Cap v. K Affirmatives - DDI 2015 SWS

7/23/2019 Cap v. K Affirmatives - DDI 2015 SWS

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1NCs


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Historical Materialism vs. RaceCritical race theory and intersectional approaches

displace the essential focus on class in relation to racial

issues class, as informed by patterns of labor and

productivity, is the only structural antagonismdeterminant of practices sanctioning racial and gender

oppression

San uan, Professor Emeritus of English/Comparative Literature/Ethnic

Studies at Harvard, 20!"(Epifanio San Juan, Jr, !ature, Societ", and#hought, $ol % &ss ' 200) *+rom ace to Class Struggle- .arism and Criticalace #heor" pro1uest accessed 3/2'/')4//JH 5 66&

78ing to the unrelenting ideological and political constraints of the Cold 9ar, academic discourseon racism and ethnic/racial relations has erased the .arian concept of classas an antagonistic relation, displacing it 8ith neo:9e;erian notions of status,

life:st"le, and other cultural contingencies 6espite the civil rights struggles of the sities,methodological individualism and normative functionalism continue to prevailin the humanities and social sciences #he decline of militant trade unionism and theattenuation of ectivel" displaced ;" theconcept of po8er and di>erential relations +rom the vie8point of the humanities andcultural studies (?elds in 8hich & am someho8 implicated4, the advent of critical race theor" (C#4 in the eighties 8as salutar" if not anticlimactic +or the strategicforegrounding of racism and the race pro;lematic (follo8ing feminism@s assault on theCold 9ar stereot"pes of economic determinism and class reductionism s"non"mous 8ith .arism tout

court in the previous decades4, C# served to remed" the inade1uacies of theintersectionalit" paradigm of gender, class, and race Anfortunatel", 8ith theneoconservative resurgence in the eagan/Bush administrations and the collapse of


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su;stitutes a static nominalism for concrete class anal"sis &t displaces a.arian 8ith a 9e;erian organon of no8ledge Fs regor" .e"erson notes, the


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monopoliDation of po8er ;" the ?nancial and corporate elite Fs po8er;ecomes glo;al and is removed from local and nation:;ased politics, 8hat iseven more alarming is the sheer num;er of individuals and groups 8ho are ;eing de?ned ;" the free:=oating class of ultra:rich and corporate po8er;roers as disposa;le, redundant, or a threat to the forces

of concentrated po8er Po8er, particularl" the po8er of the largest corporations, has ;ecome lessaccounta;le,and the elusiveness of illegitimate po8er maes it dicult to recogniDe

6isposa;ilit" has ;ecome the ne8 measure of a neoli;eral societ" in 8hichthe onl" value that matters is echange value Compassion, socialresponsi;ilit", and Gustice are relegated to the dust;in of an older modernit" that no8 is vie8ed as either 1uaint or a grim reminder of a socialist past #he &nstitutionaliDation of

&nGustice F regime of repression, corruption, and dispossession has ;ecome theorganiDing principle of societ" in 8hich an ironic dou;ling taes placeCorporate ;aners and po8er;roers trade 8ith terrorists, ;anrupt theeconom", and commit all manner of crimes that a>ect millions, "et the" go free.ean8hile, across the Anited States, citiDens are ;eing criminaliDed for all sorts of ;ehaviors ranging fromdress code infractions in pu;lic schools to peaceful demonstrations in pu;lic pars Fs .ichelle Fleander

has thoroughl" documented in her ;oo #he !e8 Jim Cro8, "oung men and 8omen of colorare ;eing Gailed in record num;ers for nonviolent o>enses, underscoring ho8

Gustice is on the side of the rich, 8ealth", and po8erful Fnd 8hen the8ealth" are actuall" convicted of crimes, the" are rarel" sent to prison, eventhough millions languish under a correctional s"stem aimed at punishingimmigrants, lo8:income 8hites, and poor minorities Fn egregious eample of ho8 theGustice s"stem 8ors in favor of the rich 8as recentl" on full displa" in #eas &nstead of ;eing sent toprison, Ethan Couch, a 8ealth" teen 8ho illed four people 8hile driving ine;riated, 8as given ten "ears ofpro;ation and ordered ;" the Gudge to attend a reha;ilitation facilit" paid for ;" his parents (His parentshad previousl" o>ered to pa" for an epensive reha;ilitation facilit" that costs M)0,000 a "ear4 #hedefense argued that he had *aNuenDa, a *disease that aNicts children of privilege 8ho are allegedl"never given the opportunit" to learn ho8 to ;e responsi;le &n other 8ords, irresponsi;ilit" is no8 anaccepta;le hallmar of having 8ealth, ena;ling the rich actuall" to ill people and escape the reach of

Gustice Ander such circumstances, *Gustice ;ecomes s"non"mous 8ithprivilege, as 8ealth and po8er dictate 8ho ;ene?ts and 8ho doesnKt ;" a

s"stem of la8 that enshrines la8lessness &n addition, moral and political outrage is nolonger animated ;" the fearful conse1uences of an unGust societ" ather than fearing inGusticeat the hands of an authoritarian government, nearl" all of us de?ne our fearsin reference to overcoming personal insecurities and anieties &n this scenario,survival ;ecomes more important than the 1uest for the good life #he Fmerican dreamis nolonger ;uilt on the possi;ilit" of social mo;ilit" or getting ahead &nstead, it has ;ecome for man"a nightmare rooted in the desire to simpl" sta" a=oat and survive 7neconse1uence of the vicissitudes of inGustice is the gro8ing num;er of people,especiall" "oung people, 8ho inha;it Dones of hardship, su>ering, eclusion,and Go;lessness Fs reno8ned sociologist O"gmunt Bauman has stated, this is the Derogenerationa generation 8ith Dero hopes, Go;s, or future possi;ilities #he plightof the outcast no8 envelops increasing num;ers of "outh, 8orers, immigrants, and a diminishing middle

class #he" live in fear as the" struggle to survive social conditions and policiesmore characteristic of authoritarian governments than democratic states &ndeed,Fmericans in general appear caught in a sinister 8e; of ethical and materialpovert" manufactured ;" a state that trades in suspicion, ;igotr", state:sanctioned violence, and disposa;ilit" 6emocrac" loses its character as adisruptive element, a force of dissent, and an insurrectional call forresponsi;le change &n e>ect, democrac" all ;ut degenerates into an assaulton the radical imagination, recon?gured as a force for 8hite8ashing all


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ethical and moral considerations 9hat is left is a ne8 ind ofauthoritarianism that thrives in such a state of eception, 8hich in realit" is astate of permanent 8ar F regime of greed, dispossession, fear, andsurveillance has no8 ;een normaliDed #he ideological script recited ;" the disciples ofneoli;eralism is no8 familiar- there is no such thing as the common good maret values provide thetemplate for governing all of social life, not Gust the econom" consumerism is the onl" o;ligation of

citiDenship a survival:of:the:?ttest ethic should govern ho8 8e thin and ;ehave militaristic values shouldtrump democratic ideals the 8elfare state is the arch enem" of freedom private interests should ;esafeguarded, 8hile pu;lic values 8ane la8 and order is the preferred language for mo;iliDing shared fearsrather than shared responsi;ilities and 8ar ;ecomes the all:em;racing organiDing principle for developing

societ" and the econom" Fs individual responsi;ilit" has ;een promoted as a8eapon in order to tear up social solidarities, eperiences that onceresonated 8ith pu;lic purpose and meaning have ;een transformed intoprivatiDed spectacles and fragmented modes of consumption that areincreasingl" su;Gected to the surveillance tactics of the militar":securit"state #he endpoint isthe emergence of 8hat the late British historian #on" Judt called an*eviscerated societ"*one that is stripped of the thic mesh of mutualo;ligations and social responsi;ilities integral to an" via;le democrac" #hisgrim realit" has produced a failure in the po8er of the civic imagination, political 8ill, and open democrac"&t is also part of a politics that strips societ" of an" democratic ideals and renders its democratic characterinoperative

(he alternative is a historical materialist analysis of the

relationship bet)een race and class this is the only

starting point for e*ective solvency



+ollo8ing the lead of Fnderson and others, & 8ould rearm the need to situate racism inlate:capitalist societ" 8ithin the process of class rule and la;or eploitation tograsp the d"namics of racial eclusion and su;ordination Be"ond the mode ofproduction, the antagonistic relations ;et8een the capitalist class and the8oring class are articulated 8ith the state and its comple ;ureaucratic andGuridical mechanisms, multipl"ing cultural and political di>erentiations thata>ect the attitudes, sentiments, and actual ;ehavior of groups F criti1ue ofideologies of racism and seism operating in the arena of class antagonism

;ecomes crucial in the e>ort to dismantle their ecac" .oreover, as Bensaido;serves in .ar for 7ur #imes (20024,


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attempts to legitimate the use of the underpaid services of 8omen of color from the South, theracialiDing and gendering discourse of glo;al capitalism can onl" ;eade1uatel" grasped as the mode through 8hich etraction of surplus value,8age di>erentiation, and control and representation of ;odies are allnegotiated F stud" of racist practices and institutions, divorced from the

underl"ing determinant structure of capital accumulation and class ruleallo8ing such practices and institutions to eercise their naturaliDing force,can onl" perpetuate an a;stract metaph"sics of race and a discourse ofpo8er that 8ould reinforce the continuing rei?cation or commodi?cation ofhuman relations in ever"da" life 9e cannot multipl" static determinations in an atomisticmanner and at the same time ac1uire the intelligi;le totalit" of no8ledge that 8e need for formulating

strategies of radical social transformation F ?rst step in this proGect of rene8ing criticalrace theor" is simple- ;egin 8ith the concept of class as an antagonisticrelation ;et8een la;or and capital, and then proceed to anal"De ho8 thedeterminant of era concrete program of action (see .ann 20024 Because of its composition and the pervasive climate ofreaction, the +orum could not endorse a radical approach that 8ould focus on the elimination of theeploitation of la;or (la;or po8er as commodit"4 as a necessar" ?rst step iven its limits, it could notespouse a need for a thoroughgoing change of the material ;asis of social production and reproduction::the latter involving the hegemonic rule of the propertied ;loc in each societ" pro?ting from the une1ualdivision of la;or and the une1ual distri;ution of social 8ealth::on 8hich the institutional practices of racism(apartheid, discrimination, genocide4 thrive


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historical:materialist frame8or, the starting point and end point foranal"Ding the relations ;et8een structures in an" sociohistorical totalit"cannot ;e an"thing ;ut the production and reproduction of materialeistence #he eistence of an" totalit" follo8s transformation rules 8here;" it is constantl" ;eingrestructured into a ne8 formation (Harve" 'I3%4 #hese rules re=ect the dialectical unfolding of manifold

contradictions constituting the internal relations of the totalit" 9ithin this con=icted,

determinate totalit", race cannot ;e reduced to class, nor can class ;esu;sumed ;" race, since those concepts epress di>erent forms of socialrelations


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Cap vs +omo+ostmodern concepts of ideology represent an erasure of

materialism and a marginali%ation of labor postmodern

theori%ation of ideology and deconstruction only serve to

relegitimate the capitalist system-bert, Professor of Critical and Cultural #heor", .arist #heor", +eminist

Criti1ue, lo;aliDation #heor" at State Aniversit" of !e8 or at Fl;an", !"(#eresa L, Science T Societ" RI' (Jan 200)4- %%:)) *ematerialiDing+eminism pro1uest accessed 3/22/')4//JH 5 66&

#he historical materialist concept of ideolog" sees to account for therepresentations of this echange as an e1ual and fair echange #his, & 8ant toemphasiDe, is the core of the materialist theor" of ideolog"- ho8 the relation;et8een 8age:la;or and capital is represented as free and e1ual 8hen it isan"thing ;ut(it is


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Capitalism is the structural totality that underlies all

forms of oppression the erosion of #ustice and values

creates disparities that result in crime, disposability,

incarceration, authoritarianism, e$cessive surveillance,

e$clusion, marginali%ation, and social death

&irou$, !et8or Chair Professorship at .c.aster Aniversit" in the Englishand Cultural Studies 6epartment and a 6istinguished $isiting Professorship at

"erson, Aniversit", 201'(Henr" F irou,#iun, $olume 2I, !um;er %,Summer 20', 6ue Aniversit" Press *!eoli;eralismKs 9ar Fgainst theadical &magination proGect muse accessed 3/20/')4//JH 5 66&

6emocrac" is on life support in the Anited States #hroughout the social order, the forces ofpredator" capitalism are on the march #heir ideological and material tracesare visi;le ever"8herein the dismantling of the 8elfare state, the increasing role of corporatemone" in politics, the assault on unions, the epansion of the corporate surveillance:militar" state,8idening ine1ualities in 8ealth and income, the defunding of higher education, theprivatiDation of pu;lic education, and the 8ar on 8omenKs reproductive rights Fs .arist geographer

6avid Harve", political theorist 9end" Bro8n, and others have o;served, neoli;eralismKspermeation is achieved through various guises that collectivel" function toundercut pu;lic faith in the de?ning institutions of democrac" Fs maretmentalities and moralities tighten their grip on all aspects of societ", pu;licinstitutions and pu;lic spheres are ?rst do8nsiDed, then eradicated 9hen theseimportant sites of democratic epression from pu;lic universities to communit" health carecentersvanish, 8hat follo8s is a serious erosion of the discourses of Gustice,e1ualit", pu;lic values, and the common good .oreover, as literar" critic Stefan Collinihas argued, under the regime of neoli;eralism, the *social self has ;eentransformed into the *disem;edded individual, Gust as the notion of the universit" as apu;lic good is no8 repudiated ;" the privatiDing and atomistic values at the heart of a h"per:maret:driven

societ" 9e live in a societ" that appears to em;race the voca;ular" of*choice, 8hich is ultimatel" rooted in a denial of realit" &n fact, most peopleeperience dail" an increasing limitation of choices, as the" ;ear the heav" ;urden of massiveine1ualit", social disparities, the irresponsi;le concentration of po8er inrelativel" fe8 hands, a racist Gustice and penal s"stem, the conversion ofschools into detention centers, and a pervasive culture of violence andcruelt"all of 8hich portends a gro8ing machiner" of social death, especiall"for those disadvantaged ;" a ruthless capitalist econom" eno8ned economistJoseph StiglitD is one of man" pu;lic intellectuals 8ho have repeatedl" alerted Fmericans to the impending

costs of gross social ine1ualit" &ne1ualit" is not simpl" a;out disproportionateamounts of 8ealth and income in fe8er hands, it is also a;out the

monopoliDation of po8er ;" the ?nancial and corporate elite Fs po8er;ecomes glo;al and is removed from local and nation:;ased politics, 8hat iseven more alarming is the sheer num;er of individuals and groups 8ho are ;eing de?ned ;" the free:=oating class of ultra:rich and corporate po8er;roers as disposa;le, redundant, or a threat to the forces

of concentrated po8er Po8er, particularl" the po8er of the largest corporations, has ;ecome lessaccounta;le,and the elusiveness of illegitimate po8er maes it dicult to recogniDe6isposa;ilit" has ;ecome the ne8 measure of a neoli;eral societ" in 8hichthe onl" value that matters is echange value Compassion, social


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responsi;ilit", and Gustice are relegated to the dust;in of an older modernit" that no8 is vie8ed as either 1uaint or a grim reminder of a socialist past #he &nstitutionaliDation of

&nGustice F regime of repression, corruption, and dispossession has ;ecome theorganiDing principle of societ" in 8hich an ironic dou;ling taes placeCorporate ;aners and po8er;roers trade 8ith terrorists, ;anrupt theeconom", and commit all manner of crimes that a>ect millions, "et the" go free.ean8hile, across the Anited States, citiDens are ;eing criminaliDed for all sorts of ;ehaviors ranging fromdress code infractions in pu;lic schools to peaceful demonstrations in pu;lic pars Fs .ichelle Fleander

has thoroughl" documented in her ;oo #he !e8 Jim Cro8, "oung men and 8omen of colorare ;eing Gailed in record num;ers for nonviolent o>enses, underscoring ho8Gustice is on the side of the rich, 8ealth", and po8erful Fnd 8hen the8ealth" are actuall" convicted of crimes, the" are rarel" sent to prison, eventhough millions languish under a correctional s"stem aimed at punishingimmigrants, lo8:income 8hites, and poor minorities Fn egregious eample of ho8 theGustice s"stem 8ors in favor of the rich 8as recentl" on full displa" in #eas &nstead of ;eing sent toprison, Ethan Couch, a 8ealth" teen 8ho illed four people 8hile driving ine;riated, 8as given ten "ears ofpro;ation and ordered ;" the Gudge to attend a reha;ilitation facilit" paid for ;" his parents (His parentshad previousl" o>ered to pa" for an epensive reha;ilitation facilit" that costs M)0,000 a "ear4 #hedefense argued that he had *aNuenDa, a *disease that aNicts children of privilege 8ho are allegedl"

never given the opportunit" to learn ho8 to ;e responsi;le &n other 8ords, irresponsi;ilit" is no8 anaccepta;le hallmar of having 8ealth, ena;ling the rich actuall" to ill people and escape the reach of

Gustice Ander such circumstances, *Gustice ;ecomes s"non"mous 8ithprivilege, as 8ealth and po8er dictate 8ho ;ene?ts and 8ho doesnKt ;" as"stem of la8 that enshrines la8lessness &n addition, moral and political outrage is nolonger animated ;" the fearful conse1uences of an unGust societ" ather than fearing inGusticeat the hands of an authoritarian government, nearl" all of us de?ne our fearsin reference to overcoming personal insecurities and anieties &n this scenario,survival ;ecomes more important than the 1uest for the good life #he Fmerican dreamis nolonger ;uilt on the possi;ilit" of social mo;ilit" or getting ahead &nstead, it has ;ecome for man"a nightmare rooted in the desire to simpl" sta" a=oat and survive 7neconse1uence of the vicissitudes of inGustice is the gro8ing num;er of people,especiall" "oung people, 8ho inha;it Dones of hardship, su>ering, eclusion,and Go;lessness Fs reno8ned sociologist O"gmunt Bauman has stated, this is the Derogenerationa generation 8ith Dero hopes, Go;s, or future possi;ilities #he plightof the outcast no8 envelops increasing num;ers of "outh, 8orers, immigrants, and a diminishing middle

class #he" live in fear as the" struggle to survive social conditions and policiesmore characteristic of authoritarian governments than democratic states &ndeed,Fmericans in general appear caught in a sinister 8e; of ethical and materialpovert" manufactured ;" a state that trades in suspicion, ;igotr", state:sanctioned violence, and disposa;ilit" 6emocrac" loses its character as adisruptive element, a force of dissent, and an insurrectional call forresponsi;le change &n e>ect, democrac" all ;ut degenerates into an assault

on the radical imagination, recon?gured as a force for 8hite8ashing allethical and moral considerations 9hat is left is a ne8 ind ofauthoritarianism that thrives in such a state of eception, 8hich in realit" is astate of permanent 8ar F regime of greed, dispossession, fear, andsurveillance has no8 ;een normaliDed #he ideological script recited ;" the disciples ofneoli;eralism is no8 familiar- there is no such thing as the common good maret values provide thetemplate for governing all of social life, not Gust the econom" consumerism is the onl" o;ligation ofcitiDenship a survival:of:the:?ttest ethic should govern ho8 8e thin and ;ehave militaristic values shouldtrump democratic ideals the 8elfare state is the arch enem" of freedom private interests should ;e


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safeguarded, 8hile pu;lic values 8ane la8 and order is the preferred language for mo;iliDing shared fearsrather than shared responsi;ilities and 8ar ;ecomes the all:em;racing organiDing principle for developing

societ" and the econom" Fs individual responsi;ilit" has ;een promoted as a8eapon in order to tear up social solidarities, eperiences that onceresonated 8ith pu;lic purpose and meaning have ;een transformed intoprivatiDed spectacles and fragmented modes of consumption that are

increasingl" su;Gected to the surveillance tactics of the militar":securit"state #he endpoint isthe emergence of 8hat the late British historian #on" Judt called an*eviscerated societ"*one that is stripped of the thic mesh of mutualo;ligations and social responsi;ilities integral to an" via;le democrac" #hisgrim realit" has produced a failure in the po8er of the civic imagination, political 8ill, and open democrac"&t is also part of a politics that strips societ" of an" democratic ideals and renders its democratic characterinoperative

(he alternative is to re#ect the 1C/s relation to capital

postmodernism is incapable of macropolitical reform

only a historical materialist pra$is can creates the

mobili%ation to challenge capitalism

Cole, School of Education, Aniversit" of Brighton, 20!0 (.ie Cole, BritishJournal of Sociolog" of Education, $ol 2, !o (Sep, 200%4, pp 3:)00*.ight &t Be in the Practice #hat &t +ails to Succeed F .arist Criti1ue ofClaims for Postmodernism and Poststructuralism as +orces for Social Changeand Social Justice JS#7 accessed 3/22/')4//JH 566&

Postmodernists and poststructuralists are clearl" capa;le of asing 1uestions;ut, ;" their o8n acno8ledgement, the" have no ans8ers Fs lenn io8si has put it, thisleads one to as- Gust 8hat is the postmodernist attitude to eplanation #rul" political strategiesre1uire eplanation(of 8hat 8ent 8rong, 8h" the anal"sis and/or tactics failed etc4 so thatimprovements can ;e made 6o postmodernists have a notion of improvement (of societ", of

political strategies4 &f the" do, then the" need eplanation & don@t thin the" are interested in either, andhence can@t have a political strateg" for human ;etterment (cited in Cole, 200', p 334 #o this & 8ould

reiterate that postmodernism and poststructuralism could ;e li;erating toindividuals and to localised groups But to ;e politicall" valid, an anal"sismust lin @the small picture@ to @the ;ig picture@ Postmodernism andpoststructuralism, again ;" their protagonists@ acno8ledgement, cannot do this #he" are, thus,not merel" una;le to promote social Gustice and social change, ;ut, al;eit ;"default, act, as ideological supports for capitalism, ;oth 8ithin nation statesand glo;all"Bringing .arism ;ac to the forefront is not an eas" tas .arists must ;rea throughthe @;iDarre ideological mechanism, Vin 8hichW ever" conceiva;le alternative to the maret has ;eendiscredited ;" the collapse of Stalinism@ (Callinicos, 2000, p '224, 8here;" the fetishiDation of life maescapitalism seem natural and therefore unaltera;le, and 8here the maret mechanism @has ;een

h"postatiDed into a natural force unresponsive to human 8ishes@ (Callinicos, 2000, p '2)4 V'%W Capitalpresents itself @determining the future as surel" as the la8s of nature mae tides rise to lift;oats@ (.c.urtr", 2000, p 24, @as if it has no8 replaced the natural environment &tannounces itself through its ;usiness leaders and politicians as coterminous 8ith freedom, andindispensa;le to democrac" such that an" attac on capitalism as eploitative or h"pocritical ;ecomes anattac on 8orld freedom and democrac" itself (.cLaren, 2000, p %24 V'W Fs Callinicos puts it, despite theinevita;le intense resistance from capital, the @greatest o;stacle to change is not the revolt it 8ould

evoe from the privileged, ;ut the ;elief that it is impossi;le@ (2000, p '24 Challenging thisclimate re1uires courage, imagination and 8illpo8er inspired ;" the inGusticethat surrounds us Beneath the surface of our supposedl" contented societies,


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these 1ualities are present in a;undance 7nce mo;iliDed, the" can turn the8orld upside do8n (Callinicos, 2000, p '2I4 #o reiterate, .arism is a;out dialecticalprais Such prais is outside the remit of poststructuralism and postmodernism !either is a;le toaddress the glo;al social inGustices outlined at the ;eginning of this paper B" their ver" essence,

poststructuralism and postmodernism are a;out neither theor" nor practice#he" fail in ;oth and remain an academic practice, ;ased on deconstruction alone, 8ithno practical implications for social or educational transformation &ndeed, deconstruction 8ithoutreconstruction t"pi?es the divorce of the academ" from the realit" of struggleon the ground(Cole T Hill, 'III; Hill et al, 'III, 2002a4


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in2s


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Cap in2s to 3 stu*


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4iopo)er4iopo)er is a symptom of capitalism/s control of

sub#ectivity the authoritative valuation of life )ithin

biopolitical systems emerges from the dominance of

capitalMc&o)anteaches theor" and ?lm at the Aniversit" of $ermont, 20 10(#odd, 6iscourse $olume %), !um;er ', 9inter 20'% *#he Capitalist aDeproGect muse accessed 3/20/')4//JH566&

#he emergence of ;iopo8er and even ;iopolitical anal"sis in contemporar"social relations is a s"mptom of the full acceptance of capitalismKs eistenceas a su;stance providing ground for our su;Gectivit" Biopo8er taes the living;od" as its o;Gect , 8hich represents a radical departure for the 8a" thatsocial authorit" functions ather than threatening death, authorit"constitutes itself through preserving, regulating, and even producing life 3 #heconcern for life develops out of a sense that life is itself the source of all value and that nothing eists

outside of life #he development of this valuation of life depends on thedominance of capitalism, an economic s"stem that passes itself o> asidentical to the structure of natural life


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Counterhegemonic action5Claims to individual

agencyCounterhegemonic theori%ation of agency obfuscates the

centrality of class to agency the only historical agent is

the )agelaborer, any other focus mas6uerades historicalagency

-bert, Professor of Critical and Cultural #heor", .arist #heor", +eminist


Fn" mo;iliDation of counterhegemonic agenc" re1uires that one ?rst theoriDe


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historical agenc"that might mae the upper:middle:class intellectual feel empo8ered and ena;led;ut 8ill leave the eisting social practices intact #o ;e ver" clear, the route to social transformation doesnot pass through coalition : it is ?rml" centered in revolution


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Critical Race (heoryCritical race theory and intersectional approaches

displace the essential focus on class/s determinant

in7uence in relation to racial issues class is the only

structural antagonism determinant of practicessanctioning racial and gender oppression



78ing to the unrelenting ideological and political constraints of the Cold 9ar, academic discourseon racism and ethnic/racial relations has erased the .arian concept of classas an antagonistic relation, displacing it 8ith neo:9e;erian notions of status,life:st"le, and other cultural contingencies 6espite the civil rights struggles of the sities,

methodological individualism and normative functionalism continue to prevailin the humanities and social sciences #he decline of militant trade unionism and theattenuation of ectivel" displaced ;" theconcept of po8er and di>erential relations +rom the vie8point of the humanities andcultural studies (?elds in 8hich & am someho8 implicated4, the advent of critical race theor" (C#4 in the eighties 8as salutar" if not anticlimactic +or the strategicforegrounding of racism and the race pro;lematic (follo8ing feminism@s assault on theCold 9ar stereot"pes of economic determinism and class reductionism s"non"mous 8ith .arism tout

court in the previous decades4, C# served to remed" the inade1uacies of theintersectionalit" paradigm of gender, class, and race Anfortunatel", 8ith theneoconservative resurgence in the eagan/Bush administrations and the collapse of


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.arian 8ith a 9e;erian organon of no8ledge Fs regor" .e"erson notes, the


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8eleu%eCapitalism has become 8eleu%ian by anticipating and

coopting lines of 7ight. 4e relying on a vanguard minority

to oppose capitalism, 8eleu%e ignored that its nature is to

feed o* resistance.9andenberghe, :(+rederic esearch professor in sociolog" at the&nstitute of Social and Political Studies (&ESP, formerl" no8n as &APEJ4, partof the State Aniversit" of io de Janeiro in BraDil


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;luidity is something cap relies on. Reading history as

7uid ignores the concrete nature of production.


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-ssentialism es micropolitical failure

and severs the relation bet)een the global and the local

this blurs the lines of class and fractures solidarity



#he move to put essentialism and anti:essentialism at the center ofcontemporar" cultural theor"is similar to the move that & descri;ed in m" discussion ofideolog" &t is a move to translate social struggle and its materialistunderstanding into epistemolog" a"atri Spiva@s o;Gection is not so much an o;Gection to8hether one should, according to Laclau and .ou>e, ;e al8a"s anti:essentialist as it is an o;Gection to the

ver" logic of such a position #o translate social struggle : 8hich is al8a"s oversurplus la;or : into epistemolog" is to reiterate a Hegelian move, at the coreof 8hich is the eplanation of histor" ;" ideas rather than ;" la;or #herefore,an" materialist theor" that insists on the primac" of la;or over ideas, theprimac" of materialit" over spectralit", is ;ound to ;e seen ;" postmoderntheor" as essentialist #o ;e essentialist it seems, therefore, ;ecomesnecessar" if one ;elieves that a cultural theor" must ;e rooted, in the ?nalinstance, in maing sense of human la;or & am, of course, not sa"ing that cultural theor"should end here 9hat & am sa"ing is that cultural theor" must al8a"s attend to thisfundamental human practice, 8hich is the practice of transforming the 8orld

through la;or Cultural theor" accounts for the 8a" this practice is mediated through innumera;lecultural series #o insist that such an accounting should al8a"s alread" ;e anti:essentialist : that is, to al8a"s onl" deal 8ith speci?c situationalist practices :is to reif" micropolitics and, as & have alread" descri;ed, to cut o> the relation;et8een micropolitics and its underl"ing glo;al logic of production #o put itanother 8a", the postmodern de;ate on essentialism/anti:essentialism is ade;ate that eventuall" aims at severing the relation ;et8een the local andthe glo;al ;" positing the glo;al as an essentialist a;straction #his ;lurs class lines andputs in place of class itself a series of fragmented, seemingl" autonomousidentities (race, gender, seualit"4 : it marginaliDes human solidarit", 8hich is;ased on collective la;or practices


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;eminism;eminist theories footnote transformative politics by

displacing the focus on class di*erence is al)ays

determined by class

-bert, Professor of Critical and Cultural #heor", .arist #heor", +eministCriti1ue, lo;aliDation #heor" at State Aniversit" of !e8 or at Fl;an", !"(#eresa L, Science T Societ" RI' (Jan 200)4- %%:)) *ematerialiDing+eminism pro1uest accessed 3/22/')4//JH 5 66&

+eminism after the *post has ;ecome in theor" and practice largel"indi>erent to material practices under capitalism : such as la;or, 8hichshapes the social structures of dail" life : and has fetishiDed di>erence &t has ,in other 8ords, erased the 1uestion of using no8ledge of theroot conditions of 8omen@s realities into a pluralit" of particularities of


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?the ga%e@Capitalism creates the illusion of neutrality )ithin the

visible >eld capitalism )ill al)ays coopt ?the ga%e/s@

distortion of this ob#ective reality

Mc&o)anteaches theor" and ?lm at the Aniversit" of $ermont, 20 10(#odd, 6iscourse $olume %), !um;er ', 9inter 20'% *#he Capitalist aDeproGect muse accessed 3/20/')4//JH566&

Flthough the structure of capitalism is not homologous 8ith the structure ofthe visual ?eld, thining a;out capitalism in terms of the gaDe follo8s fromthe apparent neutralit" that ;oth structures share 9hen 8e loo at a visual?eld, it appears not as a ?eld constructed around our desire ;ut rather as a?eld alread" there to ;e seen !o ;acground lights fall from the s" as in Peter 9eirKs #he#ruman Sho8 ('II4 in order to reveal to us that our loo has informed 8hat is visi;le to us $isualrealit" successfull" presents itself as a ;acground against 8hich and in8hich 8e desire rather than as a ?eld thoroughl" colored ;" our desire &n thesame 8a", 8hen 8e confront capitalism, it appears as a neutral economics"stem that simpl" eists in the a;sence of an" political interventionCapitalism passes itself o> as the economic s"stem given ;" ;eing itself, Gustas the visual ?eld does &t passes itself o> as eisting #he traumaticencounter 8ith the gaDe, the moment of confronting oneKs o8n desire as adistortion of the 8orld in 8hich VEnd Page '3Wone eists, renders this 8orldunnatural and foreign #he 8orld ceases to ;e a ha;itual space in 8hich one can d8ell and;ecomes a groundless ?eld ;ased solel" on the desire of the su;Gects 8hoeist 8ithin it #he gaDe eposes the 8orld itself as nothing ;ut apresupposition of the desiring su;Gect, a structure lacing an" independenteistence or su;stantive 8eight #he 8orld is not the ;acground in 8hich 8e

desire ;ut emerges onl" through the force of desire #his is 8hat Hegel means 8hen hesa"s in the Phenomenolog" of Spirit that *ever"thing turns on grasping and epressing the #rue, not onl"

as Su;stance, ;ut e1uall" as Su;Gect'I 9hat appears as su;stantial and preeistingsu;Gectivit" depends for its su;stantialit" on the su;GectKs role in itsconstitution #his is not to sa" that there is no o;Gective material realit", that ever"thing eists onl" inan ideal realm, ;ut rather that this o;Gective realit" is inetrica;le from a su;Gectivedistortion, a gaDe, that divides it from itself and on 8hich it depends #hedependence of o;Gectivit" on this su;Gective distortion maes the 8orld unheimlich, 8hich is8h" 8e see refuge from the gaDe 9hen the crisis occurs, capital ceases to =o8 smoothl",and the mone" necessar" to ;u" commodities and restart this =o8 of capital remains dormant #he crisiscauses capital to lose its productivit", and even andKs producers cannot rediscover it 9e see thatcapitalism does not 8or lie a neutral ;acground ;ut distorts social relations #he failure of capital itself

to resolve the crisisits reliance on state interventioneposes its unnaturalness and the decision thatpermits its survival #he crisis confronts us 8ith the possi;ilit" that capitalismmight fail, 8ith evidence that it eists onl" through our e>orts to ;ring it into;eing #he danger of the crisis for capitalism is not that it 8ill ;ring a;out an economic catastrophe from8hich the s"stem cannot recover ;ut rather that it 8ill epose the s"stemKs noneistence and thus createan opportunit" for the encounter 8ith the gaDe Fnd this encounter 8ould mae possi;le another form ofeconomic decision- an economic event


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Adentity politics


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multiple logics of race, gender and seualit", etc ;ut through the single,inclusive logic of 8age:la;or and capital .ost feminists, anti:racists and 1ueertheorists have ;een 1uic to dismiss materialist theor" ;" sa"ing that thelogic of la;or cannot eplain desire in seualit", oppression in racism andine1ualit" in gender relations Ho8ever, gender, seualit", and race ;ecome

social di>erences onl" 8hen the" ;ecome part of the social division of la;or,and each has a long and di>erentiated histor" as part of the social division ofla;or and thus as a signi?cant social di>erence acism , contrar" to +oucauldiantheor", is not simpl" a matter of as"mmetrical po8er relations nor is gender, orseualit" Homopho;ia is not simpl" oppression : the eercise of po8er ;" heteroseualsover homoseuals a" ;ashing is the articulation of a violence, that is to sa", the e>ect of po8er, ;ut itcannot ;e understood in terms of po8er 8ithout in1uiring into the genealog"of po8er Contrar" to poststructuralist theor", po8er is not the e>ect of discourse nor isit simpl" the immanent condition of all relations Po8er is the social andpolitical manifestation of the o8nership of the means of production &n other8ords, po8er is al8a"s generated at the point of production , and its e>ects should also;e eamined in relation to the relations of production acism, in other 8ords, is not simpl" oppression (the

eercise of po8er ;" 8hites over ;lacs4 seism is not simpl" oppression (the eercise of po8er ;" menover 8omen4 &t is true that racism, seism, and homopho;ia are eperienced ;" the su;Gect (eg, Ffrican:

Fmerican, 8oman, les;ian4 as e>ects of oppression and po8er &f 8e limit our in1uir" to thiseperiential level, 8e 8ill end up simpl" 8ith ethnographies of po8er, 8hich &thin 8ould ;e of ver" limited use &f, ho8ever, 8e go ;e"ond regardingracism, seism and homopho;ia as simpl" e>ects of po8er to understandho8 po8er is derived from o8nership of the means of production, then 8e8ill ;e a;le to theoriDe relations of class, gender, race and seualit" in a morehistorical and materialist 8a" &n this vie8, seism, racism and homopho;ia are not so muchinstances of oppression ;ut cases of eploitation #his is another 8a" of sa"ing that a

poststructuralist theor" of the social as the site of multi:oppression practices8ill not lead to a productive understanding of relations among class, gender,

race and seualit" #he more productive 8a" is to place la;or relations andtheir conse1uences : propert" relations : at the center of this comple net8or andunderstand gender, seualit", and race as produced ;" the eisting divisionof la;or- that is, as contradictions produced ;" the fundamental antagonismunder capitalism : the antagonism of 8age:la;or and capital


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Micropoliticsdvanced capitalism deploys micropolitics to restrict the

sub#ect ability to 6uestion the range of its e$ploitation



#he emergence of micropolitics mars the impact of the glo;aliDation ofcapitalist production and the 8a" that the dimensions of this o;Gective realit"have ;ecome less and less graspa;le ;" a su;Gect 8ho, through the 8oringof ideolog", has ;een remapped as the su;Gect of desire #he su;Gect of desire is, ;"its ver" formation, a local and localist su;Gect #his desiring su;Gect grasps the 8orldthrough its identit" and furthermore constructs this identit" through thesatisfactions that it ac1uires in its consuming relations to the 8orld around it.icropolitics is the politics of consumption, and consumption is al8a"s a matter oflocalities .icropolitics does not have an inverse relation to universal o;Gective realit", ;ut rather iscomplementar" to it- it preoccupies the su;Gect 8ith the here and no8 and, in doing so, distracts its

attention from the all encompassing o;Gective realit" that in fact determines the here and no8 Fdvanced capitalism deplo"s micropolitics to restrict the access of thesu;Gect to the d"namics of traveling capital and its epanding range ofeploitation &t is of course ironic that micropolitics is seen as ena;ling politics : a politics that attends to the connections and relations of the su;Gect 8ith its immediate conditions and

serves as the ;asis for coalition and other local practices &n fact , micropolitics has ;ecome thelogic of activism in the ne8 social movements #o sa" 8hat & have said in adi>erent 8a"- micropolitics is the politics of ;"passing class and putting in itsplace lifest"le and consumption &t is a politics that erases an" eamination ofthe structures of eploitation, su;stituting instead ethnographical studies ofthe ;ehavior of the su;Gect in its multiple consuming relations


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Bppression ;ocus(heir myopic focus on a particular manifestation of

oppression does not provide a speci>c e$planation for the

broader lin2ing of struggles inhibits the possibility for

transformative politics.Heideman 1VPaul . Heideman utgers Aniversit", !e8ar,pmheideman5gmailcom Historical .aterialism $olume 20, &ssue 2, pages2'0: 22' Be"ond Blac and 9hite- #ransforming Ffrican:Fmerican Politics,.anning .ara;le, Second Edition, London- $erso, 200I 6ate Fccessed3/23/'), JL 5 66&W

#his theorisation of transformative politics is further 8eaened ;" its failureto specif" an" agenc" that could ;ring it a;out .ara;le comes close tospecif"ing such an agenc" 8ith his repeated call to loo to \the mostoppressed sectors of our societ"K for a vision of social transformation (pp v,0, %'04 Such a call is clearl" inade1uate &t simpl" does not follo8 that themost oppressed sectors of societ" are ;est positioned to carr" out its mostthorough remaing #he homeless, for eample, are certainl" among themost oppressed groups in the Anited States (especiall" in the age of thedestruction of free pu;lic space and the social safet":net4, "et this positiondoes not automaticall" impart the most radical d"namics to their struggle&ndeed, struggles for s1uattersK rights and shelters ver" rarel" ;rea out oflocalised confrontations 8ith municipal authorities Fdditionall", .ara;leo>ers no account of ho8 the disparate struggles of the oppressed (foreample, the ?ght against anti:immigrant racism and the ?ght for the rightsof the disa;led4 are to ;e uni?ed, ;e"ond the assertion that ever"confrontation 8ith ine1ualit" automaticall" is lined to ever" other Such aninade1uate account of social:movement agenc" deepl" 8eaens 8hateverstrengths .ara;leKs theor" of transformative politics ma" possess


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+erformance

(he 1C/s performance is complicit )ith capital their

attempt to rema2e politics accepts the neoliberal terrain

and ideology as a given.Martin and 4ro)n 10Vregor" .artin', #on" Bro8n2 7ut of the ;o-.aing space for ever"da" critical pedagogies Frticle ?rst pu;lished online-2R FP 20'% ] Canadian Fssociation of eographers / L@Fssociationcanadienne des gôgraphes &ssue #he Canadian eographer / Le ôgraphecanadien #he Canadian eographer / Le ôgraphe canadien Special &ssue-Critical eographies of Education $olume )3, &ssue %, pages %'_%,Futumn / automne 20'%, 6ate Fccessed 3/23/'), JL 5 66&W

!eoli;eralism is not onl" maintained through coercion- the imposition ofgovernance structures either eternall" or internall" (Slaughter and hoades

2004 &t is also achieved through pragmatic ac1uiescence or even consentthat is the e>ect of ideologies 8hich interpellate or *hail forth the su;Gectinto a particular set of performative relations (Flthusser 'I3', '34 7ftencharacteriDed as un1uestiona;le and inevita;le, a gro8ing area of scholarshipprovides compelling insights into ho8 neoli;eral reforms are *lived \on thegroundK as academics negotiate multiple and contradictor" choices(Peterson 200R, 24 &n attempting to re:mae politics from the ground:up,!e8man (200R, R24 1uotes #urner ('I0, 4 8hen he o;serves that 8hileindividuals have the po8er to mae choices, the" are often, *suced into thefuture &n ful?lling the performative futures laid out for us, Hodinson (200I,R%4 argues *it is important to acno8ledge that in some 8a" 8e are all

complicit in these processes as neoli;eralism@s 8illing or un8illingeecutioners et, ho8 can educators challenge the u;i1uitous demands thatconstitute the means ;" 8hich ;oth the *ideological and a>ective regimes ofneoli;eralism are deplo"ed and reproduced as a 8orld s"stem (irou 200,I4


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+ostmodernism (heory+ostmodernist theory substitutes regressive discursive

debate for material analysis only a focus on relations to

labor accurately e$plains history

-bert, Professor of Critical and Cultural #heor", .arist #heor", +eministCriti1ue, lo;aliDation #heor" at State Aniversit" of !e8 or at Fl;an", !"(#eresa L, Science T Societ" RI' (Jan 200)4- %%:)) *ematerialiDing+eminism pro1uest accessed 3/22/')4//JH 5 66&

Concepts of modernism/postmodernism and modernit"/postmodernit" area;ove all spaces of contradiction- the" are concepts that have ;een used tocome to terms 8ith the histor" and shifts in capitalism &t seems to me that as longas 8e thin a;out capitalism in these terms, 8e 8ill continue to su;stitute8hat is ;asicall" a discursive de;ate for a materialist anal"sis .odernit", inother 8ords, is the ensem;le of all the conceptual strategies : from science to painting

to music to sociolog" to ps"choanal"sis : used ;" the modernist su;Gect to locate itself inthe contradictions ;et8een 8age:la;or and capital #here are no (


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of capitalism is not the most e>ective conceptualiDation of the issues #o sa", foreample, that China is modem or postmodern or on the ectivel" ans8ered not ;" reference to modernit"/postmodernit",8est or east : these are all annotations of histor" rather than eaminations of it : ;ut ;" engaging themodalities of la;or in China China is not marginal ;ut eemplar" in its entanglement 8ith the histor" ofla;or, and it is onl" through such an entanglement that one can loo at its relation to the 9est China@shistor" of la;or o;viousl" has some resem;lance to the histor" of la;or in other parts of the 8orld,

including Europe, ;ut at the same time it has its o8n temporalit" : its o8n unevenness &n a sense , & amarguing for delocaliDing current theories of histor" and for ;uilding a glo;alhistor"- a histor" that is the histor" of modes of la;or (modes of production4, and, assuch, la;or is the glo;al logic of histor" regardless of the speci?cit" of the site

in 8hich this logic unfolds & tae as m" tet here .ar@s 8riting on &ndia, 8here he argues forsuch a glo;al histor" and refuses the usual li;eral pieties a;out the local and the particular Li;eral pietiesm"stif" the movement of human la;or and its formation in capitalism ;" mis:taing capitalism andEurocentrism Eurocentrism is merel" a particular form of capitalist imperialism and should ;e recogniDedas such

+ostmodern concepts of ideology represent an erasure of

materialism and a marginali%ation of labor postmodern

theori%ation of ideology and deconstruction only serve to

relegitimate the capitalist system



#he historical materialist concept of ideolog" sees to account for therepresentations of this echange as an e1ual and fair echange #his, & 8ant toemphasiDe, is the core of the materialist theor" of ideolog"- ho8 the relation;et8een 8age:la;or and capital is represented as free and e1ual 8hen it isan"thing ;ut(it is


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of the role of la;or &t ends up essentiall" legitimiDing the relation ;et8een8age:la;or and capital #o sa",as postmodern theories of ideolog" sa" over and over again,that there is no space outside ideolog" is to sa" that it is impossi;le to maran" relation as a relation of ine1ualit" Because to sa" that the echange of 8ages for la;or:po8er is une1ual, according to postmodern theor", is to set up a erentsocial order and hence, in ;uttressing capitalist eploitation, it is essentiall"reactionar" #his is precisel" 8hat .arists (and others4 mean ;" the assertion thatpostmodernism serves to disempo8er the oppressed V3W Fccording to Ftinson,


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postmodernism @does not have, and could not have, a


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AmpactsCapitalism is the structural totality that underlies all

forms of oppression the erosion of #ustice and valuescreates disparities that result in crime, disposability,

incarceration, authoritarianism, e$cessive surveillance,

e$clusion, marginali%ation, and social death



6emocrac" is on life support in the Anited States #hroughout the social order, the forces of

predator" capitalism are on the march #heir ideological and material tracesare visi;le ever"8herein the dismantling of the 8elfare state, the increasing role of corporatemone" in politics, the assault on unions, the epansion of the corporate surveillance:militar" state,8idening ine1ualities in 8ealth and income, the defunding of higher education, theprivatiDation of pu;lic education, and the 8ar on 8omenKs reproductive rights Fs .arist geographer

6avid Harve", political theorist 9end" Bro8n, and others have o;served, neoli;eralismKspermeation is achieved through various guises that collectivel" function toundercut pu;lic faith in the de?ning institutions of democrac" Fs maretmentalities and moralities tighten their grip on all aspects of societ", pu;licinstitutions and pu;lic spheres are ?rst do8nsiDed, then eradicated 9hen theseimportant sites of democratic epression from pu;lic universities to communit" health care

centersvanish, 8hat follo8s is a serious erosion of the discourses of Gustice,e1ualit", pu;lic values, and the common good .oreover, as literar" critic Stefan Collinihas argued, under the regime of neoli;eralism, the *social self has ;eentransformed into the *disem;edded individual, Gust as the notion of the universit" as apu;lic good is no8 repudiated ;" the privatiDing and atomistic values at the heart of a h"per:maret:driven

societ" 9e live in a societ" that appears to em;race the voca;ular" of*choice, 8hich is ultimatel" rooted in a denial of realit" &n fact, most peopleeperience dail" an increasing limitation of choices, as the" ;ear the heav" ;urden of massiveine1ualit", social disparities, the irresponsi;le concentration of po8er inrelativel" fe8 hands, a racist Gustice and penal s"stem, the conversion ofschools into detention centers, and a pervasive culture of violence andcruelt"all of 8hich portends a gro8ing machiner" of social death, especiall"

for those disadvantaged ;" a ruthless capitalist econom" eno8ned economistJoseph StiglitD is one of man" pu;lic intellectuals 8ho have repeatedl" alerted Fmericans to the impending

costs of gross social ine1ualit" &ne1ualit" is not simpl" a;out disproportionateamounts of 8ealth and income in fe8er hands, it is also a;out themonopoliDation of po8er ;" the ?nancial and corporate elite Fs po8er;ecomes glo;al and is removed from local and nation:;ased politics, 8hat iseven more alarming is the sheer num;er of individuals and groups 8ho are ;eing de?ned ;" the free:=oating class of ultra:rich and corporate po8er;roers as disposa;le, redundant, or a threat to the forces

of concentrated po8er Po8er, particularl" the po8er of the largest corporations, has ;ecome less


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accounta;le,and the elusiveness of illegitimate po8er maes it dicult to recogniDe6isposa;ilit" has ;ecome the ne8 measure of a neoli;eral societ" in 8hichthe onl" value that matters is echange value Compassion, socialresponsi;ilit", and Gustice are relegated to the dust;in of an older modernit" that no8 is vie8ed as either 1uaint or a grim reminder of a socialist past #he &nstitutionaliDation of

&nGustice F regime of repression, corruption, and dispossession has ;ecome the

organiDing principle of societ" in 8hich an ironic dou;ling taes placeCorporate ;aners and po8er;roers trade 8ith terrorists, ;anrupt theeconom", and commit all manner of crimes that a>ect millions, "et the" go free.ean8hile, across the Anited States, citiDens are ;eing criminaliDed for all sorts of ;ehaviors ranging fromdress code infractions in pu;lic schools to peaceful demonstrations in pu;lic pars Fs .ichelle Fleander

has thoroughl" documented in her ;oo #he !e8 Jim Cro8, "oung men and 8omen of colorare ;eing Gailed in record num;ers for nonviolent o>enses, underscoring ho8Gustice is on the side of the rich, 8ealth", and po8erful Fnd 8hen the8ealth" are actuall" convicted of crimes, the" are rarel" sent to prison, eventhough millions languish under a correctional s"stem aimed at punishingimmigrants, lo8:income 8hites, and poor minorities Fn egregious eample of ho8 theGustice s"stem 8ors in favor of the rich 8as recentl" on full displa" in #eas &nstead of ;eing sent to

prison, Ethan Couch, a 8ealth" teen 8ho illed four people 8hile driving ine;riated, 8as given ten "ears ofpro;ation and ordered ;" the Gudge to attend a reha;ilitation facilit" paid for ;" his parents (His parentshad previousl" o>ered to pa" for an epensive reha;ilitation facilit" that costs M)0,000 a "ear4 #hedefense argued that he had *aNuenDa, a *disease that aNicts children of privilege 8ho are allegedl"never given the opportunit" to learn ho8 to ;e responsi;le &n other 8ords, irresponsi;ilit" is no8 anaccepta;le hallmar of having 8ealth, ena;ling the rich actuall" to ill people and escape the reach of

Gustice Ander such circumstances, *Gustice ;ecomes s"non"mous 8ithprivilege, as 8ealth and po8er dictate 8ho ;ene?ts and 8ho doesnKt ;" as"stem of la8 that enshrines la8lessness &n addition, moral and political outrage is nolonger animated ;" the fearful conse1uences of an unGust societ" ather than fearing inGusticeat the hands of an authoritarian government, nearl" all of us de?ne our fearsin reference to overcoming personal insecurities and anieties &n this scenario,survival ;ecomes more important than the 1uest for the good life #he Fmerican dreamis nolonger ;uilt on the possi;ilit" of social mo;ilit" or getting ahead &nstead, it has ;ecome for man"a nightmare rooted in the desire to simpl" sta" a=oat and survive 7neconse1uence of the vicissitudes of inGustice is the gro8ing num;er of people,especiall" "oung people, 8ho inha;it Dones of hardship, su>ering, eclusion,and Go;lessness Fs reno8ned sociologist O"gmunt Bauman has stated, this is the Derogenerationa generation 8ith Dero hopes, Go;s, or future possi;ilities #he plightof the outcast no8 envelops increasing num;ers of "outh, 8orers, immigrants, and a diminishing middle

class #he" live in fear as the" struggle to survive social conditions and policiesmore characteristic of authoritarian governments than democratic states &ndeed,Fmericans in general appear caught in a sinister 8e; of ethical and materialpovert" manufactured ;" a state that trades in suspicion, ;igotr", state:

sanctioned violence, and disposa;ilit" 6emocrac" loses its character as adisruptive element, a force of dissent, and an insurrectional call forresponsi;le change &n e>ect, democrac" all ;ut degenerates into an assaulton the radical imagination, recon?gured as a force for 8hite8ashing allethical and moral considerations 9hat is left is a ne8 ind ofauthoritarianism that thrives in such a state of eception, 8hich in realit" is astate of permanent 8ar F regime of greed, dispossession, fear, andsurveillance has no8 ;een normaliDed #he ideological script recited ;" the disciples of


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neoli;eralism is no8 familiar- there is no such thing as the common good maret values provide thetemplate for governing all of social life, not Gust the econom" consumerism is the onl" o;ligation ofcitiDenship a survival:of:the:?ttest ethic should govern ho8 8e thin and ;ehave militaristic values shouldtrump democratic ideals the 8elfare state is the arch enem" of freedom private interests should ;esafeguarded, 8hile pu;lic values 8ane la8 and order is the preferred language for mo;iliDing shared fearsrather than shared responsi;ilities and 8ar ;ecomes the all:em;racing organiDing principle for developing

societ" and the econom" Fs individual responsi;ilit" has ;een promoted as a

8eapon in order to tear up social solidarities, eperiences that onceresonated 8ith pu;lic purpose and meaning have ;een transformed intoprivatiDed spectacles and fragmented modes of consumption that areincreasingl" su;Gected to the surveillance tactics of the militar":securit"state #he endpoint isthe emergence of 8hat the late British historian #on" Judt called an*eviscerated societ"*one that is stripped of the thic mesh of mutualo;ligations and social responsi;ilities integral to an" via;le democrac" #hisgrim realit" has produced a failure in the po8er of the civic imagination, political 8ill, and open democrac"&t is also part of a politics that strips societ" of an" democratic ideals and renders its democratic characterinoperative


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lts


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Cap lts vs 3 a*s


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Historical Materialism c=(he alternative is a historical materialist analysis of the

relationship bet)een race and class this is the only

starting point for e*ective solvency

San uan, Professor Emeritus of English/Comparative Literature/EthnicStudies at Harvard, 20!"(Epifanio San Juan, Jr, !ature, Societ", and#hought, $ol % &ss ' 200) *+rom ace to Class Struggle- .arism and Criticalace #heor" pro1uest accessed 3/2'/')4//JH 5 66&

+ollo8ing the lead of Fnderson and others, & 8ould rearm the need to situate racism inlate:capitalist societ" 8ithin the process of class rule and la;or eploitation tograsp the d"namics of racial eclusion and su;ordination Be"ond the mode ofproduction, the antagonistic relations ;et8een the capitalist class and the8oring class are articulated 8ith the state and its comple ;ureaucratic andGuridical mechanisms, multipl"ing cultural and political di>erentiations that

a>ect the attitudes, sentiments, and actual ;ehavior of groups F criti1ue ofideologies of racism and seism operating in the arena of class antagonism;ecomes crucial in the e>ort to dismantle their ecac" .oreover, as Bensaido;serves in .ar for 7ur #imes (20024,


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present, and 8ithout understanding the continued domination of la;or ;" capitalglo;all", 8e cannot e>ectivel" counteract the racism that under8rites therelation of domination and su;ordination among nationalities, ethniccommunities, and gender groups #he criti1ue of an emergent authoritarian state and1uestiona;le policies sanctioned ;" the ASF Patriot Fct is urgentl" necessar" &n doing so, naming thes"stem and understanding its operations 8ould ;e useful in discovering precisel" that element of self:

activit", of agenc", that has supposedl" ;een erased in totaliDing metanarratives such as the


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Critical +edagogy(he alternative is to re#ect the 1C/s relation to capital

an endorsement of critical pedagogy strategies is 2ey to

crucial to address capitalism/s diverse modes of control



#he current crisis inpu;lic and higher education has made it alarmingl" clear thateducators,artists, intellectuals, and "outh need a ne8 political and pedagogicallanguage for addressing the changing contets and issues facing a 8orld in8hich capital dra8s upon an unprecedented convergence of resources?nancial, cultural, political, economic, scienti?c, militar", and technological

to eercise po8erful and diverse forms of control &f educators and other cultural 8orersare to counter glo;al capitalismKs increased a;ilit" to separate the traditional sphere of politics from theno8:transnational reach of po8er, it is crucial to develop educational approaches thatreGect the deli;erate ;lurring of maret li;erties and civil li;erties, a mareteconom" and a maret societ" !othing 8ill change unless the Left andprogressives tae seriousl" the su;Gective underpinnings of neoli;eraloppression&n the current historical moment, politics must involve not onl" thestruggle over po8er and economics, ;ut also the struggle over particularmodes of su;Gectivit" and agenc" esisting the neoli;eral assault on politics,education, and culture means developing forms of su;Gectivit" capa;le ofchallenging casino capitalism and other antidemocratic forces, including thegro8ing trend simpl" to criminaliDe social pro;lems such as homelessness 9hat is needed is a

radical democratic proGect that provides the ;asis for imagining a life ;e"ondthe *dream 8orld of capitalism, ;e"ond the socioeconomic institutions thatproduce ever:8idening circles of miser", su>ering, and immiseration &nopposition to the conservative assaults on critical thining and the po8er of the imagination, it iscrucialfor educators, intellectuals, "oung people, artists, and others to resurrect the formativeculturesnecessar" to challenge the various threats ;eing mo;iliDed against the ver" ideas of Gustice anddemocrac", 8hile also ?ghting for those pu;lic spheres, ideals, values, andpolicies that o>er alternative modes of identit", social relations, and politics Ft stae here is the educative nature of politics itself, and the developmentand protection of those institutions that mae such a politics possi;le &n ;othconservative and progressive discourses toda", education is often narro8ed to the teaching of pre:speci?ed su;Gect matter and stripped:do8n sills that can ;e assessed through standardiDed testing #headministration of education is similarl" con?ned to a set of corporate strategies rooted in an approach that

vie8s schooling as merel" a private act of consumption &n opposition to the instrumentalreduction of education to an adGunct of corporate and neoli;eral interests8hich have no language for relating the self to pu;lic life, socialresponsi;ilit", or the demands of citiDenship a critical approach to educationilluminates the relationships among no8ledge, authorit", and po8er Criticalforms of pedagog" raise 1uestions regarding 8ho has control over theconditions for the production of no8ledge &s the production of no8ledge and curricula in


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the hands of teachers, tet;oo companies, corporate interests, the elite, or other forces Central tothe perspective informing critical pedagog" is the recognition that educationis al8a"s implicated in po8er relations ;ecause it o>ers particular versionsand visions of civic life, communit", the future, and ho8 8e might constructrepresentations of ourselves, others, and our ph"sical and social

environment Critical pedagog" matters ;ecause it 1uestions ever"thing andcomplicates oneKs relationship to oneself, others, and the larger 8orld #hisunsettling process is 8hat English professor risten Case has called *moments of classroom grace &n herChronicle of Higher Education article *#he 7ther Pu;lic Humanities, she 8rites, #here is dicult",discomfort, even fear in such moments, 8hich involve confrontations 8ith 8hat 8e thought 8e ne8, lie8h" people have mortgages and 8hat *things are #hese moments do not re=ect a linear progress fromignorance to no8ledge instead the" descri;e a step a8a" from a complacent no8ing into a ne8 8orld in8hich, at least at ?rst, ever"thing is cloud", nothing is 1uite clear 9e cannot ;e a democrac" if thispo8er to reimagine, dou;t, and thin criticall" is allo8ed to ;ecome a luur" commodit"


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Radical Amagination erent futureone in 8hich the struggle for Gustice is never?nished and the highest of values is caring for and ;eing responsi;le to

others !eoli;eralism is a toin that is generating a class of predator"Dom;ies 8ho are producing 8hat might ;e called dead Dones of theimagination #hese canni;alistic 8aling dead are 8aging a ?erce ;attleagainst the possi;ilit" of a 8orld in 8hich the promise of Gustice anddemocrac" is 8orth ?ghting for 9e ma" live in the shado8 of theauthoritarian corporate state, ;ut the future is still open #he time has cometo develop a political language in 8hich civic values and social responsi;ilit"and the institutions, tactics, and long:term commitments that support them;ecome central to invigorating and fortif"ing a ne8 era of civicengagement, a rene8ed sense of social agenc", and an impassionedinternational social movement 8ith the vision, organiDation, and set of

strategies capa;le of challenging the neoli;eral nightmare that no8 hauntsthe glo;e and empties out the meaning of politics and democrac"


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Bnly the alt solves radical imagination merges criticism

and hope to construct a platform capable of opposing

capitalism engagement in educational sites such as

debate is 2ey


"erson, Aniversit", 2010(Henr" F irou, s"mploe, $olume 2', !um;ers':2, 20'%, Aniversit" of !e;rasa Press *#he 6isimagination .achine and thePathologies of Po8er proGect muse accessed 3/20/')4//JH 5 66&

Fgainst the politics of disimagination, progressives, 8orers, educators, "oungpeople and others need to develop a ne8 language of radical reform andcreate ne8 pu;lic spheres that provide the pedagogical conditions for criticalthought, dialogue, and thoughtful deli;eration Ft stae here is a notion ofpedagog" that;oth informs the mind and creates the conditions for modes of agenc"that are critical, informed, engaged, and sociall" responsi;le #he radical

imagination can ;e nurtured around the merging of criti1ue and hope, thecapacit" to connect private trou;les 8ith ;roader social considerations, and theproduction of alternative formative cultures that provide the precondition forpolitical engagementand for energiDing democratic movements for social changemovements 8illing to thin ;e"ond isolated struggles and the limits of asavage glo;al capitalism Stanle" Frono8itD, ic 9ol>, and others point to such a proGect in theirmanifesto on the radical imagination #he" 8rite- #his .anifesto loos for8ard to the creation of a ne8political Left formation that can overcome fragmentation, and provide a solid ;asis for man":sideinterventions in the current economic, political and social crises that aNict people in all 8als of life #heLeft must once again o>er to "oung people, people of color, 8omen, 8orers, activists, intellectuals andne8l" arrived immigrants places to learn ho8 the capitalist s"stem 8ors in all of its forms of eploitation

8hether personal, political, or economic 9e need to reconstruct a platform to opposeCapital &t must as in this moment of AS glo;al hegemon" 8hat are thealternatives to its cruel po8er over our lives, and those of large portions ofthe 8orldKs peoples Fnd the Left formation is needed to o>er proposals on ho8 to re;uild amilitant, democratic la;or movement, strengthen and transform the social movements and, moregenerall", provide the opportunit" to o;tain a ;road education that is denied to them ;" ocial

institutions 9e need a political formation dedicated to the proposition thatradical theor" and practice are inetrica;l" lined, that no8ledge 8ithout action isimpotent, ;ut action 8ithout no8ledge is ;lind%% .atters of Gustice, e1ualit", and political participationare foundational to an" functioning democrac", ;ut it is important to recogniDe that the" have to ;e VEndPage 2R)W rooted in a vi;rant formative culture in 8hich democrac" is understood not Gust as a political andeconomic structure ;ut also as a civic force ena;ling Gustice, e1ualit", and freedom to =ourish 9hile the

institutions and practices of a civil societ" and an aspiring democrac" are essential in this proGect, 8hatmust also ;e present are the principles and modes of civic education and

critical engagementthat support the ver" foundations of democratic culture Central to sucha proGect is the development of a ne8 radical imagination ;oth through thepedagogies and proGects of pu;lic intellectuals in the academ" and through8or that can ;e done in other educational sites such as the ne8 media AtiliDing the&nternet, social media, and other elements of the digital and screen culture, pu;lic intellectuals, cultural8orers, "oung people, and others can address larger audiences and present the tas of challengingdiverse forms of oppression, eploitation, and eclusion as part of a ;roader e>ort to create a radicaldemocrac" #here is a need to invent modes of pedagog" that release the imagination, connect learning tosocial change, and create social relations 8hich people assume responsi;ilit" for each other Such apedagog" is not a;out methods or prepping students to learn ho8 to tae tests !or is such an education


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a;out imposing harsh disciplinar" ;ehaviours in the service of a pedagog" of oppression 7n the contrar",it is a;out a moral and political practice capa;le of ena;ling students and others to ;ecome moreno8ledgea;le 8hile creating the conditions for generating a ne8 vision of the future in 8hich people canrecogniDe themselves, a vision that connects 8ith and speas to the desires, dreams, and hopes of those8ho are 8illing to ?ght for a radical democrac" Fmericans need to develop a ne8 understanding of civicliterac", education, and engagement, one capa;le of developing a ne8 conversation and a ne8 politicalproGect a;out democrac", ine1ualit", and the redistri;ution of 8ealth and po8er and ho8 such a discoursecan o>er the conditions for democraticall" inspired visions, modes of governance, and polic" maingFmericans need to em;race and develop modes of civic literac", critical education, and democratic socialmovements that vie8 the pu;lic good as a utopian imaginar", one that har;ours a trace and vision of 8hatit means to defend old and ne8 pu;lic spheres that o>er spaces 8here dissent can ;e produced, pu;licvalues asserted, dialogue made meaningful, and critical thought em;raced as a no;le ideal


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Re#ect alt vs postmodern theory(he alternative is to re#ect the 1C/s relation to capital

postmodernism is incapable of macropolitical reform

only a Mar$ist dialectical pra$is can creates the

mobili%ation to challenge capitalismCole, School of Education, Aniversit" of Brighton, 20!0 (.ie Cole, BritishJournal of Sociolog" of Education, $ol 2, !o (Sep, 200%4, pp 3:)00*.ight &t Be in the Practice #hat &t +ails to Succeed F .arist Criti1ue ofClaims for Postmodernism and Poststructuralism as +orces for Social Changeand Social Justice JS#7 accessed 3/22/')4//JH 566&

Postmodernists and poststructuralists are clearl" capa;le of asing 1uestions;ut, ;" their o8n acno8ledgement, the" have no ans8ers Fs lenn io8si has put it, thisleads one to as- Gust 8hat is the postmodernist attitude to eplanation #rul" political strategiesre1uire eplanation(of 8hat 8ent 8rong, 8h" the anal"sis and/or tactics failed etc4 so that

improvements can ;e made 6o postmodernists have a notion of improvement (of societ", ofpolitical strategies4 &f the" do, then the" need eplanation & don@t thin the" are interested in either, andhence can@t have a political strateg" for human ;etterment (cited in Cole, 200', p 334 #o this & 8ould

reiterate that postmodernism and poststructuralism could ;e li;erating toindividuals and to localised groups But to ;e politicall" valid, an anal"sismust lin @the small picture@ to @the ;ig picture@ Postmodernism andpoststructuralism, again ;" their protagonists@ acno8ledgement, cannot do this #he" are, thus,not merel" una;le to promote social Gustice and social change, ;ut, al;eit ;"default, act, as ideological supports for capitalism, ;oth 8ithin nation statesand glo;all"Bringing .arism ;ac to the forefront is not an eas" tas .arists must ;rea throughthe @;iDarre ideological mechanism, Vin 8hichW ever" conceiva;le alternative to the maret has ;eendiscredited ;" the collapse of Stalinism@ (Callinicos, 2000, p '224, 8here;" the fetishiDation of life maescapitalism seem natural and therefore unaltera;le, and 8here the maret mechanism @has ;een

h"postatiDed into a natural force unresponsive to human 8ishes@ (Callinicos, 2000, p '2)4 V'%W Capitalpresents itself @determining the future as surel" as the la8s of nature mae tides rise to lift;oats@ (.c.urtr", 2000, p 24, @as if it has no8 replaced the natural environment &tannounces itself through its ;usiness leaders and politicians as coterminous 8ith freedom, andindispensa;le to democrac" such that an" attac on capitalism as eploitative or h"pocritical ;ecomes anattac on 8orld freedom and democrac" itself (.cLaren, 2000, p %24 V'W Fs Callinicos puts it, despite theinevita;le intense resistance from capital, the @greatest o;stacle to change is not the revolt it 8ould

evoe from the privileged, ;ut the ;elief that it is impossi;le@ (2000, p '24 Challenging thisclimate re1uires courage, imagination and 8illpo8er inspired ;" the inGusticethat surrounds us Beneath the surface of our supposedl" contented societies,these 1ualities are present in a;undance 7nce mo;iliDed, the" can turn the8orld upside do8n (Callinicos, 2000, p '2I4 #o reiterate, .arism is a;out dialectical

prais Such prais is outside the remit of poststructuralism and postmodernism !either is a;le toaddress the glo;al social inGustices outlined at the ;eginning of this paper B" their ver" essence,poststructuralism and postmodernism are a;out neither theor" nor practice#he" fail in ;oth and remain an academic practice, ;ased on deconstruction alone, 8ithno practical implications for social or educational transformation &ndeed, deconstruction 8ithoutreconstruction t"pi?es the divorce of the academ" from the realit" of struggleon the ground(Cole T Hill, 'III; Hill et al, 'III, 2002a4


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Bnly the alt solves postmodernism forgoes material

analysis of structural forms of oppressions and is

inaccessible to the )or2ing class )hich is the only agent

capable of an emancipatory movement against capitalism

(he eague for the ;ifth Anternational, a revolutionar"organiDation 8ith the goal to ;uild a 8orld part" of socialist revolution,

?ghting across the 8orld for an end to capitalism, 20!D(*#he postmodernistsicness in the anticapitalist movement')/0R/2003,http-//888?fthinternationalorg/content/postmodernist:sicness:anticapitalist:movementhttp-//888?fthinternationalorg/content/postmodernist:sicness:anticapitalist:movement, accessed 3/22/')4 JH 5 66&

6espite lacing his approach 8ith postmodern rhetoric, a grand narrative is clearl" present here9hat de Sousa does is romanticiDe the social struggles, to the etent that the" areseen as the goal _ utopia _ once a space is esta;lished that aggregates them

together 9hat is missing is an anal"sis of the social and political forces thesestruggles oppose and ho8 to get rid of them _ indeed, such a goal:centred approach istheorised a8a" ;" de Sousa 7f course, the struggles against neoli;eralism can ;ehugel" inspiring ;ut to descri;e them as the goal is to ignore the terri;leconditions and inGustices the" are ?ghting &n short, to ignore the eistence ofcapitalism as a s"stem 8hich is fundamentall" eploitative and oppressive,and the role of the state in regulating it and defending it against those thatchallenge it7f course this approach is not ne8 &t is a historic feature of de Sousa SantosK o8npolitical tradition, reformist Social 6emocrac" Ft the ver" ;irth of this tradition lies the famous dictum ofEduard Bernstein- *#he ?nal goal, 8hatever it ma" ;e, is nothing to me- the movement is ever"thingb 7urrepl" to its latest reincarnation remains the one osa Luem;urg delivered as long ago as 'I- *#he

con1uest of political po8er remains the ?nal goal and that ?nal goal remains the soul of the struggle #he

8oring class cannot tae the decadent position of the philosophers - \#he ?nalgoal is nothing to me, the movement is ever"thingK !o, on the contrar", 8ithout relating the movement to

the ?nal goal, the movement as an end in itself is nothing to me, the ?nal goal is ever"thing 7uranticapitalist goal _ the epropriation of the eploiters and the destruction oftheir instrument of repression, the capitalist state, is no air" utopia dreamed up ;".arists, ;ut ;ased upon an anal"sis of the actual realit" _ the real eistingconditions _ against 8hich struggles tae place +ar from slipping in to one:sidedness, itmust recogniDe the contradictor" development of capitalism #he capitalist s"stem hassocialiDed production to a huge etent _ creating great industries, glo;all" connected8orforces, production net8ors and large productive units _ ;ut the ;ene?ts of these greatdevelopments accrue to a small class of eploiters B" creating a glo;al 8oring class

and great technological and industrial change, capitalism creates the material conditionsfor its o8n destruction ;ecause the eploited 8oring class has ;oth theinterest and po8er to overthro8 the s"stem of eploitation Pointing to the overallcom;ined character of the capitalist s"stem in no sense precludes understanding its unevenness,particularities and diversit" Lie8ise, it does not preclude ;ut actuall" aids anal"sing such issues asnational and racial oppression, indigenism, religion, the land 1uestion and the strati?cation of the

peasantr", the di>erences 8ithin the 8oring class, and so on &n short, .arism is perfectl"capa;le of understanding and developing strategies for addressing thediversities of life on our planet, including the man" economic, social and
http://www.fifthinternational.org/content/postmodernist-sickness-anticapitalist-movementhttp://www.fifthinternational.org/content/postmodernist-sickness-anticapitalist-movementhttp://www.fifthinternational.org/content/postmodernist-sickness-anticapitalist-movementhttp://www.fifthinternational.org/content/postmodernist-sickness-anticapitalist-movement


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ideological survivals of previous modes of production &n this 8a" it is capa;le inLeninKs 8ords of maing a *concrete anal"sis of a concrete situation Ft the same time, ;" pointing to thes"stemic pro;lem of the destructiveness of capitalist production and its s"stematic reproduction ofine1ualities, it is a;le to eplain ho8 the multiple forms of eploitation and oppression ;eside that ofla;our ;" capital can ;e tacled at root onl" if the *propert" 1uestion is posed- 8ho controls the means of

production, the means 8ith 8hich to reproduce the social _ the 8orers or the rich #he anal"ticalcoherence and method of .arism causes o>ense to postmodernists, 8hoperceive it to ;e an etreme eample of modernist thining as it sees toesta;lish o;Gective truth, through reason and empirical investigation, of ;oththe natural and social 8orlds +or .arism, uncovering such no8ledge is a practical 1uestionFs .ar said, to as 8hether a 8orld eists eternall" to thought is simpl" scholastic, as such a 8orld is

presupposed and demonstrated in ever" eample of human activit"' &t is ;ecause .arism is aphilosoph" of practice that it sees to derive from this theoretical foundationa programme of political action for human emancipation _ and this opens upthe second great tension 8ith the postmodernists of the social movements 7ver the development of capitalist modernit" a num;er of .arists have tacled the 1uestion of ho8 toturn the struggles of toda" into a struggle for socialism Fs .arist ideas have often dominated radicalmovements from the 'Ith centur" on8ards, its histor" of development is not onl" a 1uestion of a;stracttheorising, ;ut of the actual revolutions and counter:revolutions of the last centur" Fs so man" academics

and postmodern theorists simpl" e1uate .arism 8ith Stalinism, the" studiousl" ignore the historical factthat revolutionaries lie Leon #rots" challenged the counter:revolutionar" theor" and practice of Stalinand his supporters in the Communist &nternational Fn anal"sis of the histor" of the 20th centur", far fromrevealing the death agon" of .arism, demonstrates the need for a revolution to rid humanit" of classsociet" #he eperience of central and 8estern Europe in the 'I%0s through to Chile and Frgentina in the'I30s sho8s that no capitalist class has ever allo8ed its po8er to ;e eroded piecemeal to the point that itcan no longer defend its propert" Even at the level of the \commonsensical rather than theoreticalno8ledgeK that de Sousa Santos sa"s he prefers, this is true 6e Sousa Santos dra8s on the eperience ofthe Oapatistas _ 8hat he calls *su;altern cosmopolitanism _ to declare the o;Gect of the movement *to

mae the 8orld less and less comforta;le for glo;al capital #he idea that "ou can 8ithimpunit" desta;ilise or mae the 8orld less comforta;le for capitalism8ithout su>ering the repression of the state machine is frivolous #o give suchadvice to the 8orers and peasants is potentiall" disastrous _ an eample parecellence of the irresponsi;ilit" of a privileged intelligentsia sociall" cut o> fromthe dangerous repercussions of its o8n incoherence !or is ;ourgeois state repressionrendered impossi;le even 8hen radicals assume governmental po8er 8ithin the structures of a ;ourgeoisstate- for instance, the radical reformist regime of ChaveD, 8ho despite his nationalisations:8ith:compensation has not s"stematicall" challenged the propert" rights of the ;ourgeoisie, has had to rel" onthe mo;ilisation of the masses to defend his regime against the counter:revolutionar" forces of the state


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lt comes >rstBnly beginning )ith the premise of class relations can

eliminate the ideological machinery )hich legitimi%es and

e$tends class domination and racist practices. Materialist

criti6ue of the historical relationship bet)een the meansof production and the process of raciali%ation in the

Enited States should mar2 the starting point of the

transformation of e$ploitative class and mar2et relations.San uan :VE San Juan, Jr, +ilipino Fmerican literar" academic, mentor,cultural revie8er, civic intellectual, activist, 8riter, essa"ist, video/?lm maer,editor, and poet 8hose 8ors related to the +ilipino 6iaspora in English and+ilipino languages have ;een translated into erman, ussian, +rench, &talian,and ChineseV2W Fs an author of ;oos on race and cultural studies,V%W he 8asa *maGor in=uence on the academic 8orldV2W He 8as the director of thePhilippines Cultural Studies Center in Storrs, Connecticut in the Anited StatesV'W &n 'III, San Juan, Jr received the Centennial F8ard for Fchievement inLiterature from the Cultural Center of the Philippines ;ecause of hiscontri;utions to +ilipino and +ilipino Fmerican StudiesV2W +7. FCE/FC&S.#7 CLFSS S#ALE- 7n Critical ace #heor" Posted on 7cto;er , 200+7. FCE #7 CLFSS S#ALE- F E:#A! 7+ C&CFL FCE #HE7,#HE PH&L&PP&!ES .F#&Q P7JEC#http-//philcsc8ordpresscom/200/'0/0/from:raceracism:to:class:struggle:on:critical:race:theor"/, 6ate Fccessed 3/23/'), JL 5 66&W

iven its composition, and the pervasive climate of reaction, the +orum could not of course endorse aradical approach that 8ould focus on the elimination of the eploitation of la;or (la;or po8er ascommodit"4 as a necessar" ?rst step iven its limits, it could not espouse a need for a thoroughgoing

change of the material ;asis of social production and reproductionthe latter involving the hegemonic ruleof the propertied ;loc in each societ" pro?ting from the une1ual division of la;or and the une1ualdistri;ution of social 8ealthon 8hich the institutional practices of racism (apartheid, discrimination,genocide4 thrive *ace is the modalit" in 8hich class is lived, as Stuart Hall remars concerning post:

'I) Britain (Solomos 'IR, '0%4 9ithout the political po8er in the hands of thedemocratic:popular masses under the leadership of the 8oring class , theideological machiner" (la8s,

Cap v. K Affirmatives - DDI 2015 SWS

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