Commodity Fetishism, Reification, Money and the State
What is commodity fetishism? How does money work? And what are the connections with the capitalist state?
Join us to discuss these concepts and more at The Rhizome House on Sunday, February 9th at 2pm.
1. Towards A New State Theory Debate - Chris O'Kane
https://legalform.blog/2019/05/24/towards-a-new-state-theory-debate-chris-okane/
Chris O'Kane outlines a critical theory of the state by bringing together the work of Johannes Agnoli, Werner Bonefeld, and Simon Clarke. Agnoli is known as a leading voice in extra-parliamentary opposition in Germany in 1968 and coined the term "open Marxism" as an anti-state critical theory which Bonefeld, Clarke, Holloway and others are a part of.
2. Fetishism - John Holloway
(Chapter 4 of Change the World Without Taking Power)
https://libcom.org/article/change-world-without-taking-power-john-holloway
John Holloway had a huge impact publishing the book Change the World Without Taking Power in 2000. Here he outlines the concepts of commodity fetishism and reification. Fetishism can also be extended to the state.
3. Money - Samuel Chambers
https://libcom.org/article/money-samuel-chambers
Samuel Chambers writes that all money is a credit-debt relationship of trust. Building on concepts of fetishism, Chambers claims money has no value itself.
4. Fetish Speaks Comic Zine - Freddy Perlman
https://libcom.org/article/fetish-speaks-marx-and-perlman
Freddy Perlman's short zine on commodity fetishism and reification. Enjoy the restored art from this 1973 comic. It will probably make more sense after reading the other stuff!
Optional readings:
Editors Introduction Pashukanis - Chris Arthur
https://libcom.org/article/editors-introduction-pashukanis-christopher-j-arthur
From Revolution to Democracy: The Loss of the Emancipatory Perspective - Edith González (from Open Marxism 4)
https://libcom.org/article/revolution-democracy-loss-emancipatory-perspective-edith-gonzalez
The Market, the State, and the End of History - Johannes Agnoli
https://libcom.org/article/market-state-and-end-history-johannes-agnoli
Open Marxism archive on libcom:
https://libcom.org/tags/open-marxism
Summary of past readings of the Wage-Family-State-Money Reading Group:
- Introduction to Capital - Michael Heinrich
See our zine here for discussion questions and resources:
https://libcom.org/article/beyond-money-commodities-and-state-discussion-guide-heinrichs-introduction-capital - Family Abolition - M.E. O'Brien
Optional materials:
The Welfare State and the Bourgeois Family-Household - Kirstin Munro
https://legalform.blog/2019/09/29/the-welfare-state-and-the-bourgeois-family-household-kirstin-munro/
“We are brown, we are short, we are fat … We are the face of Oaxaca”: Women Leaders in the Oaxaca Rebellion - Lynn Stephen
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08854300701388153
The Communes of Rojava: A Model In Societal Self Direction - Neighbor Democracy (40 minute video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDnenjIdnnE
Analytic Social Psychology as Critical Social Theory: A Reconstruction of Erich Fromm’s Early Work - J. E. Morain (See section #4: The Family as Mediator)
https://ctwgwebsite.github.io/projects/1_project/