Re: Hardt-Negri's "Empire": a Marxist critique, part 4

(I just received this from Richard Hutchinson and assume it was intended
for the list. If the moderator of wsn needs help in reconfiguring the
listserv software to function properly, please contact me.)

At 11:05 AM 7/9/01 -0700, you wrote:
>Louis-
>
>Two comments on "Empire":
>
>1) It sounds much like a rehash of Bill Warren (who attacked dependency
>theory back in 1980 in a book on Verso), who claimed to uphold "orthodox
>Marxism" in taking the position that imperialism is progressive, but with
>fancy new pomo clothes.
>
>2) It seems that Hardt&Negri want to have it both ways -- the Empire is
>progressive, and so is the "multitude's" fight against it.  This isn't so
>different from a standard progressive view anywhere on the liberal to
>socialist spectrum (ie, capitalism and modernity are progressive
>vis a vis feudalism), but they end up on the liberal end of the spectrum
>if they argue that capitalism is *still* progressive today.  
>
>I can see the appeal of any rhetorical strategy, though, that tries to
>reclaim the "cutting edge of progress" position from the neoliberals.  It
>has been a demoralizing feature of the past decade that the Left has been
>increasingly on the defensive, cast as a reaction against the march of
>progressive democratic capitalism.
>
>RH
> 

Louis Proyect
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