I was asked to write something up about my book, Manufacturing Discontent. I thought that I would share it with you. Any comments would be be appreciated. It begins as:
Of all my books, Manufacturing Discontent may seem to have the least links with Marxism. After I published The Invention of Capitalism: Classical Political Economy and the Secret History of Primitive Accumulation, some people argued that the subject was purely historical and had no contemporary relevance. Of course, the seizure of property continues throughout the world, even in the United States, where government can take property through the law of eminent domain and then turn it over to private interests.
Read the entire commentary at:
http://michaelperelman.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/manufacturing.pdf
"capital went to great lengths to influence people to redefine themselves as consumers rather than producers. Capital's success in this regard partially confiscated workers' identity, leaving them less able to recognize their own interests, both individually and as a class. " Michael Perelman
ReplyDeleteAssume a particular state of development in the productive facilities of man and you will get a particular form of commerce and consumption. Assume particular stages of development in production, commerce and consumption and you will have a corresponding social constitution, a corresponding organisation of the family, of orders or of classes, in a word, a corresponding civil society. Assume a particular civil society and you will get particular political conditions which are only the official expression of civil society.
-Marx, Karl Heinrich
Letter to P V Annenkov, 26 Dec.