Base and Superstructure

Thoughts on production, alienation, and ideology

Category: Class (Page 3 of 24)

An image of strip mining near Cumberland Gap to represent a model of power and powerlessness.

Power and Powerlessness

April 29, 2024 /

I recently read a classic in political sociology – Power and Powerlessness by John Gaventa. It’s an insightful attempt to apply the Steven Lukes analysis of power – laid out in a book by that title – to the situation of coal miners in central Appalachia.

Gaventa seeks to explain why oppressed Appalachian miners refuse to rise up in revolt against their oppressors. While he argues for the intuitive view that the power of the mining companies prevents them from doing so, he gets there via an interesting and compelling route. Ultimately, he argues that the power of the mining companies consists, in part, in their ability to change the desires and aims of miners. Rebellion comes only when we alter those underlying power relationships.

I think we can learn a lot from Gaventa about power and powerlessness.

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Achieving Socialism vs. Being a Socialist

April 8, 2024 /

In her essay collection Dirtbag, Amber A’Lee Frost usefully distinguishes between achieving socialism and being a socialist. I find this quite useful. In fact, Frost helps me get at some of my own issues with frustration on activist movements.

As Frost puts it, she does activism because she wants “socialism, and socialism for me is simply a chore that needs to be done.” She wishes it were “already done.” As she puts it, the goal of activism “isn’t to ‘be a socialist’ (whatever that means). The goal is to change the world so that we can live under socialism.”

I have to admit the notion resonates with me. Lately, I feel more than a little discouraged about certain issues in the world, like the Israel-Gaza war. On those issues, I see little I could do to achieve positive results. But I can easily ‘be a socialist’ by demonstrating my disapproval of the Israeli invasion. It just takes a few social media posts.

And, furthermore, much of the activism I see on the issue achieves the latter more than the former.

That said, I don’t resonate fully with Frost’s line on this. In fact, I think we can find joy in the process of achieving socialism. It’s not just a chore. We can come together and create fun and culture as a supplement to our activism.

But it feels like a chore at times. And worrying too much about ‘being a socialist’ takes our eye off the prize.

Imagine has a group of factory workers entering the factory after being tended by women acting as doctors and healers. A caption reads 'Capitalism also depends on domestic labor.' The image represents social reproduction theory.

Social Reproduction Theory

October 30, 2023 /

In the recent edited collection Social Reproduction Theory, Tithi Bhattacharya and others make timely contributions to Marxist feminism.

Their main message is that rather than commodities, labor plays a central role in both production and the social reproduction of society. Contrary to dual-system theory, Bhattacharya and others see social reproduction theory as offering a unitary account of production and reproduction. Unlike many early Marxists, however, they center labor and class conflict in explaining both.

I’ll take a closer look at Bhattacharya’s introduction to the volume, as well as her essay in the collection. I think her work, in particular, best captures the spirit of the approach.

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A photo of a scales balancing a pile of money and and affordable housing unit. Meant to represent how 'affordable housing' functions as a political football.

‘Affordable Housing’ is a Political Football

October 2, 2023 /

Progressive cities love affordable housing. At least, they love something they call ‘affordable housing.’ Therein lies a series of problems.

Politicians in these cities know lots of people can’t pay rent. And that lots of people pay half their incomes just to rent a house, blocking them from buying homes or saving for retirement. Many of these politicos genuinely want to solve the problem. They turn to ‘affordable housing’ in order to do it.

And yet, finance capital dominates the politics of cities, even progressive ones. Bankers, developers, and landlords punch well above their numbers. Investors demand a return on their money. Developers and landlords demand a never ending flow of profits. In addition, mayors and city managers demand a steady, and rising, tax base.

Progressive politicians thus need to create affordable housing while also satisfying finance capital, profit, and the sustainability of local government. How can they do it?

To start, they can think about ‘affordable housing’ in a way that meshes with financial interests. And, indeed, that’s what they do.

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