L11 LB Critical theory and the Frankfurt school.

Question 1

Name the basic principles of marxism

Answer 1

• Historic-materialist approach – by analysing the physical world, it would be possible to understand how societies are structured.
• Surplus labour – the difference between the value workers’ labour produces and the wealth generated to the capitalist (owner).
• Means of production – machinery, land or know-how that are needed to produce commodities(grondstoffen).

Question 2

Explain the base and superstructure

Answer 2

Basic idea is that means of production and associated social relations provide the foundations of society. This gives rise to society’s superstructure, which encompasses facets such as politics, law, religion media, culture. These are all things inherent to our daily lives that go unnoticed as it is ‘normal’ in our society.

Question 3

Why is there no knowledge-impartiality?

Answer 3

Perception of objective reality is always conditioned by the socio-historical context of the observer

Question 4

How does critical theory consider knowledge?

Answer 4

knowledge as something rather
functional to ideology critique
and social emancipation….
knowledge becomes social
criticism and the latter translates
itself into social action, that is,
into the transformation of
reality.

Question 5

What is an ideology”?

Answer 5

Perception of objective reality is always conditioned by socio historical context of the observer. You’re always influenced by the ideology by which you move.

Question 6

What is abstraction?

Answer 6

Way of thinking that draws attention to processes of comprehension (realist, materialism, structuralism) and the relations between those things.

Question 7

What are the four kind of relations?

Answer 7

1. Identity/difference: compare and contrast to identify
   differences/similarities and classify the world around us.
   Things/beings may be different in some aspects, but similar in
   others.
2. Interpenetration of opposites: different actors involved in particular phenomenon
3. Quantity and quality: Death Grips become famous (qualitative) due to fans who collectively shared music on the internet (quantitative)
4. Contradiction: inherent to capitalist according to marx. Contradiction to reducing labor cost but they need to ensure that workers are paid enough to live and keep healthy. Contradiction between labor costs and willingness to maximize profits.

Question 8

Explain the relationship between thesis and anthithesis and explain how this causes synthesis.

Answer 8

The material capitalistic conditions (thesis) and its contradiction (antithesis) will result in ‘crisis of over-accumulation’. Mass of workers unemployed and commodities not being sold due to workers lack of access to capital. This could lead to struggle and a consequent change in the mode of production (synthesis).

Question 9

Explain post-modern critical theory.

Answer 9

Reason can sometimes derail with extreme consequences. Prisons resemble factories, schools, barracks, hospitals etc…

Question 10

What did David Harvey do what Marx did not?

Answer 10

He was critical of geography being positivistic and superficial. He published key books that influenced geographical thought, by demonstrating how capitalist contradictions have crucial spatial dimensions.

Question 11

What were Harveys key concepts?

Answer 11

• Temporal fix – financial investments in future commodity production and profit, thus (temporarily) avoiding crisis.
• Spatial fix - shifting investments from developed regions to less developed areas, ‘producing new spaces’ suitable for capitalistic forms of production.
• Space is not inert – it is produced by social processes and practices, which in turn are also shaped by space.

Question 12

Explain political ecology

Answer 12

It focuses on the intersections between capitalist production, olitics and the environment.

It has an intention to influence environmental policy and practice

Demonstrates how social values and environmental are co-produced.