>>> Jim Devine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 07/07/99 12:45PM >>> Charles writes:> ... But what do you think of modifying the materialist conception of history of the capitalist mode of production by saying that it is not only defined by wage-labor but by a racist/colonialist division of labor ? Racism and colonialism are as fundamental to capitalist relations of production as is wage-labor. <
I'd prefer to stick to Marx's definition. A system defined by a racist/colonialist division of labor would be called racist colonialism or some such. ((((((((((((((((( Charles: Marx didn't get a chance to see how persistent racism and colonialism have been in the history of capitalism. The racism is not just in the colonies but in the core colonizer countries. So , the term racist colonialism does not cover it. The division of labor based on race, both in the colonies and "at home" is as necessary and integral to the capitalist mode of production as is the institution of wage-labor. (((((((((((( Besides, it's possible that colonialism could go away. In most places in the world, colonialism has been replaced by neocolonialism (informal colonialism) or economic dependency. Just because colonial looting played a key role at the start of capitalism's rise doesn't mean that it will do so forever. After all, absolute surplus-value extraction has in many places been replaced by relative surplus-value extraction. (((((((((((( Charles: By "colonialism" I mean both paleo and neo-colonialism. It is not at all proven that capitalism could continue if colonialism went away. The empirical evidence is that colonialism ( old or new) has always been coincident with capitalism. But they are not just empirically coincident ,but there is a logic to their connection. I am not just talking about the colonial looting as a chief momentum of the primitive accumulation, but colonial looting at every stage of development of capitalism. Lenin argues necessary role of colonialism in the imperialist phase of capital , which is way after the start of capitalism. The operations of IMF , World Bank and US military demonstrate the centrality of neo-colonialist looting in today's globalist phase of capital. Capitalism without integral colonalism is speculative. There is no actually existing capitalism without colonialism and racism. (((((((((((((( Racism may never go away, but it muddies up a very clean concept to make it part of capitalism. ((((((((((((((( Charles: Seems to me it is clear as black and white. It is very simple to see the relation between racism and dividing the working class (thereby thwarting socialist revolution or the end of capitalism) , super profiteering and wage-labor. But not only that, we can't get rid of capitalism , in part , because we are not seeing that in order to get rid of capitalism, we must get rid of racism and colonialism, not just wage-labor. ((((((((((((((( >Racism is part of the infrastructure, not just superstructure. < I would agree with this totally (and I've said it a couple of times on pen-l). The "infrastructure" is not just capitalism, but includes patriarchy (sexism) and relations of racial domination. ((((((((((((((( Charles: To me, to say something is part of the infrastructure, is to say it is part of the relations of production or the mode of production. ((((((((((((9 >It is not just ideology, but a material practice fundamental and necessary to capitalist relations of production. As you say above, it is inherent to the socio-economic environment of the Enlightenment. It does not originate in the thinking of the Enlightenment thinkers as superstructure. It appears in superstructure, in Enlightenment thinking , as a reflection of its existence in the infrastructure or relations of production, which as you say, the Enlightenment thinkers were not able to transcend. To say the Enlightenment thinkers were not able to transcend it is to say impliedly that it was a substantial aspect of that socio economic formation.< right. >From the primitive accumulation to globalism, racism and colonialsim are a necessary condition of capitalism.< We'll see. ((((((((((((((((( Charles: That's my line. What we have "seen" in fact is that racism and colonialism have been necessary conditions of capitalism in all of its actual existence in history. What "we'll see " is whether your speculation that capitalism could continue without racism and colonialism is true. However, that is only a dogmatic (sorry) application of the theory that wage-labor is the only defining characteristic of capitalism. CB --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Sending your posting to [email protected] Unsubscribe by sending an email to [email protected] You can also visit http://groups.google.com/group/payco Visit our website at www.mayihlome.wordpress.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
