.3 Te Teory of State-Capitalism: Te Soviet Union as Capitalist Capi talist Society R ��� D����������� D����������� 1.4 Death, Freedom, and the Disintegration of Communism R��� D����������� 1.5 Revolution and Counterrevolution in Hungary R��� D����������� D����������� 1.6 Dialectics: Te Algebra of Revolution R ��� D����������� •
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2
| Ideology
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4
1
31 38 47 52 53 54
56
Socialism or Barbarism C�������� C���������� Ideology Ideo logy Materialized G�� D����� American America n “Common Sense” F���� P����� P������ � Radical Learning through Neoliberal Crisis S����� R��� •
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56 59 62 65
viii |
3
CONTENTS
| Class Composition and Hierarchy
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5
Karl Marx’ Marx’ss Model of the Class Society R��� D��������� Sex, Race, and Class S���� J���� Wageles W agelesss of the World World S���� J���� Hierarchy of Wages and Incomes C�������� C���������� A Brief Rant Ra nt against aga inst Work: With Par Particula ticularr Attention to the Relation of Work to White Supremacy, Sexism, and Miserabilism •
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4
78
P������� R�������
99
| Racialization and Feminist Critique
107
4.1 Te Lived Experience of the Black Man F����� F���� Negro’ss Fight: Negroes, Negroes , We Can Depend Only on 4.2 Te Negro’ Ourselves! C.L.R. J���� 4.3 Harlem Negroes Protest Jim Crow Discrimination C.L.R. J���� 4.4 Feminism and the Politics of the Common in an Era of Primitive Accumulation S����� F������� A����� ���� G�� G ���� �� 4.5 #BlackLivesMatter A� •
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5
78 84 89 94
| Critical Pedagogy
107 114 116 122 134
139
5.1 Beyond Dystopian Visions in the Age of Neoliberal Violence H���� A. G����� Radicall Critique Critique 5.2 Chapman Democracy Activist Offers a Radica •
139
of Capitalism: Interview with Peter McLaren •
J������� J����� �� W������
156
Neoliberal beral Globalization and a nd Resistance in Education Education:: 5.3 Neoli Te Challenge of Revolutionary Critical Pedagogy •
C���������� S���������
160
5.4 ransformative Education, Critical Education, Marxist
Education: Possibilities and Alternatives to the Restructuring of Education in Global Neoliberal imes D��� H��� •
171
| Capitalis Capitalistt Culture and Cultural Produc Production tion
186
Everyday Life R ���� V������� V������� 6.1 Te Revolution of Everyday 6.2 Info-labor/Precarization F����� “B���” B������ S�������� ���� 6.3 Imaginal Machines S������� S����
186 193 204
6
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CONTENTS
7
| Langu Language, age, Literature, and Art
7.1
214 21 4
M����� E�����
7.2 My Name Is Espada M����� E����� 7.3 Vivas to Tose Who Have Failed: Te Paterson Silk Strike, 1913 M����� E����� 7.4 Factotum C������ B������� A� �������� ��������� ��� 7.5 Interview with Robert Greenwald J��� A��� 7.6 Sound of da Police KRS-O�� •
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| Ecology •
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| Historical Transformations •
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| New Modalities of Collec Collective tive Ac Action tion
10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5
233 241 250 258
266 269 277 284
293
From Globalization to Resistance S�������� L��� Platform for a Provisional Opposition G�� D����� Te emporar emporaryy Autonomous Zone H���� B�� Te Conscience of a Hacker �� M����� Horizontalism and erritory: From Argentina and Occupy to Nuit Debout and Beyond M����� S�����
293 303 308 312 31 2
Contributors Index
325 333
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216 216 219 21 9 226 230
266
9.1 Conflict Groups, Group Conflicts, and Social Change R��� D��������� 9.2 Debt: Te First 5,000 Years D���� G������ Beg an F����� “B���” “B���” B������ B�� ���� 9.3 When the Future Began A����� �� M������� M ���������� ��� 9.4 Post-Fordist, American Fascism A��� 10
214 214 215 21 5
233
B������� ��� 8.1 What Is Social Ecology? M����� B���� J���� �� O’C����� 8.2 Socialism and Ecology J�� Prim itivism? J��� Z���� Z�� ��� � 8.3 Why Primit 8.4 In Catastrophic imes: Resisting the Coming Barbarism I������� S������� 9
i x
How We We Could Have Lived or Died Tis Way •
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314 31 4
Acknowledgments
JOHN ASIM A SIMAKOPOU AKOPOULOS LOS
I express gratitude to all our contributors for their countless unpaid labor hours in an ungrateful educational industrial complex. I am indebted to my colleagues Ali Zaidi and Elsa Marquez for their assistance and suggestions. hanks also go to our friend Ramsey Kanaan for providing a number of entries from PM Press books book s (that I hope you read in support of independent presses). A special acknowledgment is owed to my colleague, friend, and coeditor, Richard. his book would not have been possible without him. RICHARD GILMAN�OP GILMA N�OPALSK ALSKY Y
hanks go to all the contributors, whose generosity and support have made this book possible. hanks especially go to Stevphen Shukaitis of Minor Compositions/Autonomedia for providing material from larger works, each of which should be read in full. Finally, this book depended on the impressive editorial powers of my friend and coeditor, John Asimakopoulos. I have learned so much from knowing and working worki ng with John and am deeply grateful for everything every thing he does to create and pro proliferate liferate radical scholarship.
Against Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Introduction Against Capital Capital in the wenty-First Century Century R������ G�����-O������ ��� J��� A������������
UNDERCURRENTS
In December Dec ember 19 1917, the Italia Italian n Marxi Ma rxist st Antonio A ntonio Gramsci wrote a short essay, essay, “he Revolution against Capital ,”� the title of which alludes to the title of Karl Marx’s major work. Gramsci observed that the Bolsheviks had made a revolution that undermined and refuted several of Marx’s defining theoretical insights. he revolution challenged Marx’s critique of ideology and his theory of historical historical conflict conf lict and change. Gramsci observes that the revolution consists more of ideologies than of events. . . . his is the revolution against Karl K arl Marx’ Mar x’ss Capital . In Russia, Marx’s Capital was was more the book of the bourgeoisie than of the proletariat. It stood as the critical demonstration of how events should follow a predetermined course: how in Russia a bourgeoisie had to develop, and a capitalist era had to open, with the setting-up setti ng-up of a Western-type Western-type civiliz civ ilization, ation, before before the proletariat could even think in terms of its own revolt, its own class demands, its own revolution.� However, war-torn However, war-torn Russia was wa s far from the industrial industria l capitalism capital ism of the United United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and France. he revolution seemed to happen prematurely, before capitalist development made it necessary, before capital could prepare society for the great conflict and change. Gramsci insisted that Marx’s theory of revolution would hold true “in normal times”
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INTRODUCTION
and “under normal normal conditions” c onditions” but but that the proliferation of radical ideas idea s and other unexpected instabilities might bring revolution under completely different circumstances.� Gramsci, who remained a Marxist, did not intend to oppose the whole of Marx’s major major work. His critique of Marx and Marxism Mar xism was not a rejection but an effort to make Marx speak to unforeseen conditions. Indeed, the creative development development and future relevance of Marx’ Mar x’ss radical radica l thinking thin king depended (and still depends) on others to come after and rethink it in new directions. Needless to say, we have less affection for homas Piketty than Gramsci had for Marx. But although our disagreements run deeper, and our critical knives are a re sharper,
