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On 24/01/2011 03:39, Nick Fredman wrote: > Richard Seymore: > > >> The embourgoisement thesis doesn't have much going for it<< > > Leonardo Kosloff: > > >> such theories of the aristocracy of labor are unhelpful<< > > I noted before that imperialism per se has little or nothing to do with the > decline of union density, but more generally some comrades, not least of the > state cap variety, tend to downplay or deny the political effects of > relations of relative privilege within the working class, internationally via > imperialism, and within national social formations in terms of more skilled, > educated and/or better off sections of national working classes. Surely not? First of all, as you're talking about state caps, Tony Cliff argued that imperialism is central to the strength of reformist political attitudes. He differed with Lenin's analysis of 'labour aristocracy', but nonetheless held that capitalist expansion in the form of imperialism provided the economic basis for the Right within the labour movement. With regard to sections within the working class, Cliff's simple argument was that these tended to be more pronounced the weaker the working class is, but are reduced when the workers' standards of living go up. As for myself, I would not use the language of 'privilege', but I would agree with you on the relevance of 'feelings of superiority', or chauvinism. I am the last to deny or 'downplay' the relevant political effects of, say, white supremacy on working class cohesion and strength, which is certainly at the heart of long-term difficulties faced by the US working class for example. It's just not clear to me how theories of 'embourgoisement' or 'labour aristocracy' help with this. -- *Richard Seymour* Writer, blogger and PhD candidate Email: leninstombb...@googlemail.com Website: http://www.leninology.blogspot.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/leninology Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Seymour_(writer) Book 1: http://www.versobooks.com/books/307-the-liberal-defence-of-murder Book 2: http://www.zero-books.net/obookssite/book/detail/1107/The-Meaning-of-David-Cameron ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
