0330368362.Macmillan Children's Books.alexander, Sama.jodie.dec.100

8/12/2019 0330368362.Macmillan Children's Books.alexander, Sama.jodie.dec.100

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The ommuns Hozon


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The Communist Horizon

J EAN

RSd NYk


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Fir published y Vro 202Jodi Dan 202

All rights rsrvd

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rUK: 6 Mar Srt, Lnn WF OEG

U.S.: 2 Ja r Ste Brooklyn NY 2

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Vro i h imprin of Nw f BkseBN: 8--846-5-

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Contents

Intoductio 1

1 Ou Soiet 23

2 Peent Foce 39

3 Soeeignty of te People 69

4 Common a Common 9

5 Deie 157

6 Occupatio an the Paty 207


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Introduction

T

he tem "hoizo maks a ivisio Uestoo

spatiay the hoizo s th li iviig thvisible sepaatig eath fom sky Udestood tempo-

ally te hoizo covege ith o i a metapho fo

pivatio ad epletio he "lost hoizo suggets

abadoed pjct pio hopes that have o pased

aay Atphysics offes a thillig eve ucayhoizo: the "eet oizo oi a back hol

Th vt hoizo is th bouday byod hich vts

caot ecape Althogh "evet hoizo deote th

cuatu i spac/tim ffct by a silaty its

ot muc difft fom te patial hoizo Botvok a fuamtal ivisio that xpic as

impoibl to ach ad that ca it cap

o coss

I use "hoizo ot to cal a fogotte fte bt

to sigat a imsio of xpic tat w ca

ev ose eve if ost i a fog o focuse o o fet


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2 TH COM U NST HORIZO

w fai to s i oizo is Ra i th ss o

oble can nv ach itand in th ss

of actal (Jacqs Lacas otion of Ra includsbot ts snss) oizon saps our stting

W can os ou ags ut t zo is a nc

ssay dimnsion of ou actuality t th ffct

of a sinuaity o t mting of a and sky t

oizon is t fundamnta division stablishingwh w a

Wit spct to poitics t hoizon tat conditions

ou xpnc is communism gt th tm "commu-

nist oizon fom Buno Bosts In T Actlty o

Communsm, Bosts ngags it th ok of vaoGaca Lina Gaca Lia a as Evo Moass vic

psidntia uing mat i t Boivia Movmt

fo SociaisPolitica Instt fo th Sovigty

of t Pops (MASPSP) H is th auto of muti

pl pics o Maxism poitics and socioogy a aston of wic was wittn wi srvd tim i piso

o pomoting a amd pising (bfo bcomig vic

psidnt of Boivia fought in t upac Kata

Guila Amy) Bosts qots aca Lias

spons to an intvis qustions about is patysplans folloing ti ctoa vict: "T gnal


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NTRODCTON 3

orizon of te era i commni. Gaca Linea

doent expain te term. Rater a Boteel point

ot Gaca Lnera inoke te commnt orizon "aif t ere te mot natua ting in te ord a f

it ere o obio a to need eiter expanation no

jutication. e aume te communit orizon a an

iecible feature of te poitical etting: "We enter

te moement it or expecting and deiing eyeet upon te communit orizon. Fo Garca Linera

commnm condition te actaty of politic.

Some o the Left dii te comnit ozon a

a ot orzon. Fo exampe in a potmoder plral-it appoac that appea to many o e Lft the

economit iig a J . GibonGraham eject

conim offeig "potcapitai i it tea.

ey age tat ecription of capitaim a a global

ytem m te ric dierity of practice eaionand dere contitting yet exceeding te economy

and o aocate "eading te economy fo dierence

rate tan dominance (a if dominance neiter

1 Buo Bot h ctality of Commnism, Loo:Vo, 201 1 236


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4 TH COMMU NST HORIZO

peuppoe no elie on iffeence) In ei iew,

eaing fo iffeece ope up e poibilitie fo

poitic a i eea peiouy unacknoweged lociof ceatie actio iti eeryay ecoomic actiitie

ibonaham o not peen Maxim a a faile

ieology o commuim a te foiize emaide

of a itoia expement gone oibly og O

te cotary, tey aw inpiratio fom Ma appe-iatio of te oia ate of labo ey engage

JeaLuc Nacy empai on commuim a a iea

tat i te "inx of a tak of tougt til and ina-

ingly open hey embae the eamaion of te

ommon Ad ty ae oen wit nolibealimnatualizaion of e economy a a foce exceeing te

apaity of pop to t o tanfom it

Ye a e ame ime, ibonaam puh away

fom commuim to auc tei iio of pot-

capitalim Communim i ha again whic eycotuct tei alteatie conception of te economy

It a coniuie foce, peen a a aping of te

e tey aocate Ee a Nacy eocatio of

2 GiboGaham, PtCaitalit Plitic,M iaoli, M N : Uivity o Mi ota P 2006 593 Ib 82 .


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NTRODCTON 5

counis serves as a horizon for eir inkng,

they expcity jeison the term "commuism, which

hey position as te objec of "widesprea aversiona hich they associate wit te "angers of osig

a ositiit, a noative representation. Reecting te

poitie notio of "commuim, tey opt fr a te

that ugget an empty reaiaity t t aitalit

sytem they otensibly deny, "postcitaism. orGibnGraha, te term "aitait i nt a term

of criique or oprbrium; it's ot art of a mafesto.

Th trm is a aus f t pa prblms faig

the tempry Left. ey rge that the dicrive

mina f apitaism mbs th Lft i para,eanchoia, ad oralis.

GibsnGraa's vi is a sp insan f a

genera assupion share by efists wo ebrae a

generi pstapitalis but eshew a re miian

anticaialis. Instea o atie oposig aita-i, this tedecy redirect aticapitalist eergies ito

efforts o open up discussions and d etic spaces

for deciioad tis in a word here oe bod

trader ca bring down a ba i a atter of nutes.

I tae the opposit poitio. Te ominace of ai-talim, th apitalit ytem, matria. atr tha


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entapping us in paanoid fantasy, an analyss tat

teats capitasm as a global sysem of appopiaton,

exploitation, and ciculation tha eches te few asit dispossesses the many ar that has o exped anenomous amount of enegy n doing so can ange,

incite, and galanize. istocaly, in heo ad in

pactice, citica analysis f captast explitatio as

been a poef eapon i coectie sugge. t pe-sists as sch today, in goba ackoegment of the

excesses of neoibea capitaism. As ecently became

cea in die iting, ptest, and etn,

inking mtple sies of expoiaio t nao cha-

nes f piege can epace melanchlic fataism thew asseons of ill, desie, and coective seng.

The bem f he Left hasn't been u adheence t

a Maxis cique of capais. It's a we ave ost

sigt of te communist hoizon, a glimpse of hic ne

poitical moements ae stang to eeal.Sometimes capitaiss, coseraties, and ibeal

deocas se a etoic a teas commnism as a

ost hzon. But usually they keep ommunsm mly

thin thei sig. They see commnism as a teat,

tenty yeas afte its osensible demise. o them, com-mism is s theateing tha they pemise plitica


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NTRODCTON 7

discussio o he repressio of he counis ater-

native. In response to left critiques of democcy for

its failure to protec he interess of poor and workig-cass peop, conservatives ad iberals alie scod that

"everybody kows ad "history shows tha comm

nm doen't or. Counim ight be a nic ideal,

thy n, but it alway ad t vilnt, authri-

tian excesses of power. They hift the discussio tomunim, trying t tablis th iits f ran

abe debate. Teir critique of comuis establishes

th plitial spa and niti f dray. Bfr

the nvratin evn get gig, liberal, rat,

apitaists, and nrvativs uit t bl mmu-is fro osideraion. 's off he abe.

Th wh suspt that th inusin f ibras and

dorats i a st wih capitaliss ad onsrvaivs

is illgiiat ar prbably drats thsvs.

To deterie wheher hey bog i he se of hosewho fear couis, they shoud consier whether

hey think any evocaio of couis should coe

with quaications, apoogies, ad condemations of

past excesses. If the answer is "yes, then we have a

car idication that libral dmocrats, and probabyradial dmrat a wll, till nidr muni


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TH COM U NST HORIZO

a hea ha s be suppessedand so hey beong

n a se wt apalsts and onseaes. A ae

anxous abo the foes that ounst dese sksunleashng.

hee ae good easons fo beas, deoas, ap

tai, and onseaes to be anxious. Oe the at

deade a e to mmunim a eenegze te

Left. Couns s agan beoming a dsose andabula fo te expesson of unieal, egataan,

and eolutoa deals. n Mah 2009, the Bikbek

nstitute f e Huantes hste a feene eni-

ed "On e dea of Cons. ntaly panne fo

abut 2 pepe, the nfeene ulae attaeoe ,200, equng a spoe oo o aooae

thse wh un' t n he pima auu. ine

hen, lple onfeenesn Pas, Ben, and New

Yokand pblatons hae followed, wth on

bons fom suh eadng shoas as Aan Badou,tenne Baiba, Buno Boseels, San BkMoss,

Cosas Douznas, Pee Hawad, Mhael Had,

Antono eg, Jaqes Rane, Abeo osano,

and Saoj Zek.

The onfeene an pubatio onoidate ds-uin that hae been ging f eaes. F e


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NTRODCTON 9

hit eas, Anoio Negi as sough to buid a new

appoach to commuism ot of a Marxism ewoed

via Spinoza an he Iaian poitical expeiments of the1970s Te Ere tiogy tat Negi coatoed wit

Michae at offes an afmative, noniaecica

econcetalization of labo, pwe, and the State, a

new tey f cmmnim fm bew Aain Bai

has been occpie wit communism fo ove fotyyea, fm hi hilophica a politica engage

ment with Maoism, to his emphasis on te "communist

invaiantsegaitia justice, isciplinay te,

pitical nteeim, ad tut i te peet hi

ecet appea t the cmmunist ea Cmmnism isot a new inteest fo Savoj Ziek eithe In ea 200

he t tgethe a cnfeence an subseque vume

ehinking Lnin Whee Negi and Badiou ejec the

Paty an the State, Zie etains a cetain deit to

Lenin "The key Leninis' esson toda, he wites, isthat "poitics witot te oganizational form of the

Pa is politics wihou poitics n h, a ial aea

of adica hilosopy consides communism a contem

pa name f emancipat, egaitaia plitic an

4 Slj Zz, Rvolution at th Gats, L: r,2002 297


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10 TH COM MU NST HOR IZO

has bee actively ehikig ay of the coceps ha

fom pat of the comuist egacy.

hese ogoing theoeica discssios ovelap with hechagig potica sequeces maked by 1968 ad 1989

hey also ovelap with he spead of eolibea capital

ist domiatio, a doati accmpaied by exee

i ecmic iequaity, ethic hate, ad pice vi-

ece, as well by widespead itacy, isugecy,ccupai, ad evuti. The cuet epais

coui tus exceed the coicidece of acaeic

ceeces cag specically f cuis's et

with the e eiu's ebt cises, austeity ea-

ues, icee ueplyet, a veal saciceof he achieveen of he ode wele sae o he

pivate iteests f acia institun eee t

big to fai. eady i an inerview i 2002, po to his

eeci t he Bivia pesidecy, Ev Maes had

aoce ha "the eolieal syste was a failue,ad ow it's te poo people's tu. Couism is

eeegig a a et f ptica eegy becaue it

is ad has bee the ateative to capitasm.

5 o oa tw wth o o a, oira, h Commonr, July 7, 2002, comor.o.uk/mora.ht.


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NTRODCTON 1 1

he counis horizon is no os It is Rea In

this book, I exore soe of the was te comu-

nist orizon anifess iself to us toda As Boseelsargues, to inoke he commnist orizon is to roce

"a copee shif in persectie or a radica ideoogi

ca trnabot, as a rest of which caitalism no longer

aear a te onl game in town and we no longer

hae to be asamed to et or execting and esiringee here an now on a ifferen organization of oial

relationshis ith comnism as or orizon,

the eld f ssibiities fr relutinar ther an

pratie srs o ange shape Barriers to ation fal

awa New tentias and haenges me t e freAnting is possibe

nstead f a iis thught priari in terms f

resistance, aful and oenar aesetic disru

tions, the iediae secicit of ocal projects, and

struggles for hegeon wiin a capitalist parliaen-tar setting, the communist horizon iresses upon

us he necessi o abolish caitalis and o creae

gobal ractices and insitutions of egaitarian cooer

tion he hift in perspectie te comnist orizon

6 Beel h ctualit o Communism, 228


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12 TH COMUNST HORIZO

produces urns us awa fr he deocratic iieu

that has bee the f of the loss of omuis as

a ae for eft aspiration ad oward he recongra-tio of the compoets o poitica struggei other

words, awa fro geera icusio, ometar cas

for broad aaee, ad ifstyle hages, ad toard

ilitat ppsitio, tigh rgaizatial for (pay,

coucil, orkig group, cell), ad the soereigty ofth pp r th oy troug wih w produ

ad repdu oursees

igh bt t y us f h sdprs

plural "we ad "u-wht do you we?

This bjti is sypai f th fragtatihat has peraded he ef i Europe, he , and

Nrth Ara duig iains f "w ad

"us to socioogica saeents rquiig a concree,

dlinable, piria rfret, it rass th diisio

necessar for poiics f ieres ad will were oad autoatiall attributes of a xed soca poitio

Weskepicis dispaes he peforative copone

of the seodperso pural a it treat olletiity

wth suspicio and pieges a fantas of indiidua

gularity ad autoomy rit " hopg toa a patia lltity My brak wit


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NTRODCTON 13

conventios of wig a enfoce idividuas b

aonishig aemps to think an speak as pat of a

age colective subjec is delibeaeThe boundaies to wha can be though as poitics in

cetain segents of te poststuctualist and anacist

eft ony benet capital Sme actiists an theoists

think that micliica actiiies, whethe actices

of secutiation o iiidual consume choices, aeme imtant ci f actin than agescae ganize

moementan assumpion whic ads to the difculty

f buiing new ypes f ganizatins because it akes

thinking in tems f cectiity ae, hae, an

seemingly ess "fesh. Similay, sme actiists andeoists ea aesetic objecs and ceaive woks as

dislaying a litical ptentialit issing f casses,

paties, an uons Tis aestec focus sconnects

litics f te ganized stgge f wking epe,

aking poitics in wa spectaos see. tistic p-ucts, whee actual comoities o commodie

expeiences, eeb buttess capa as ey ciculate

poitical affects wile disacing poiica stugges

fom te seets to te galeies Spectatos can pa

( onate) to fee aica ithout haing to get theihands ity. The dinant class etains its psitin


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and the contradicion between tis cass and he res

of us does't ake iself fet as such. he ceebation

of oenay acions and singular happeningstheplayful disption, the epoariy coroversial

or novewors the sae way. Soe on e anarchist

an oststcuait ft reat these ickers a the

ny prpe intane f a epary left pii. A

pointless actio ivoving e oentary expedituref eu effrhe aiti equivalet f the 5k

and k us to ght cancer, hat i to ay, to increase

awaeness f aner withut atually ding uh

eethe igular appeing dicnne tak fr

gal. Any "sese it akes, any eaning r relevanei has, is up o the spectator (peaps with a bi of

guidane f uratrs and therists).

ccuation contass sharpy wit e singular ap

pening. Even as spei upatins eerge f

beow ather an throug a coordinaed straegy, theircoon forincuding its iage, sogans, tes,

and pracicesinks e togethe in a ass srugge.

The powe of he retu of counis stads or

fals on its capacity to inspire largescae oganized

coective tuggle owa a goa. or over hirty yea,the Left ha ehewed u a ga, aeptig intead


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NTRODCTON 1 5

ibera oios hat goas are stric idividua ife-

style coces or socaldemocratc caims that story

aread soved basc robes of disribuio wh hecomromise of reguated markes ad welare states

a souio he Right rejeced ad caitais desryed

Te Left failed to defed a iso of a beter world, a

egalan word of commo rouio by and for te

coectie eoe stead, accommodated catal,suumbg to te les of ididualim, coumer

sm, comeiion, ad rvege, ad roceedig as f

tere reall were o aterate o states tat rue i te

teret of mke

Marx exressed the bas re of te atea-ie over a hundred ears ago: fro each according o

ablty, to eah aordig to need his riile on-

ains he rgec of the srugge for s own reazaon

We do' have to coiue o ive i he wake of lef

faiure, suck in he reeiios of crises ad seca-ce n ight of te lae climae disaster ad te

everiensifyig goba cass war as saes redistrib

ute wealt to the rc in te ame of austerit, te

absence of a como goa is he absece of a fuure

(oer an e oes magied otaocaytc ce-aro lke Mad Max). Te remie of commum i


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at collec tie deermiaio of coecie codi ios is

possible , if we wat it

o p ici te is desire, to add o i s reaakeigforce ad prsece, treat "comuis as a tag o

six features o or curret settig:

1 A sp iag f t Sovet o a its oaps ;

2 A preset, icreasigl powe1ul foc;3 he soveegt f th people;

4. h coo ad th omos;

5 The galitaia a uiversalist sir that uts

rog e irits an praties in wi w are

trappe;6 e pary

e rst o eatures a b oosey assoiae i te

poitics tat cogues itsel ia a istor liked to te

e of e Soie io as a state, as refrac ed trugthe doiace of te S as a state . Wat atters here

is less the isorical arratie ta te expressio of

couis as the orce of a absece . M discussio

of tese rst wo features igigts ow te absece of

couis shapes o coteporar sttig. th squ aat as t tiup f apitalis


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NTRODCTON 17

and liberal democracy, e communist orizo makes

itsel et as a "signiyig stress. is is Eric L.

Santner's erm for a way at reaity expresses is on-identity wit itsel. As Satner expains, te "social

ormation i wic we nd ourseles immersed

i "sured by ack ad "pereated by inconsit-

nc ad icmptn. ack call ut t u.

nconsistecy and incopleteess ake temseleset. "Wat i rgistere, Santr expai, "are nt

so uc orgotten deeds but orgott ailurs to act. 7

frntic activity ctprar cmunicativ

capitalism deects us awa fr tese gaps . N ew enter-

tainnt, sab brdn, and grwig dbtdisplace our attentio toward te immediate ad te

cmigupxt as ty attmpt t drw ut frc-

ul effects of te unealizedte uealized potentials

o unios ad coective strugge, te unrealized c laims

for equality disorted by a culure a ceebrates teexcesses o te e ric, te unrealized acieeents

of collec ie soidari ty in edressing poery and redis

tributing risks ad rewards. e s t two capters tus

7 S " pp Th Nighbr,Slvj Zz r L S K Rr Cg:er y Cg Pe 2005 85-89


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1 TH COMUNST HORIZO

reat e gaps, ssres, and ack Santner tezes as

sigifyig stresses i ters of a issig counis

at akes itself fel in te setting congred by itsaeged faiure ad defeat.

e secod to featres of te presen ta com

uni tag are positive (rather ta preset as te

frce f the urealize or abet): te people i their

coo political ad ecooic activity. tese cap-ter, grapple it te que tio of c lass struggle today.

f Hardt ad Negri are rigt (ad tik they are) to

argue tat "cuicatin is te fr f capitalist

prodction i ic capita as scceeded in sbmit-

ting sciety etirey ad gbally t its regie ( see term "commnic aie capi alism to bring ot tis

amplied rle f cmmnicain in prductin), at

are e repercssions for nerstanding cass srgge?

Does i ake sense to contine to epasize te pro

eariat? argue ta it does o, no if by "proleaatoe as i id a epirical socia c lass. More useful

is e idea of proetarianization as a process of expoi

tatio, dispossesio, and iiseratio tat produces

te ve ric as te privieged cass tat lives off te

ret of u . offer te otio of "te people a te ret ofu, te peple a a divied ad diviive frce, as a


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NTRODCTON 19

aleratie to some of e oer ames for te subject of

counisproetariat, multitude, partofopart.

ow te peope diide or ow te ocoicidenceof te people i s inected ad qied is a atter of

politics. Potica orgazations respod to ts dii

sio, costruig ad directig it i oe way rater

ta aother. According, end ti book by taking

p te qestio of te coist party. Altougactiely callg for te reclaatio of comni a

te ame for a reolutioary uiersal egalitanis,

adio isists on a communism disconected fro

te "otmoded for of Party a State. ardt ad

egri ikewse reject Party a State: Beg commust as beg agast the tate.8 ey empasize

instead te costituet power of desire ad te affec

tie, creatie pductity of te muttude as te

comuism derpiig ad exceedig captais.

is is ot my iew. agree wit osteels and Ziektat a politics witout te orgazatioal form of te

party is a poi ics witout potcs.

Coceptalizig te paty of commnists i or

8 i gi, "Cmmu im : Sm Tug Cp Pr , h Ida Cmmzism, CDu i Slj Zz L: r 2010, 158


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contemporar setting is and must be an ongog

project . As osteels argues, "pat does ot ae an

instrument for carig ot te i ron aws of istor but"the exibe orgaizatio of a delit to evets i te

midst of unforeseeable circumstances. 'm empted

to use terms from complexit eor ere: te pa is a

plex, aaptive te t ed i proetaria revo-

utio, tat is, te destrctio of the capitaist sstemo exploitatio a exprpriatio, fprotaranzaton,

a the creatio of a oe of prouctio ad istrib-

ti were te free devepmet f ea is patibe

wit te free deeopment of al. We don't et know

w we w struture ur muist pati pa1beause we stopped tinking about i, giving wa

instead t te transiene f isues, ease f nelik

networked po iis, and e iusion tat our indiidual

activitie woud immaent converge i a plurali of

postcapitaist pracices o creating and saring. utwe kow at we eed to d a ode of struggle tat

can cale, endure, ad cuiate te coecive desire

for oectivit. Ad we kow tat we ca ea fro

the pat an are earing from ogoig experimet i

9 Beel h ctualit oCommzism, 243.


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NTRODCTON 2 1

orgaizatio. I tus coclude y cosiderig o occu-

patio is or is ecoig such a orgaizatioa or, a

political form or e icompatiiity betee capital-is ad te people

e omuist orizo appears coser a it as

i a log tie Te illuio tat apitalis work a

ee hattered a aer o eooi a a-

cia disasterad we see it evewere. The atasthat eoray exert a ore or eooi jutie ha

dissolved the US goveet ue trilios o

ollars to baks a te Eopea etral aks rig

natioa goeets ad ut soial prgras in order

to keep teseves aoat Wit or esirig ees seto e ommist orizo, e can o get to ork o

oetivey sapig a or tat we area make i

commo.


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ptr O

Our Soviets

F

or peope i te ited States, te ost coe-

oal referet of comsm s te Soie on .Displaced by four ecades of Cold War, a war that

saped SAerica policies ad idetities, aspi-

ratios ad fears, te ultipcity of istorca ad

teoretical couiss codese to oethe

SSR. Rather tha cagig over tie, icludigte iteratioal ra of parties a ots, or

ackowledgig act ie couist oet i te S,

couis is o, ad this oe is xe as te SSR.

T ak tis rfrt xplicit, tug, lads t

cplicatios.T SSR was eer xd r oe . Te uty ipsd

on t by e Cold War binary is false, underied by

u Buk mtt t tutuig

log of Col w ly i p y t of orlWr I S r Drmorld and Catastroh, Cmrg, MA:MI Pr 2000.


30/256


e acua iscal elatiosi betwee e Soie

io ad the ited States. his elatioship dis-

ubs the easy equatio of commuism wi t te SSRisofa as comuis becoes a elemet of S

selidetity. e two egimes, sometimes aies ad

sometimes eemies , wee deepl itecoected. hey

wee bicaly itie i that ach pi t

othe wit a tadpoit fo which to ad val-at its. ach emid t the f its faiu a

potetia. Seeig thmsles fom the stadpoit of te

th, t ma t th a cpt f thi -

staig f themee.

magiig its i t s f th Sits, th See seemed equa eoug. Segegatio, Jim w,

a s pt appa a t m samful

we u elief agaist te Soiet sysem's pject

f clectie owesip ad awa f eqalit. O

biggest ia seemed to be doig bette by i s ci tizestha we wee doig by ous. A key impulse to po

gess i ciil igts ad social wefae, e, stemmed

fom the S goemet's desie ot to look bad we

compaed to te SSR.

h istotd S teatet of cos ites asaks f qait st fm thi am tct


31/256

OR SOVTS 25

capiaist excess cae o be o ere jsied

he ae o deocrac but the ver detio o

i. Susa ckMoss describes he "parabe o heDeocrac o Goods that advertisers proffered ad

the S govere suppored. She writes, "The i ed

State goveret joied the capitalit c las it de-

oogcal coitet o te expaio of coupio

without its. Sartes o cosuer stles caeo be viewe as oous wih ocial equali, a

ot ere as a copesato or its ack. Deocrac

freeo of coue choice. To suggest other-

wie wa uAerica. Wo was te erging o

coser goods ad deocrac for? Not Aercas.SAericas ave ong valed idiidua reedo

oe ta deocrac. We di't eed soe knd of

copesaio or e ieqit ad inadeqac of capi

taist deocrac. Cosuer goods are attractive ad

pleasrable eoug on eir ow wi tou e ideologi-ca eleet; the do't eed a deocraic suppeet.

he treaet of cos er goods as arkers of equal

ad idi cators of deocrac was for he Sovie t othe

beore whoe judgig gaze the S iagied te.

2 b. 204.


32/256


Wose ciizens were beer off? Symbolic ideica-

to wih the SSR ade he S consder ths qestion

in terms of equai. Anxey oer equaiy anmaedAmerica ridicule of couist laziness ad lack of

priae propery, of te unbearabe iformiy of Soi e

was of life, ad of he epess of the store hele

and te uneg ie . Highighting the weah of he

few, the S obscured he poe1 of ma of ts citi-zen . A he ae ie, i attemped to eae is ow

cocers wth i shaowess as a sociey, its ende-

ces allw csumersm an priae life sbsie

for grad ggle ad i deal . Viewng ielf fro he

Se perpecte, e S aw tself as lackng, aailing o secure for is own ciizens wa comnism

secred fr Set ci tzes.

From e S perspecie (as imagined by e Soies)

e measre of cmmunis sccess depended n pro

duciiy. Wo was all e eay indsry for? eforewhich gaze is t iagined? No the serig Soe

people . Raer, e gaze was Ame1can. One need ony

recall the Soet goal of "catchng p ad oe1akig

e West. uc kMorss noes ow the fatas of prodc-

tiy, opeed up by mbolic deticatio with heS a bepdcer, tructured Siet at ad clre


33/256

OR SOVTS 27

as e as poics and economcs. Poes and arss

ceerated machiey. Fms ad oels ere deoted

o seel prodcion and he conscon of facores.Precsey because the Soe Uno adopted "the

capitalist heayindustry deniion of economic mod

ernaon, socas remained cauht whin a ery

spe aptast odel o eoo deeopmen.

The Soes dd no reconsc Ameica captas.Thy lored i . {ded, for some Soes, Henr Ford

was as close o a sai as one could et. 3)

Th (rpra) syoi idniatio of th S

ad e USSR sapd thir sses of o and hat

hy wr suh tat doray oud morph ito om-modiy cosmptio and prodcio cod ecome

a utopa in ad for is. Th ra diisons of lass

and rae i te S as ell as of eny and pri

ee n the SSR cold sometimes e coered oer y

e ideas of prodcy and ealiy for c achwas admired. The S may not e eutae, ut i t s

prodcie . The SSR may no a en prodcie,

t it wa eutae. maiin themsele eore he

aze of he other, they seuredfor a iefantases

3 b . .


34/256

2 TH COMUNST HORIZO

of nity that depended on he repression of their

dentcato wth the ideooy o the other.

The pace of commnsm within the self-understandi o the US s not the only coplication

that arises when we bein to eston and specify the

referent of communsm. The dierences amon paes,

places, fact ions, and tmes that the unifyn ainary

o Cold ar counsm tres to suppress aso startto eak back into the history of Soiet communs.

For exampe, the Soet Unon dd not cla to hae

acheed communsm, athouh ts ruln paty called

tsel a communst paty. As s the case wth any party

or poltcal system, the Commust Party n the SoetUnon chaned oer ime, most drastically by oin

fom a reolutonary party to a oernin bureaucratc

party. s a oernin body he Pary eperienced

frther chaes, chanes that were sometimes oent,

sometimes incrementa, ofen paid for i th he ies ofParty members theseles. Insofar as it was a political

party, and for most of its history the only reconized

potcal party, the Communst Party n the forer

Soet non as a ocs of stre and dsareement

oer a host o ssues art, terature, and scenceto ecoomc deeopment, ore polcy, and nternal


35/256

OR SOVTS 29

relaions amo he arios repcs. To e sre,

effs were made o presen a uied fron, to down-

play he presence of dsareemens wihin he Pary.Yet a siicant effect of these effors was he ampli-

caion of osensily spercial differences: small

diereces ecame sins of deeper conict. Soie

citiens, allies, and eneie aike learned to dicern

in the distic tion etween a "frank ad a "comradelyexchane of opnion ajor shift in poli ica direc ton .

n sh, he Soiet Union i s't a ery s ale referen of

cousm.

USAmerica don' wor aout ha ery much .

USAmericas are sheered fro anxiey oeroly reference y he (faasc) saiy accompa-

nyin he proper name "Stain. A eacy of he Cod

War more han of criica in ino Soie hisory,

"Salini s as pracices of monopoiin ad consoli

dain poer in he Soie parysae reacracy. nhi c ircmscried imainary, comunism as Salinis

s liked o ahoiaanism, priso camps, and e

inadmissiility of criicism. Jus as communism as

he Soe Unon oershadows a wide array of oher

counimfrom China, hrouh Yuoaia, oCua ad epa, o he US, UK, and uope, and fro


36/256


parties coexstin ihin paramentary stae forma-

tios to reoutoary hters operatin uder arious

names and i aos derees of eiimacyso doesthe Soiet Union as Staliism ecipse postStalinist

deelopments in the Soiet io, articary th

reard to succee modei (ncludi a hhy

uccfu pac proram) ad mpro oeral

standards of lii. Tarq A quotes the Soet dis-sdent hore dede wrt i 1979: "There

o ueployet, but on the cotrary a shortae o

abourhch crats a ratr arity of jobchoc

or worker. The aerae work amiy can ay

atsfy ts mmdat atra nds: apartmnt,stable empoyment, edcatio for chidrn, heath

car, ad so on . Th prics of ssntial oodsbrad,

milk, meat, sh, renthae ot chaed snce 9.

Th cost of tliso or radio ts ad othr durab

items has actay been redced (from ndy hihpreious ees). The US did't ad does't see the

Soiet Unon th way. Blkered by the Cold W,

t ha rmaed ated o a statc ia o ry

oppre.

4 q Al , h Ida o Communism, Lonon: SullBook 2009 8-82.


37/256

OR SOVTS 1

Aains he backrond of commnis = Soie =

Salns, to nelockin sores of he coapse of

commnism predominae. The s s hat commnismcollapsed under is on eih: it as so iecen,

eople ere so miserable, life as so sanan, ha

he sysem came o a ind hal. faled. inked

o Saim, he ory of faie feae chape on

famine, pures, and teo. Lke mos deoocal con-srucion, i's no uite coheren: neecs the fac

ha he San peod as also a peod in hich he US

and USSR ee alies . n he era mos exemplay o he

Soie Union' njuice and lleimacy, he peod

hen he USSR as pesen no as a faled sae bu asron oe, the US as cose o the eime tha a any

ohe ime n histoy. The second, elaed, soy of

he colapse of commnism is ha as defeaed. We

bea hem. We o. Capiaim and ibera democracy

(the elisio is necessa) demonsraed thei sperior-iy on he od hisoica sae. Feedom riumphed

oer yranny. The detail of his icory maer less

han is osensible undenabili y. Afe all, hee is no

Soie Unon anymoe.

* * *


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The chain commnismSoie nionSalinismcollapse

sets the parameers for the appea to history that is

charac erisic of liera, democraic , capi talis, ad con-seratie attempts to rpress he comnst ateate .

Responding o challeges regardig the exclsion of

ass stl, prletaran reoltio, collectie ower-

hip of th mean of prodct ion, ad th ashing of th

oureosdemocratic state from potca theory theynok hstor as hr rnd and proof. Hstory show

hat the communst projec s a dad nd. Yt as Alain

Badio rminds s, "at ottom, i is alwas in th intr-

sts of the powerful that histoy i mitaken for poltc s,

ha s , the ojec tie is taken for he suject . What,e, are h feaures of his inocaion of hiso?

Th rst is ojctiiy. Th produc of a nural,

niased inesigaion, he hisory of commnism is

made to stad apart from the po itics and sggles tha

comprise is hisory, as if i ere a collecion offacts, informatio to e googled ad accessed. These

facts are speciale poins or ojecs , immune to iner

pratio , and mpossile to d ispte .

H we accept, for a moment, th possiiy of sch

5 Aln Bou ho o th Subct, tns BunoBo stls Lonon: ontnuu 2009 44.


39/256

OR SOVTS

facs, and agree ha hey are crcial o or capaci-

ies o ea fro preios srgges for conis,

here il e d hem? Michae E Bron and RandyMarn arge persuasiely ha here is no ye a cred-

ile and esablished ody of hisorical lierare on

counis, sociali, or he Soie Union. Mo of

he hiorie we hae were produced in he conex of a

heeonic anicomunis. Brwn and Mari poinou ha he ehodoocal and concepual defecs in

scholary sudies of he Soie U non ould hae een

scandalous in oher acadeic eds. Snce he ed

a primariy a propaganda apparas for he foreig

policy esaishen, hese defecs seeed soehoiho signicance, wih he res, for eampe,

ha i is sill ipossie o say which aspecs of he

Soie sysem ere inrinsic o i an hich resled

fro exea pressres, or, o ake anoher exape,

heher he Soie Union as a compleely disicand nie sae foraion or inead shared ari

es ih he Unied Saes or ai Germany ha ake

counis a e of a arger oaliarianis. In

6 Ths is not to sy tht th no sous n sincnt woks On o t ost ipss i i s Ls Li ninRdiscovrd ico IL: ykt Books 2008.


40/256


shor, he effec s of perase an commnsm conne

o oue he Soe Uno. Bow and a wre,

"The Communs con of he Cold War s no he nea-e deal ype aans whch an asoley deaed

capals marke s boh aken o be real and deemed

he ony ssaale paradm for unera hman

oranao. Coned o of h chan comm-

nsmSoe UoSansmcolapse, he ocaono h ory renoce a Cold War ary sad of hh

hn he challenes acn a oraed socey o

prodcers.

A secon feae of he sory noked o repress

he commns alernae s s connuy anddeermnacy. Faced h an oppoen wo presens

comnsm as a solon o h crses of capasm,

he noer of sor poss a necessary seqence, as f

reolons were shelded from connency. He sars

h a fac, a ne, specae ojec, and lds fromhe fac a seres o conseqeces and eecs. These

conseqences and effecs are necessary and naod

ae: the ta revoto th gag;

7 h . Bon n ny tn, "ft Futus,n Mchl Brown, h Historiograhy of CommZnism,Pll PA: l nst Prss 2009 177.


41/256

OR SOVTS 5

art t prges. So een as some o appea o

history reconie the deects ad diemmas traersin

he academic ed, they nonetheess ihi spec icacts and momets, perhaps from their o experi-

ence of etraya in he comprmises made spec ic

ommuist parties orkin in pariametar cotexts

(as i rane and taly), as i these spei ats and

moments ere themseles indiations o seueces oeets imposs e to aoid . it happened one, i t l

happe aai, and there is nothi e can do aout

it. The oddit o this positio is that ommunism is

uniue in its determinin apaity, the oe politial

arraement apae o eliminatin ontinen anddirecin acon aon a sinar ecor. Commnsm

eomes the exeption to the dami o prodution,

stre, an eperience tha ies se to it. nstead of

the poli is of a mii tan suje t, ommunism is aain

an imainary, mmtae objec, is ime a inearprocess ith a ertain ed.

As a conseuence, isory oses s on hisoric

i ty. Tis is the tird eate of the istor ioked to

repress the communis ateatie. n is ormaton,

history utios as a strute and a constant icapa-le o hae and impeetrale y "extea ores.


42/256


Any parcar momen s hs a conaner for hs

essena wholehe enin s pary, he San st show

ras, he KGB, he Brehneera sanaon. Each isnterchaneabe wth the other as an exape o he

error of commnism precsey becase commnism

s nariant. n conra wih captaism's pemanent

reoluon, hoca comun appear a ipo-

siby ac. Only b supposn such an impossbe,narian, conant, unchanin cons can he

appeal to hsoy urn a sinle nsance ino a danin

example of he faied and danerous con s expe-

rence . And as i doe, dconnec comunism fom

he ey histo o which appeas, ean no onycommnism as capasm's sefcre b aso com-

munsm as capitaism's mro, a, enemy, and Ohe.

Here, hen, s he nner rh of he lera, demo

craic, capiais, and conseaie appea o hsoy.

The nen s no o nspre n or smae nescholary research. Raher, s o presere he anasy

ha capalsm and democracy are he bes posse

economc and poitical aranements. Excsn com

munsm from s hsoy as he class sre whn

capialis, as he cue and eolution to whichcapialis ie rie, hi hiory wihou hisociy


43/256

OR SOVTS 7

derides commnism for a necessiy a i effeciey

reinstalls n a captalism withot ateaes .

The supposition of an eernal communs is not only

te paradoxca effec of e aemp to dera he

retun o communis y appealin to a istory seem-

nly mmnzed from chane. Some at the forefront of

counism's retn likewise ake recourse to a com-munsm hat rancends ht Badou rea hiory

as the piew of the State and comunis as an

eternal poitica dea. Brno Bostees acknowedes

e acica ene of sch a moe: "Gien e depo-

icz n effecs of he cal constanty o hstorcze, noo menion e een more damnng eecs of e no-

caton of some ure or other of e wordstorical

rna, i can ndeed e arged a isto n and

of isef no oner possesses e emancpao power

i once had. oneeess, Bosees rges ha aci-cal ahiscsm e dialectically conjoined wh a new

wrtn of his tory, a new hs ory of popular nsecion

hat recas the wide rane of sres and oe

men comunsm names. Raher ha joinin Badiou

8 Buno Bostls h ctulity Cmmunism, Lonon:Vso 201 1 277 .


44/256

3 TH COMUNST HORIZO

sheeng commnsm a phlosophca Idea,

Bosteels holds ot the actaly of a const potcs

hat does no hyposasze past falres nto permaenaers to heorzn, organzng, and occpyng pty

and stae.

The es respone to the appeal to hstory to

haer the chan conSoet nonStalnm-

coape and make a new one o of the rch arety ofoeent and trgles. Th a hsto of corage,

reolt, and soldaty. t s also set n a const

present. f the ed of the Soet non were the same

a the end of comn, f 11 arked a emporal

horzon separat the aldty of the Soe exper-ment from he capals, era, democrac presen,

then commnsm wod e paske the Byzantne

mpre . s a partcar parys ae formaton, wod

e an artfac o be anayzed and stded. Whaeer

gae reah, made rea, od e gone . I old ea dead pot ca langage.

Ye commnsm persss. I s freenly eoked as a

n preence or pol ty, partclarly n o cret

settng of goba reolon ad neobera crss.


45/256

pt w

Present Force

W

hen te Soiet nion is te referent of comm-

ns, commnsm s ough as the descrip or ofa specic politicaleconomic aangement. The adec-

tie "commnist aie the non of a pat and/

o a state. In the twentst centu, Rssia, Poand,

Hna, the Czech Repuic ad othe countie pe-

iosl pat of the Soiet loc ted to e refeed toa "potSoiet athe tha a "ewcapitait. o

a whie, partical dring te ea ea of forced

piatizatio, the term "aoso c apitaim wa heard

a ot. Since the t of the millennim, it as dropped

from ue . "oo capitaim hit too cloe to home,moe tting as a designato of neoieralism's tal,

exteme, winnetakeall esion of capitaim than of

the temporar shock treatment inoed in the trans-

ion ou of state socaism.

For a ariet of grops ad deoogca persa

sions, commnsm sti names te atenatie to the


46/256


exreme ieqai, insecri, an racis, naionais

ehocerics accopag globalized eolberal

capialism I e coempora Unied Saes, "com-unis exceeds he specci of s adjecval coes

o serve as a erm of oprobrim Oe wod hik e

Cold War ever eded Someimes commsm bleds

wh s iais Oher mes i 's ojoied ascs

(Too few Aericas kow he dierece, a resu ofhe deologica ees o he oio o alariasm

as uch as i s of a ore geeral educaioal deci)

Wha s ms? Nanal healhcare vr-

meals Femis Publc educao Coecve

barganng Prgressve axa Pad vaan dasGn conrol Te movemen arond Occp Wall

Sree es are a "gaewa drg mmnsm

Web 2.0 is commnis becase i os o "e sedc

ive promise of inivial sereazaion ha arl

Marx eoke i "Te Germa IeoogWho is commus? Aone who proesed US

mlar agresso i raq ad Afghasa Aoe

crical of he sh adiisraio Aoe wo was

o ax he rch, close orporae ax loopholes, ad

1 Anw Kn "Wb 2 .0 h Wkly Standard, Fbuy14 2006 wklystnc


47/256

PRE SNT FORC 4 1

reguae e deriaies marke Aoe wo supps

ueplomet isurace, food staps, pubic educa-

io, a pubic sector workers' righs o coeciebargaiig

US Preside Barack Obama is abeed a commuis

ot o etio a Musl i, a Kea, ad a teorist I

Jauar 2010, Vitria Jaks, a frer as eber

o the teeisio show atrda Nght Lve, reeased aie uTue calle "There's a Cmuist Liig

i the White House April, Jackso perfored he

sg at a Tea P rall, where attedees jied i

sigig te rus: "Tere's a mmuist iig i e

Whie Huse xtesie ear i he iruito bogs, ak raio, ad cabe ews oowed, exed-

ig the "muis Preside meme Tw ears aer,

Forida Cogressma Ae Wes aege a as ma

as eig memers f e US Huse Represeaies

were commuisse was reerrig o DemocraicPar embers of he Progressie Caucus

I's obious eoug a coemporar Democras

are o ouiss Mos suppor poicies o the right

of Roa Reaga's e Democraic Par did o

attep to pass a si glepaer pubic health suraceprra (isead, peple e required t purhase


48/256


surae from a pvae ompay) Te Obama

amiistratio's respose to the eoomi sis of

2008 foused o the ae seor (whe it ould aveprovied a massive jobs program) Presiet Obama

imself iroue te possibiiy of us to the las

remaiig ompoet of the weare stateSoial

Surity, Mdiar, ad Mdiai (a ormoul

popular programs) voatios o a eroahig om-muit thrat i th US od ths m to b a ot

very reativ rtur to h aguag of th Co War

a h R Sar, a osrvativ rra to a formr

ffive rhtori of far

t thr is mor to ths voatios of ommuisma simpy e dus ig off of a o oi Gestures

to ommism a so iaism mak ss baus th

markets fae We te US goveme baied ou te

a s tor, th vi sibi lity of stat as a istrum

of ass power beame ueiabe Of ourse, stateshave awas bee isrmets of lass power (tha's

what saes are) Ad he orporae a aial elie

i the Uited Sates have og use the s tate to seure

their pariular iteress (mos reely by subvertig

uios , maipatig th tax od, avoiig rguatio,a truturi ompiio to bt thsv) ut


49/256

PRE SNT FORC 43

e bank baios saere any remaiing ilsion a

the deocratc state serves a represets the peope

Tey emonsrae in a spectacar an irrefabefashio that the govemet itervees i he ecoomy

an oes so o bea of a cass

The next move coceptall eay: se te tae or

a ifferet ca; e t to ero the coiio that

create cases Sice this s the eto o the cta-thip o the proetarat, i t's o prse that capiaist

a coervatves evoke the threat of comsm The

yth hat he state has o roe i the economy does't

covce aoe The baou prove the pobil-

a ecesst of sing te state or te commoineres of e colecive people

Aso contribg to te cimate weren comm-

nism is a present reat is a meme at oesn' se e

wor "commis b focses inea o e peope

as e sorce of excesses a ms be eliminae orcotrolled Coservatve ad mastream media i the

US, U, an Erope blame e peope for e eb an

ecoomic c rises , ad hece positio cts a astey

measres as te ony viable soltios In e US, te

coapse the derivatives ad orgage bo marketsi atribte to poor peope who took ot ortages


50/256

TH COM U NST HORIZO

ey codn' afford, defaed on em, and ereby

cased goba ecoomc c aos kewse , te emads

of pbc secor workerssc as eacers, cvservats, poce , a regtersfor job secty, pe-

sons, benes, ece waes, and te g o bargan

collectve are sad to be uaffordable te UK, e

rgts f wrkg clas suet to a educat are

preseted as beod te cout's meas Aoe wowas a eucato should be wl lg to pa for Te

Greek stor s of people wo refused to work eoug,

w wate retre early Varus capalst gve-

mets tel te same stor: te peple's excesses are

e prblem an te s lun s t beat tem back ntsbmisson

Te trt n ts sry e peple, a s ta

erases is own eng as a savo in cass warat s,

as a acc sed by e sae as an nsrument of e

very rc n er effors o exrac every crmb of valefro workg peoples that e people are a polcal

and an economc case Te welfare s aes of Erope

ad te Keesa arrangemes te US an e UK

resled from polca sgge ey were aceve-

ets of te orgazed coectve power of workgpeple Wrkers uht r wages, beets, pess,


51/256

PRE SNT FORC 4 5

a measure of conrol over eir coniions of employ-

e Workers ae eas ad for over hir ears,

capial ad o pay Capial id' resrain isef Tepeople isciplie capia The reoric of "we ca'

affor i, of ecis an cus, of austeriy a upay

abe ebs a al e res, i he wa apital expree

i refa t pa amre Defalin lan is a

proble more for leders ha or boowers (a poitha te t reai ide) Capia wats re a

is demaing moreaccumulaio b ispossess io

One aiina rh i e sr at blames e

peple and i ing reas tem a a pliical a

eni ause eers he pepe's emans ebecause is sory is capi a's s or, i is inv ere, back-

wars The prbem s wi t te peple's emans, but

no at we've emane oo mc I's e opposie:

we've emane lile We aven' been ean

ing enoug We aven' foowe p, refuse, smase,an ake more Te capi alis sor presens precise

suc a emaning, refusing, aking peope Tese are

e peoplea srog, assive, moe peopewo

e ric an eir poliica agens alk as if te are

ging ad who e targe wi exessive ore a esige prvain (as he d ri i Augu


52/256


2011 mae viv i clear, an as e ear gas a rbber

blles depoed b poce n US ctes agait occp-

ers sowe e followng fal) Tese are te peopee fearte commst hreat

Savoj Ziek arges a e rling ieolog was

us to thnk at radcal cage mposs ble T de-

g, he a, tell at ' impble to abli

captals Perpetal repeatng ts message o oateave, e omian eolog atep o "reder

nvble he mpossblereal of te atagon at

ts arss aptaist setes Zek's desrpn

mig ave worke a eae or so ao, b not anmore

Te ed te rst deae f te twenrs etras brog wi i massive prisigs, emosraios,

srkes, pas, and revs rg e

Mile as, U, U, an US n e US, maistream

mea remi vewers a tat raical chage s pos-

sbe, a nc ie s o fear i Te Rig, even e ceer,reglarl vokes e posibt o raca cange, a

i associaes a cange commnsm

W comm? ecase te gross eqali

ered i b the exreme aptalm o eobera ae

2 Sloj Zik, "A Pnnt Econoic Egncy, N Rv 65 July-Auust 201 0 94.


53/256

PRESENT FORCE 47

poicy an esperae anciaism is isibe, undeni-

abe, ad gobal Icreasg i idustraize coutries

oer e as ree ecaes, income inequaliy is paric -ularly seere Chi e , Mexico, Turkey, ad the US, te

four indusrialized counries wi e larges icome

gap (Porugal, he UK, ad Ia aso make he op

e) equaly the S i o extree ha i Gi

coefcie (45) makes it more comparabe o Cameroo(44.6) a Jamaia (45.5) a o Geray (3.4) a

te UK (34). Te aagoism at cus acros capial-

is ounes is so appare ha omian eoogial

fores an' obsure i

Te S piay postios extreme equaly,ineeess, an eca elsewere, offsore Te

seere goa eoomi reesson, ollapse in e

ousing and morgage markes, icrease in pea

e ountar uemploymet, rlliondolar bak

bailous , and exensie cus o feeral, sae, and oca

3 Ogaiati m pati a pm ocity at a Glanc 20 ECD cial Inicator, p20 .g. ta tig gy "outy ompaiso:Dstibutio o Faily Icoh G Inx h WorlF actbook, c.o.


54/256


bges , oweer, ae mae wa we og was e

thrd ord o or word. Cora Zek, he vso

c g across capals soc ie ies s re vsbe, repapabe he US a UK ow ha t's bee sce at

eas e 90s We lear hat more of or ch lre le

pove ha a a tme rece stor (0 perce

h lre the US a f 00), tha te weath f he

ver, ve rhhe top perceas raacallcreae whle me fr the res t as remae

saga or ec e, ha a o he foreclosres he

baks fre mewers are meagless, llegal

at exprpra (he bak a't et wh

ws what s te lak the paper eessar justforeclosre proceeigs) We rea of corporaios

s ng pies f as sea rg bak heir la-

off workforce ner neoiberalism, te laishly enjoy

er prs raer an pt hem bak nt pr i

wha Grar Dmi a Domiiqe L ca aexplc sraeg o "sacc mato

fa, we rea tat the mle la baca

she Ad Age, te prar trae joral for he

G uni n onqu , Th Crii ofNolibralism, big MA: H nisit Pss,2 ,


55/256

PRESENT FORCE 49

averising insry, pbi se a major repor ecar-

ng he e of mass afuece As f were escrg

an emergng confronaio between wo great osecasses, he report oes he sagato of workg

cass income an he exponenia grow of upper class

ncome: mo coumer speng comes from the op

10 percet of houeho For averer, he o

consumers worh reacg are he "sma putocrac ofweath ee wh "outze purchasg ence , a

uence ha creae "a ncreag cocerae

marke n ux goos

Amiey, popar meia in te S rarey refer to

he sper rch as the bourgeose a the res of us ase proleariat Tey are more ikey o se erms ike

"Wa Sreet verss "Ma Streetwch s one of

e reasons Occpy Wa Stree took ol as a move

men; peope were areay accstome o earg abot

a at a been one to save e banks Someimes ,US poplar mea avos a rec coras between he

1 percen an e 99 percen, insea jxtapos ing exec

uve pa wh srappe comers ookg for barga

S gt "son nu ls ssAunc' Or Camaign for mrica Ftr ,2 , ourutur.org.


56/256

50 TH COM MU NST HOR IZO

or cig back o spedig. I 2, media pay or

the top execuves creased 23 percet; the CO

o Viacom, Philippe P. Dama, made 8.5 millio

dolars. COs rm top baks ejoyed a 36 percet

icrease , with Jamie Dimo rom JP Morga Chase ad

Lloyd lakei rom Godma Sachs toppig the list .

ve COs o compais exprecig major osses ad

declies have bee gettg extreme bouses: Geeralctrc's CO, ry R Immt, rcivd a avrag

o 2 mllio oars a year over a sixyear perod whie

t company a a 7 prcnt dclin i rrns; Grgg

L. ges, CO o Dean Foods, ook away a average

o 0. miio doars a yar over six years wie thecompay decied 11 perce Sper high pay does'

reward perormance. I's a orm o e hrog wich

te very rich serve themseves, bestowing a largesse

that keeps moey withi ther cass.

I a seig ike the US where the matra or overty years has bee "what's good or bsess is good

7 ny osh i nw Thy Got is s. But This ?Nw York ims, July 2 , 2 , nytisco.8 gn uhy n Shn Go, "B nk hifs g

Py Riss by Prcnt, Financial ims Jun , 2 ,cnbc.co.9 "In Pct us: Wost Bosss or Buck obs .co .


57/256

PRESENT FORCE

for Ameica, e crren ueniabili of ivisio

s sgnca Inequa s appeang as a facor, a

force, eve a crime Every sec or of US sociey viewsclass coic as he pma coic in he coun 0

No woner we are earig he ame "commism

aganhe aagoism cung across capia soc ie-

e papabe, preng

The gh positons commsm a hrea becausecommuim ame e efeat of a aleraive to

capam t recognzes he criss captasm: over-

accumuation leaves he rich stng on pes of cas

e a' ives; inusial capai remais uuse

an workers reman unempoe; gobal tercoec-ions make eee skyscrapers, eropic cables,

mas, an ousing evelopmes as muc a p of

Cia as e US . A e same ime, scores of sigia

problemsweher linke o foo sorages resuig

from climae cange, eergy soages resling from oildepedency, or dg shoages resulng frm he faile

of privae parmaceuica companies o risk eir own

capareman unme because he require he kid

Rh on "Rsn Sh of mns S ontBtn Rh n Poo, P Rsarch Cntr Jnuy 2 2 , wsocltnso


58/256


of argescale paig a cooperaio a capialism,

piclarl s coeporar ace ad com-

icaiosde icaraio, sberts Daid Hareexplais ha capiasts hese as cose a heah

ecoo as oe ha grows abo 3 perce a ear The

ikehoo of coed 3 perce aal growh i

he wrld eoo, hweer, i all Th i par

becase of he il of reabsorbg srpls capal 2030 wold be eessar o d ieet oppor

tties for three o dollars, roghl twce wha w

eeded i 2010. The fre apials s hs highl

eraia, for apiaiss, grim

elberals ad eseaies eke the threatof commism becase he sese e morai of

apalism We shl' le he meia sree eeie

s We so ik at he carge ha Obama

s a commis ad peace s comis foo s io

ikig a commism is s a iage coerigp ad disorig the ore serios poliics of gobal

ace, rade, a cec regaio Tha poiics

s hopeless, a fce , he aep of acial ad eco

oic ele o oe oe eporar aagee

Di H, h Eigma f Caital and th Criss fCaialism Nw York: Oxo nirsit Pss 2 , 2


59/256


60/256

54 TH COM UN ST HORIO

iry years o bridled capiaism made egoism ad

idiv idaism he order o he day sch ha colleciv-

iy was aready viewed wi sspicio. The demise ohe USSR did' ki ll he "we

Te absece o a commo program or visio is ge

erally laeed, eve as his absece is discoeced

r he seig i whih i appears as a absee,

aely, he loss o a Le ha says "we ad "orad "s i he s plae. There are sses, eves,

projecs, emosraios, ad aiy grps, b he

Le laims exis. Le melahlis ame

e lak piia alernaives we e real pii-

a aleaive is e e wse ss deermes heraimlessnesscommnism. "

Some o e e view e lack o a commo poliical

vision or program as a sreng. Tey appad wa

hey cosre as he reedom ro he dicaes o a pay

ie ad e oiy o make idividal coices

Ek d d kz d 29 . A tl n hpt , th dgns "tlnhol os o ny Bown, "stng tlnhl, unary 2 999 927

Fo th n t susson o th thotl tnnschctstc o ths "spcult lt, s Buno Bostls,h ctualit of Communism Vso 2


61/256

PRE SNT FORC

wi poeniay radical poitica effecs Te 0

occupatios o pblic squares i Spain and Greece

are pme exampes Opposing ig nemploymenad the imposton o austert measres, hndres of

tousands took o te sreets i a massive mobiization

Multple voiceparticpants a well as commetator

emphaizd that o common i , patorm, or ore-

taton unted the protestrs ; th were ot politica orman, the itense , tve atmophere an beak from

the costraits o the sa politcs c ited a ew con-

dnc soca chang A th sam tm, th rsa o

representation ad reutance o ipement eision

mchansms hampd acta dbat, nabing car-ismatic individa speakers o move e row and

aquir quasladrshp positions (no matr wha

posiion ey took), and onsraining e possibili

ties of working rough politic a divrgnces oward a

coective panThese same patters reappeared i Occup Wal

Sree On e one and, he openness of te movement,

ts rejection of pa idetcatio, made it iitial

inviting o a wide array o tose who were dis contented

.G. , "Docrcy is bon in th Squs Jun , 2 ,occuilonon.og.


62/256


wi e conined nempomen, icreasing neqal-

, ad polical sagao he US O the oher,

wen combined wih he consenssbased processcharacters t of he Geeral Assembes (adopted from

e Spash ad Greek occpaions), tis inclsiv

i had dermeal effes, herig he movemet'

abl tak a rg tand aga apiam ad fr

olecve corol over commo resoesThe savwal of ommsm a a poal deal

sapes Lef Fragmete rbares a curres,

branhs ad wrks f parar prjs ad pal

obje, e he ef frm of he o of ommm The

"plsfps skg rmp lassand economic srggle in e Spanis, Greek, and US

prss wasn' nw Fr vr ir ars , ma

Lef ave arged a is paia, disperse pos

is an avan ovr prvos mphass o ass ad

milianc (indeed, is is peraps e sronges egacof 1968). Avodig he dviso ad ataosm ha

comes w akig a poiical posiion, e displace

her eergies oo procedral ocer wth clsio

and pari cipaion, as f he conten of e poiics were

ther gvea matter of etr ecoar to hefat f il, whh mak h m f plal


63/256

PRE SNT FORC 7

srggle less signican an e process of srgge

These etiss name heir goa emocracy They envi-

sion srggles on e ef specically as srggles foremocracy, rather han as stgges or e aboliion

of capitaism, colecive ownersip of e means of

proucion, an economic equaliy wiin an alreay

emcraic ein

An emphasis on emocracy is raical in some se-ing, like in he French Revouion, he Haiian

Revoluion, he iniial gh for pocal reeom ha

e h Russian February Revluin, as well as in

srggls agains colonialism an imperiaism, an

even n ppsiin t e auhritarianism e pary-sa breaucracies of he former as o san for

mcracy was san agains an rr cnsiu

rog e excsion of emocracy In conmpo

rary pariamnary mocracies, owvr, for fiss

o refer o eir goals as a srggle for emocracy issrange I is a efense of e saus quo, a call for more

of e same Democracy is or ambien miie, e

hegemonic form of conemporary poiics (which is ye

anoer reason a e Righ can use communism as

a name fr wha oppoe i) f ue of he anguage emcracy ow avi he ndamena annm


64/256

5 TH COMUNST HORIZO

beween e ercen and e res of s b acig as if

e o hg rea mssg was arc iaion

Raer an recognzing a for e ef democ-rac s he form ha e loss of commism akes, e

form of commnism's di sacemen, radica democras

rea democrac as se repacg commsm Te

repercso f he sblmaio f cmmism em-

ocrac preoccpaios wh prcess ad parc pa acqescece o capalsm a he es ssem r

he prodco ad dsro of resorces, abor, ad

gds

Alhgh e coemporar Lef mgh seem o

aree w e mansream sr f cmmusm'sfailre does't ork, were "i ods e pace

fr a wde arie f nspecied p cal endears

e angage f failre coers oer a more dangeros,

anxeprookig ideaousm sceed. Te

ef sn' afraid of failre I is aaid of sccess,e sccess moblzao o e eerg ad rage o

e peoe efss rea fear e blood iolence of

reoluo, ad ece e ocus o dsplacg ager

ino safer procedral, consmeris, ad aeseic can-

es As Peer Haward emphazes, e legac oaJacsm s a preerece fr e cema


65/256

PRESENT FORCE 9

of some inds of violence bu no oters: efiss oin

deocrats, berals, ad conservaives i deouncig

e revoluionary Terror ile ey virually ignore e"far ore blood repressio of the 1871 Comue.

Even ose o see eselves as pa1 of some open

and varied coellaio of e Left condemn te vio-

ece of e peope againt toe wo wod oppre

te. Stae voence ad e force of couerrevou-ion s take for grate, aued, coae a prior

egiacy or presued o be jsted i the ner-

e of order. Halward write, "rom te perspecve

of wa is aready esalised, noes SainJus, a

wc produces te general good s always errbe.Te Jacobin err as more defensive an aggres-

sive, more a maer of restraning an of uneasng

popular violence. Le us be eibe,' Danon said, so

tha e people need not be.' Wha is voiced on e

Lef as opposiion o opdon organizing, vanguards,and eltes, hen, ay we be e form aen b opposi

to to e uleaed fu of e people.

6 Peter Hallward, "un of the Intelec ,ouns of th ll in

Th da f Cmmunism

osts Douins n Sloj Zik Lonon : Vrso 2 2 7 Ibi .


66/256


Wy oud eiss ear a pary in ic e parici-

pae, raer an, say, undersanding our paric ipaion

as inuencing e sape, program, and acions of suca pary? Do we fear our on capacity for vioence? r

do e fear e unconrollabe orce of e peope mobi

ized agains te syem at expois e, a force a

univeriy gae are inapable of bloking? erhap

b recognizing is fear, lefiss can concenrae i inosreng, ha is , toar a ondene in te oleive

power of he peope t o ipe ou and remake .

e relaion o olleive poer is e funaenal

ifferene eeen Rigt an Lef. e g epa-

sizes e individual, inividual survival, indiviualcapaci y, indiidua rigs . Te Lef sou be commi-

ed o e oeive power of e people . As ong as i

resris isef o e concepua oabuary o individ

ualism and demoray inabied by e Rig, as long

as i disperses coecive energy ino eeing aes eicexperiences and procedural accompliens, e f

i oninue o ose e bate for eualiy.

e iake leftiss make hen we turn ino liber

as and democras is inking a e are beyond e

couni orizon, ta democracy replaced com-nis wen i serves as e onemporar f1


67/256

PRESENT FORCE 6

of communism's dispacemen. We don' see, can'

acknowledge, our ow copcy c lass sruggle, n

cap al's advances over e res of us as working peope .I's as f we've forgoen ha poitica strugge is an

irreducble diension of capialiscapia doesn'

cease pursu of ts own n erests out of the goodness

of is cod and nonexise he. Capalsm always

and ecessy iternks wi conc, resistance,accoodaion, and deands. Refusa o engage in

these sggles , rejecto of he ers of ese stg-

ges , afects he for at capais akes. Abse he

dscplne of unonized workers ad an organzed Lef,

capalpartcuary ts srongest ad mos vciouscorporae and nance secorssubsumes, apprpri-

aes , and expos everyhng t can .

Consider Luc Boanski and Eve Ciapeo's anay

ss of cages n managemen anguage frm e sxies

o e nineies. Tey documen e dismaning of aclassbed appac o work and he assembig of

a new vs o of work n ters of divdual creativiy,

auonoy, ad exiliy. Persoal benets cae to

ouweg collecive acion, ereby srengeig e

Luc Boltnsk n E pllo, h Nw Sirit ofCaitaism tns Ggo Ellott, Lonon: Vso, 27


68/256


posiion of empoyers. Te resuing sif of responsi-

bi liies from organizatios ono individuals undermined

previous guarantees of seuriy. Te a tuali y of eibleemployment was prearityemporary wor, subon-

raing, projebased empoymen, mutitasing,

ad opportunities ontingen on peroa networ.

Wa atters here is e ange in e unersan-

ing of wor, a ange from an empasis on is ass,group, and oletive imension o a view of wor as a

personal hoie, endeavor, and ous of meaning. An

iea of individua wor displae the sense of wor as

a ommon ondiion, tereby onribuing o te b-

eraion of apa from e onsrains it enounereden i ad o dea wi orers as a oetive fore .

Evidene frm e S onrms e sif fom a ass-

based to an individ uais onepion of o as ell as

e negaive impa of tis sif on e eonomi wel

be ing of e majori y of e peope . Hisorian JeffersonCowie desribes the individuai approa o wor as

i appears a e onjun ure of oniting fores in e

sevenie. At e beginning of e deade, induial

worers rebeed agains teir onainmen witin e

powar laborlibera onseu. Relaivel quiy,owever, labor unrest blurre ino te bagroun of


69/256

PRESENT FORCE 63

a idr variy of cuura conics around aborion,

pornograpy, busing, cri, afativ acion, and

gay rigs. Coi xplains, "Wi class dissovinginto tnicity and rsntnt, inquality bgan o b

prcivd as a prsona fa rar tan a cociv

rsponibiity. Accopanying t "intrnaization

of cass strugg as an aggriv antiunion ratgy

on t part of coporations. Tis incudd a draaticincra in probusinss lobbying, lgilaiv

dfa of a ajor abor law rfor bill, t igraion

of anacing fro or o t Sout (and off-

sor), and an purg in dirct and agrssiv nfair

abor practics, tat is, acs at ipdd workrscapaciy o xrcis ir rig o organiz. By

nd of dcad, orkrs wr voing ot union.

inaly, as aggrssiv ffors of businss organizd

as a class aknd labor as a coctiv forc,

ga rcogniion of sx and racbasd discriina-ion isf ad indiv iduaiz ing ffcts . Protc ions fro

discriinaion and sxa arassn r scurd

roug dvd cais to violation and iny. T

9 son ow, Stain ' liv: Th 970 and th atDays of th Working Class Nw York: Nw Prss 2 ,2 2 7


70/256


sruggle fo opace euaiy s inoled a sif

aay fro broad econoic usice and "o a ore indi-

idualisic errain of occupaional usice'eualeployent opporuniy, diversiy, afaive acion,

and aniaassent.2 Woes ad individual rigs

o be free fr discriination even a ey were col-

ecively becoing ever ore exposed and vulnerabe

o a bual capiais econoy.A wie public ize tud fro ruce Wete and

Jake Rosenfeld deonsraes a de nionizaion

direcl accouns for a leas a ird of e increase in

incoe inequait eperienced by S men oring in

e privae secor. Te indirec effecs of e declineof unions ae een moe prnounced. nions ben-

eed worers acrs te abor mare insofa as

ey esablised a "moa economy, a se of epec

aions of euiy, solidaiy, and fairness wi broad

social, cuua, and poliica esonance. Wese andRoenfed w1e, "Te decline of Aerican labo and

e associaed incease in age inequaiy signaled e

deerioaion of te labor arke as a poiti a iniu

ion. Worker becae e conneced to each other in

20 Ib. , 239.


71/256

PRESENT FORCE 6 5

eir organizaiona ives and less conneced in eir

econoic forunes. When wor was undersood

in ers of class, collecive expecaions provided apoen coune1orce o capia. The shif o an indiv idu-

ais concepion of wor underined ha force.

or he Lef, deocracy i s he for he loss of cou-

nis aes . Raher han ghing for a col ecive ideal,engaging in a sruggle on beha of he res of us, he

Lef repei ivey invoes deocracy, calling for wha is

aready here. These invocaions of deocracy ae on

a pae a Lacan descibes via e psycoanayic

noion of drive. Lie desire, drive refers o a way ae subjec arranges er enjoymen (oussace). Wi

respec o desire, enjoymen is wa e subjec can

never reac, wa e subjec wans bu never ges

oh that ot t. Drive diers in ha enjoyen coes

from miss ing one's goa; i's wa e subjec ges, evenif she doesn' wan i.22 Enjoyen is ha ie exra

2 Bu tn n k nf, "n n , m, nh R n man Wag qu Amerian ilgial

Rvi76: , 20 337

2 2 S Sloj Zk, h icklish Subct, Lonon: Vso,2000.


72/256


carge wic eeps e subec eeping on. Te sub-

ec's repeaed ye ever failing eors o reach her goal

become saisfying on eir own.Lef appeals o democracy ake on he srucure of

e d1ve insof as ey circ le around and around . We

perpeually mss our goal and ge saisfacio rugh

is very missig. Or we don' eve ave an acual goal,

and we ake he absence of a goal o be a srengh.We al, complain, and proes. We mae groups on

aceboo . We sign peiions and f1ard hem o

everyone in our conac ls. Acvy becomes passv-

y, our sucness in a crcu, wch is hen moured

as e absence of ideas or even e oss of he poli-cal isef and en roued ye again ug a pea for

democracy, aoug doesn' ae a genius o now

a e rea problem is capialism. Wa efiss cal

e loss of e poliical is e fog ey wander roug

because ey've los sig of e communis orizon.Some coemporary eoriss commed drive's sub

limaion, is subsiuion of parial obecs ad e b s

of enoymen accompanying repeiios of a process

for e mpossible obec of desre. Mulipe voices

in neworked and digial meda circuis, for example,celebrae commuicaive capiasm for is provisio


73/256

PRE SNT FORC 67

of oppuniies for sma vicories and momenary

pleasures. Miions die i war and poverty, bu a leas

we ave e inee. ers admire drive's creaivedesrucion, e way its dssoluion of te od is e

opening o e new. Admi edy, repeaing te same ac

over and over can if from order to caoi' one

n to crac an c a coup of m; it' ome-

ing ese ntirely o caw roug to he bone. Tereraon a fal to repod to canges n er

seng emseves cange e seing. u e ebrace

of drv as dsrucon, lk viw of drv as subl-

maton, rea a feae of o eig a an alrnave

wiou drawin ncssary sparaion : wha aki a feaure of a differen formaion, a differen poii cs,

or vn a criiqu?

n e conemporary newors of communicaive

capalism, drive i a feedback c ircui a capures our

bes energies. Invigoraing communism as a poliicalaeaive requires ampifying e colecive deire

a can cu roug ese ffecive newors.


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75/256

pr r

Sovereignty of the People

I

ve discussed communism a ag for o feaures of

our cen seing, e pas Sovie epeimen and apresen force . Ive described e presen force of com-

munim via a rigef diicio bewee rea and

os, a disincio wic ress on a commo supposi-

ion of democrac. Te Ri posiion commuim

a a coiued rea o democrac. Te Lef is s ucin democraic drive a e acuai of i uppre ion

of communi eire. n eac insance, communism

name a in oppoiion o wic our curre e ing

is congured, e eing wiin wic conemporar

capialim unfold.W is communism a name? Becaue i desig

nae e ovreign of e peop, ad no e pople

a a woe or a uni bu e peope as e rest o s

ose of us ose wor, ives, and fuures are epropri-

aed, moneized, and specuaed on for e nancienjomen of e few. Georg Lucs invoes e people


76/256


in us is sense en e explains e diaecical

transforation of the concept of te people in Lenin's

caracerizaion of te Russian Revoution: "Tevague and abstract concept of the peope' ad to be

reected, but only so at a revoluionay, discriinat

ing, concept of te people' revotoa aace

of t oppreedcoud deveop fro a concrete under-

standing of the conditions of proletarian revoution.n this chapter, present the idea of the people a s the

rest of us as a odulation of the idea of te proletariat

as the subect of counis.

Wen te peope are te sbect of communism, eir

sovereignt is not tat of the dispersed individuals ofiberal deocracy. Raer, te sovereigny of e peope

corresponds to te political for Marxist teory refers

o e dictaorsip of te proetaia, te direc and

fearsoe rue of te collective people over tose who

oud oppress and exploit te, over ose o oudtae for theselves hat belongs to all in coon. 2 As

G uks nin: Suy on h Uniy of i Though trans . N ic olas Jacobs, London : Verso, 2009 -3 .

Fo an aunt th da o dtatshp and ts assoatonwt popula sonty n t sttn n w Max an

Enls w wtn s Hal Da h Dicaorshi of h


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SORGTY O TH POPL 7

Lenin describes i i tate ad Revoto, e dic aor-

sip of e prlearia is an organizaion of he oppressed

for e purpose of suppressing e oppressor. More ana ere expansion of deocracy, ore an e incu-

sion of more people wiin democracy's purview, e

dicaorsip of e prolearia pu ino pracice e

pupoe and en of deocracy, aing i erve e

any and no e "oneybags. Consequeny andnecessarily, e d icaorsip of e prolearia ipoe

resricons: i reics e freeo of capias,

exploiers, ad oppresors. ey are no free o do a

ey will bu are goveed, conroed, and limied by

he res of us. n ie, hs goveance, conrol, andimi aion effecively eliminae e capialis cass. Bu

uni e ineqaiy a enables capialis has been

eiminaed, e organized poer of a sae serves as e

insrumen roug wic e peope no only govern,

bu insure a goveance i carried ou for e beeof e collecive raer an e few.

Proltariat from ar to nin ew k: onthy eewPre, 1987, ep. h . Fo a conemporary deene o th

ea of the c ttoshp of the poetat, see

tenne Bb,On th Dictatorshi of th Proltariat tns. Gre LockeLonon: Vso 1 977.


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79/256

SORGTY O TH POPL 73

e aareness of is posiion and is as, and o mae

and eep sprualy and pys icay for sgge.

Te merger narraive generay, as ell as Lenin'sspecc extesion of it ino e Russian conex, pre-

supposes e acive miiancy of orers' sggles, an

assumpion ta empricay ih te risng oppo-

siional force of facory orers n e neee

cenury. A spiri of ress ance i s already presen eorers, pusng e oard organzed stggle . e

pary cannes and orents ese acve orers' sg-

ges oard sociais. provdes polii cal direcion o

an already acive force .

Does ts narraive mae sense for us? Does mae sense for lefiss living in e S, K, and E

o coninue o in in erms of e eading roe of e

prolearia? Ta e ords "prearia and "bour

geoise fee srange n our ous iely ndcaes

e dep of capi ais ideology, e exen of e c lasspoer of a elie a as goen us o hin n ers

of compeion, efciency, soc mares, bonuses,

and ancal success. y obscene is e spread

of e erm "branding suc a one can spea of

4 Ib 48.


80/256


"rebrandig Marxism, feminism, and e Lef iou

rony. Te poer of organzed capta ay e accout

for y fe in e US ink i erms of "proea1aand "bourgeoise. ut it does not prevent us fro

recognizig class, ork, divsion, ineualiy, and

privilege (aloug it certainy tries), all of wic are

vsible, tagib, uavodabe. My agr, tn, is ta

an empasis on te peope as te rest of us c an do eork formerly done by "proea.

Anoter reaso o endorse e idea of te people as

rst of us nvovs t limiations of t guraion

of te proletiat as te industria orking cass . To be

sur, Mx and Marxsts do' rdu "prolta1a to anempiria desigaor of one specic ype of orker. n

is no to 888 Englis diion of t "Communis

Manifeso, Enges says a "poearia refers o "te

ass of mode agaborrs o , aving no ans

of pducio of eir on, are reduced o se lling eiraborpoer in order to ive . In a similar vein, iene

alibar ries, "Te prolearia is o a omogeneous

uncangig group, wi bears s nae and its fae

cearly iscribed once ad for a, for all o see. is

istoria resu of t perannt pcss by ic i i s onsiud, is otr si d of th pross


81/256

SO R GTY OF TH POPL 75

of accumuation of capita. Enges and Baibar mae

cear that the proetariat is ot a pure or xed cass.

Rater than a static social group, pretaraato isa dyamic, the process through which c apitais pro-

duces, uses up, and discards te worers it needs (a

proce facili tated b capitaist ue of the state). Thi

proce ipacts the majori t of peope in the S, K,

ad EU, not to metion Chia, Brazi l, ad other cou-trie experiecig rapid ad ramatic urbaizatio a

peaants eave the lad ad move to cities ooking for

work. Ebracig the idea of the people as the rest of

u acowedge that the erger aative reponded

to a pecic composi tion of socia, politica, and tech-noogica forces. Tis composition as canged even

as proletarianization as a broad process wit a range of

effects persi sts. 6

In the S, the political power of organized labor

as diminised togeter wi e substantia declinei private sector unio embership, the spread of

a idividuait coceptio of work, ad the realig-

mets withi the Deocratic Part. The importance

BibOn th Dictatorhi of th Proltariat

8386 Mc Ht, " oon n ouns RthinkingMarism 22:3 20 10 346-356.


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76 TH COM UN ST HORIO

of manufacuring and indusrial producion as like-

wise decreased as he S economy has shifted away

from he producion of goods and oard e pvisionof services. Accordig o hisoria Judih Sei, e

S "traded facories for nance, a process gener

ally inked o a sift o eoieral ecoomic policies.

Doug Henwood otes tha i 99, "ance, insur-

ance, ad rea esae, coecively nickaed IRE,'supaed aufacuring's coribuion o GD, and

wideed heir lead i suseque year. As of May

00, he occupaions wih he iges percenage of

S empoyees were reail saespersons, casi ers, ofce

clerks, food preparaion and food service worer,nurses, waiers and wairesses, and cusomer serice

repreenaives. 9 In 99, onethird of jos in e S

were in goodsprducing indusries; in 007, oly

percen of jobs were. If proearianization iniially

7 Pivoal Dcad, N a C: Ya P 200 .

8 ug d all Srt, d: , 8 76. Bueau f ab Si ic "il salepe : cua

ti ith hight mpymt i 200 ay 20 20 epatmet f ab, s .g.1 0 Lwrc M h ar Br a i rlh Sa of Working mrica, aca NY: ILR a Cr


83/256

SO R GTY O TH P OPL 77

designaed e pocess by wic ose wi and ere

disappopriaed of i, conepoa poleaianizaion

is e expropriaion of secure, deceny waged, sk illedjobs and e ceaion of sevans (wo ae equied o

smile, care, counicae, and be friendy).

Te hif fro anufacuring o ervice is no unique

o e S. Beween 970 and 00, Geany, aly,

ance, Japan, Sweden, he ehelands, Canada,Auaia, e S, ad e K expeienced ec ines in

e pecenage o f peope eployed in anacuing

and inceases in e pecenage of people epoed

in sevices. Te dop in e K wa ies a 39

pecen.

Te canges in capiais ese saisicsmark, canges usuay discussed unde e eadings

of deindusrializaion, posordis, and e ise of a

knowedge or informaionbased economy, sugges e

inapplicabil iy of e gue of e indusial polearia

as e conemporary subjec of communism (a poina aleady a a egacy i counis oveens

a relied on a mobilized peasany) . Yes , ere is si

ity , 2009, 22

Bueau f ab Stat st cs, "Chatg ua Cmpaissf teratial br Frce Statisti cs 201 0, US Departmet Lar ..


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7 TH COMUNST HORIZO

indusry and ere is si manufacuring. Bu canges

n bo associaed w e dffuson and appcaon of

informaon and communicaion ecnologies, as welas wi e politca assau on woring peope ideolog-

icay organized as neoliberalsm, sugges e limis of

an opposion iagined a organzed primariy n erm

of fao labor.

Micael Hardt and Anono egr vew cangesbroug about by dnutrazation, s of

service sec or wo, and e expansion of ecnologies

as ndiativ of nd for a onpt or xib

and iusive an "protaria. Tey offr "mui-

tud as an altrnav. T ulttud s a gnratvand craiv force, e producive powr a capial-

sm dpnds on, mobiizs, and is to ontro. Y

concp incuds oo muceeryone in fac

and e cos of s incusion is antagonsm. Raer

an abor agains capia, aes agains avenos,e 99 percen agains 1 percen, we ave a ul

iud of singuariies combining and recombining in

mobile, uid, communicativ, and affcve networs.

"Muiude s beer

0330368362.Macmillan Children's Books.alexander, Sama.jodie.dec.100

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