Abstract Labor and Imperialism
Imperialism and Transitions to Socialism
ISBN: 978-1-80043-705-0, eISBN: 978-1-80043-704-3
Publication date: 30 September 2021
Abstract
To understand the logic that pushes capitalism to imperialism requires us to question one of the fundamental categories of capital: abstract labor. Often ignored by the Marxist tradition, abstract labor is, however, by Marx’s own admission, one of its greatest discoveries. However, the different interpretations that have marked out the twentieth century have, most of the time, failed to grasp the profound originality of this concept. However, a correct understanding of abstract labor makes it possible to understand the dynamics and contradictions of capital and what distinguishes it from other forms of social organization. By showing that abstract labor is much more than a neutral economic category and that it is the general social mediator, we question the category of labor within capitalist society. It then becomes possible to identify the dynamics and contradictions of capital and why imperialism is necessary to it.
Keywords
Citation
Trémeau, F. (2021), "Abstract Labor and Imperialism", Herrera, R. (Ed.) Imperialism and Transitions to Socialism (Research in Political Economy, Vol. 36), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 3-19. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0161-723020210000036001
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021 Emerald Publishing Limited