Re: the Eurocentric bath water, the baby, and AGF

Capitalism has evolved into a system of Corporate Feudalism, where the
Princes of Corporations essentially rule their employees and the
communities in which they live, and as Cartels, control the political
systems in which they operate, the highest level being the world system --
where corporations rule the world. Afganistan is a good example. If Union
76 rather then Argentiva had got the oil pipeline contract, events might
have been much different. Alas, we had the oilmen in the White House.

//CJR

On Thu, 21 Mar 2002, Adam Starr wrote:

> Hello WSN World,
>
> In light of wave of resistance to the proposed notion
> of the elimination of the concept of "capitalism" by
> AGF, perhaps we may consider that there is indeed
> relevance to this statement.
>
> The unit of anlyisis, "capitalisim" refers to the mode
> of production as presented by Marx during the 19th
> century. His work in turn was based upon Hegel's
> historical anlysis and Smith's "Wealth of Nations".
> The concept indeed had relevance at the time based
> within the colonial economic system.
>
> Since this time, Communists, Marxists, Socialists,
> neo-Marxists, and World Systems Theorists have taken
> this concept and have continued to apply it to the
> rhetoric of analysis. We are all guilty of it.
> However, at the same time, "Capitalism" itself has
> evolved in the neo-Darwinian sense. Globalization has
> been emerging (keep in mind this is an ongoing
> process, not an end-state) and has excelerated since
> Bretton Woods.
>
> Could it be that the concept of capitalism has changed
> along with globalization from the "right" perspective?
> The mode of production and means of exchanges now
> rides the wave of  technological systemic swells at
> the global level through intra-firm relations, not
> inter-firm.
>
> This appears to be much different from the units of
> analysis that Marx or Smith for that matter were
> initially concerned with. Could it be, 18th century
> "Capitalism" has evolved into something more specific,
> "The Neo-Liberal Agenda"? Thus, it might not be so far
> off from the truth that "Capitalism" with its
> 'debated' eurocentric origins once existed but has
> evolved so much that it is now an entirely different
> species. Perhaps we should be more concerned with the
> origins of this later concept.
>
> What do you think?
> Adam
>
> --- g kohler <kohlerg@3web.net> wrote:
> > This refers to, and is an interpretation of,
> > Professor Frank's recent
> > piece (wsn, 13 March 2002) on "the Communist
> > Manifesto: Abstract of a
> > world historical critique".
> >
> > To give my conclusion first, it seems that, in order
> > to get rid of the
> > Eurocentric bath water, AGF pretends (pretends only)
> > to throw out the
> > baby (capitalism) as well. It's a Frankistic
> > rhetorical strategy.
> >
> > Details -
> > (1) Contradiction -
> >           on the one hand, AGF agrees with
> > Chaudhuri that "The
> > ceaseless quest of modern historians looking for the
> > 'origins' and roots
> > of capitalism is not much better than the
> > alchemist's search for the
> > philosopher's stone";
> >           on the other hand, AGF does exactly the
> > same, namely,
> > identifying the origins and roots of that same baby.
> > AGF explains that
> > the baby, which is commonly called capitalism,
> > originates in that
> > "historical process" (unit of analysis = the world)
> > which is "world-wide
> > and world - including Europe - encompassing".
> >
> > (2) An analogous reasoning would be that there is no
> > such thing as "the
> > Canadian weather", because the Canadian weather
> > (a) has no historical breakpoints,
> > (b) did not develop in quasi-Darwinian stages of
> > evolution from lower to
> > higher stages,
> > (c) is not made within Canada, and
> > (d) is not uniquely Canadian and is not essentially
> > different from
> > weather in other parts of the world -- but must be
> > understood as part of
> > a "universal" weather "process" which is "world-wide
> > and world-including
> > Canada-encompassing".
> > . . . and therefore, my students, says the
> > professor, there is no such
> > thing as "the Canadian weather."
> >
> > (3) ... and therefore, my students, says Professor
> > Frank, there is no
> > such thing as "capitalism".
> > It's a Frankistic rhetorical strategy, like the
> > formula "development of
> > underdevelopment".
> >
> > Gernot Kohler
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
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>
>
> =====
> Adam T. Starr
> Undergraduate of Political Science, UVic
> 3009 Quadra Street, Victoria, British Columbia
> V8T 4G2 Canada
> (011) (250) 472-1223
> adam@hornbyisland.com or reunitedhornby@yahoo.com
>
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