From: Howard Engelskirchen (howarde@TWCNY.RR.COM)
Date: Thu Apr 22 2004 - 11:25:08 EDT
Hi Paul, He is concerned to reevaluate "the continuous role and persistence of the predatory practices of 'primitive' or 'original' accumulation within the long historical geography of capital accumulation," and cites the debate in The Commoner. He adds, "Since it seems peculiar to call an ongoing process 'primitive' or 'original' I shall, in what follows, substitue these terms by the concept of 'accumulation by dispossession." Probably he'll speak to the issue this weekend. (And probably I misunderstood your earlier comment.) Howard ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Zarembka" <zarembka@BUFFALO.EDU> To: <OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 8:00 AM Subject: [OPE-L] 'primitive' or 'original accumulation': reply to Howard > Howard, > > I don't understand. I fully agree regarding the extreme importance of > separation from means of production as continuing to this day. I 'merely' > disagree on the theoretical category to which to associate this, it being > 'accumulation' not 'primitive' or 'original' accumulation. Andre Gunder > Frank has published on this theoretical issue and offers a third concept > for application to the modern world. In any case, in my view, it is quite > easy to recognize in Marx himself that 'primitive' or 'original' is > referring to the initial establishment of capitalism. > > So where is David Harvey on this theoretical issue or hasn't he been > cognizant of it? Paul > > ************************************************************************* > Vol.21-Neoliberalism in Crisis, Accumulation, and Rosa Luxemburg's Legacy > RESEARCH IN POLITICAL ECONOMY, Zarembka/Soederberg, eds, Elsevier Science > ********************** http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/PZarembka > > > On Thu, 22 Apr 2004, Howard Engelskirchen wrote: > > > Hi Paul, > > > > David Harvey in the book I mentioned the other day, The New Imperialism, is > > very far from agreeing with your point on primitive accumulation. He has a > > section on Accumulation by Dispossession and considers its consequences an > > important feature in social resistance today. > > > > Howard > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Paul Zarembka" <zarembka@BUFFALO.EDU> > > To: <OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU> > > Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 8:45 PM > > Subject: Re: [OPE-L] (OPE-L) Additional note [on VFT] > > > > > > > > From: "Jur Bendien" <bendien88@lycos.com> > > > > Date: Tue, April 20, 2004 9:56 am > > > > > > > > > > > > Paul Zarembka asked about the expansion of capital involving > > > > non-capitalist modes of production. That is certainly relevant, since > > > > original accumulation (ursprungliche Akkumulation) which is also > > > > sometimes called primitive accumulation is a process which occurs all > > > > the time, i.e. it is a permanent characteristic of capitalism as a mode > > > > of market expansion. > > > > > > I disagree. Original or primitive accumulation should be a concept > > > reserved for the transition from feudalism to the initial establishment of > > > capitalism. I won't repeat what I've written at The Commoner -- see the 8 > > > pages at http://www.commoner.org.uk/debzarembka01.pdf . > > > > > > > But the specific mode of destruction of > > > > non-capitalist property relations and their transformation into > > > > capitalist property relations, through robbery, plunder, looting, > > > > enslavement, debt, usury etc. is not something we can directly infer > > > > from the structure of the capitalist mode of production. Many different > > > > forms of replacing non-capitalist modes of production with capitalist > > > > ones are possible, and I think they mostly cannot be directly deduced > > > > from the defining characteristics of capitalism as a mode of production, > > > > they are historically contingent and depend on historically emergent > > > > power relations. > > > > > > I agree, altho after capitalism is established this is itself > > > 'accumulation' (no adjective). Note that the contingency here must refer > > > to the characteristics of those non-capitalist societies being penetrated. > > > > > > Paul z. > > > > > >
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