LEC 4 - Marxism and critical theory Flashcards
where did critical theory originate from?
1923 the institute for social research was founded in frankfurt and was the first marxist oriented research centre
what is critical theory?
made to critique and change power structures as if we can understand systems of domination and subordination we can change them
based on marxism and hegelian philosophy
how does critical theory asses societal structures
questions the structural conditions that were taken for granted which allowed for the structural inequality to materialise
(instead of measuring the problem it looks how it emerged in the first place to try and prevent these from happening again)
what three things does critical theory do?
1) looks at the historical foundations behind structural conditions (historicises)
2) contextualises the situations and allows for solution to be made which highlight how space and time are often used as dimensions of power
3) makes contingent world orders
what does karl marx argue people must engage in to make a change in society
‘ruthless criticism of all the exists’
ie. questioning everything
this is ruthless because:
- its not afraid of its own conclusions which may put us in an uncomfortable position showing you have benefited from a power structure for example and not being scared to remove it
- not afraid to conflict with powers that be not afardi to go against the structures of the staus quo to change it
what is the purpose of ruthless criticism
- undo alienation
- undo exploitation
- undo all social forces that constrain us
what is dialectical synthesis?
the engine for historical materialism
the idea that a thesis and antithesis come together and create a synthesis
( two different ideas combine to create a mutual outcome)
what is dialectical synthesis in relation to historical materialism
the organisation of society and technology and technical knolwedge combined to create the idea of the mode of production
what are the three laws of dialectical materialism
1) unite and conflict opposes
2) transition of quality and quantity
3 ) the negation of negations
how will people gain agency to change the structures?
need to gain consciousness of the structures and how they are exploiting and alienating the population:
- the rise of capitalism
- wage labour
- end of rent in kind labour
what is the main consequence of capitalism?
reification: an extreme form of alienation of all aspects of human activity are objects of rather than aspects of human activity and humans themselves are seen as objects rather than subjects
how is reification linked to international relations?
the organisation of production requires the organisation of rule.
the state exists as a technology of power to organise capitalism through making laws which promote it and allow for capitalism to run and exploit humans
what are the consequences of reification?
- otherness and differences become omnipresent (race, religion and gender)
- images and discourses are commodifying
- time and space shaped modes of oppression
- Historical geographical materialism as open ended capital moving through space
what problems may occur stalling revolution?
- some classes may resits liberation and emancipation due to being the benefitting class or due to false class consciousness of the proletariat
how can resistance be understood more deeply by understanding class?
- class like all identities is flued and contextual based on time and space
- collective identities are also forges in physical, material and social environments
- these conditions are given to us are shaped by past material economic conditions
therefore when thinking about agency to bring about marxist change you needs to consider the constraints of the system of exploitation which are preventing agency from being fulfilled
what is capital the explotation of?
surplus:
- surplus in asymmetrical labour exchanges
- surplus in extraction
- surplus in domination within institutions and institutional settings
what is the classical definition of capital?
- something used in the production of other goods and was itself produced
- something that is not exhausted in the process of production
- for example factories used to make products dont run out after the products are made
ex. factories used to make products dont run out after products are made
what is the fictive definition of capital
- new way of thinking of capital
- capitalisation of owned property and the stock market
- decoupling capital value from market wealth
what is cultural hegemony
- hegemony is a class relationship: one class is so dominant that its interests are normalised through institutions and cultural practices which are so built in to the lives and minds of society that they can maintain their power
- resulting in a subordinate class playing a role in their domination without their knowledge
ex. working class investing into the stock market or pension funds which are made for the bourgeoisie to benefit the bourgeoisie
what is symbolic violence
thorisesd by pierre bordeaux:
the discursive normalisation and naturalisation of one classes interests over the tohers
the idea it is natural for the bourgeoisie to dominate the proletariat
what is neo-gramsican hegemony?
- transposes cultural hegemony onto an international stage
hegemony can be transnational
for example the washington consensus:
- in the 1970s the US believed the developing countries should develop free market policies to get richer. through organisations such as the IMF
- this practice reinforced and reproduces the power structures of capitalism and prevented and local voiced emerging in the first place
- developing countries implementing these practices are told they will face economic trouble is not
what are the two approaches to create a counter-hegemony
war of position: use persuasion or propaganda to increase the numbers of political actors who oppose or see alternatives to the hegemonic position or discourse
war of movement: once counter-hegemonic elements are sufficently strong to directly cahllege the position of the bloc, through force, violence overthrowing of the bloc will occcur
dominating class language
Gamsci argues that instiutions of the dominating class reproduce a language which created hegemonic power
ex. acadameia as a system in inherently western as the language of acadmic insitutions is tailored towards western history ect
what is wallerstein’s world systesm theory?
- the world is unequal economically in which some countries dominate the economic system and exploit other countries to benefit themselves
there is a difference between core and periphery countries
core countries are: economically diverse with a strong flow of capital and strong central governments
periphery countries are: not economically diverse with weak central governments and weak institutions with a large number poor or uneducated
core countries exploit periphery and semi-periphery countries for cheap labour and raw materials
examples of world systems theory
core: USA
semi- periphery: saudi arabia as it relies economically on oil with a lack of economic diversification
periphery: Rwanda
whayt are the benefits of core exploitation (world systems theory)
- accsess to a large quantitiy of raw materials
- enormous profits from direct capital investments
- market for exports
- cheap labour
- inexpensive skills and professional labour through migraiton from the non core to the core
