Post-Marx-Marxism

Gouldner (1973) — 2 types of post-Marx Marxism

1. Humanistic/critical

2. Scientific/structuralist

Gouldner (1973) — reason for 2 types of post-Marx Marxism

• Lack of resolutions

Gouldner (1973) — 2 aims of 2 types of post-Marx Marxism

1. Explain persistence of capitalism

2. Work out how to overthrow capitalism

2 theories humanistic/critical Marxism is similar to

1. Action theories

2. Interpretivism

Key humanistic/critical Marxist

Gramsci

3 focuses of humanistic/critical Marxism

1. Alienation

2. Subjective experience of the world

3. Marx’s early work, more optimistic re human nature

Marxism to humanistic/critical Marxists

Political critique of capitalism

Humanistic/critical Marxism — how to achieve socialism and consequence of this

• Voluntarism → socialism

  • Therefore should take political action because we can use our free will to change society

1 theory similar to scientific/structuralist Marxism

1. Positivism

Key scientific/structuralist Marxist

Althusser

2 focuses of scientific/structuralist Marxism

1. Capitalism and inevitable results

2. Historical materialism

Marxism to scientific/structuralist Marxists

Science

Scientific/structuralist Marxism — how to achieve socialism

• Determinism — will only come about due to historical materialism when capitalism eventually collapses

Gramsci — hegemony

• Ideological/moral leadership

• Way for R/C to maintain their position

Gramsci — way to overthrow hegemony

• P creation of counter-hegemony

Gramsci — economic determinism

• :(

• Mass unemployment + falling wages = preconditions for revolution

  • Ideas = central role in revolution if it occurs

Gramsci — 2 ways R/C maintains societal dominance

1. Coercion — use of RSA to force acceptance

2. Consent (hegemony) — use of ISA to persuade legitimacy

Gramsci — role of ideas in revolution

• Central

  • No revolution if society accepts B hegemony no matter economic conditions

Gramsci — 2 elements of incompleteness of B hegemony

1. B = minority and have to compromise with other groups (e.g. M/C) to ruole

2. P dual consciousness

Gramsci — P dual consciousness

• P influenced by B ideology and material conditions (poverty, exploitation)

  • Therefore able to see through dominant ideology to some extent

Gramsci — times of economic crisis

• Increase possibility of undermining of B hegemony

  • Worse material conditions → questioning of status quo by P

Gramsci — counter-hegemonic bloc

• Moral and ideological leadership

  • Needed to undermine B hegemony

• Produces organic intellectuals

Gramsci — organic intellectuals

• Body of class-conscious worker who can formulate alternative vision of society functioning (socialism!)

  • Organised into revolutionary political party

2 CRITICISMS of Gramsci

1. Overemphasises role of ideas

2. Underemphasies role of state coercion and economic factors

• Workers may be hesitant to act for fear of state repression/unemployment

• May tolerate capitalism because feel have lack of choice

Similar to Gramsci — Willis (1977)

• Lads managed to partially penetrate B ideology

Althusser (named by Craib) — alternative to base-superstructure model

• Structural determinism

Althusser (named by Craib) —structural determinism (3 aspects)

1. Economic — all activities that involve producing something to satisfy a need

2. Political — all forms of organisation

3. Ideological — the way people see themselves and their world]

• 2 and 3 perform indispensable functions

Althusser (named by Craib) — structural determinism v base-superstructure

• Structural determinism = 2 way causality — all 3 aspects have relative autonomy from economic level and can affect it

• Base-superstructure = one way causality — economic base determines everything in superstructure

Craib (1992) — house analogy

• roof

• family

• offices

• business

• All affect one another in some way

Althusser — 2 types of state apparatus

1. Repressive

2. Ideological

3 elements of RSA

1. ‘Armed bodies of men’

2. Coerce W/C into complying w/will of B

3. Aligns w/trad. Marxist view of state

3 elements of ISA

1. Trade unions, family, media

2. Ideological manipulate W/C into accepting capitalism as legit

3. Wider than trad. Marxist view

Structural Marxism key belief

• Everything about us is a product of underlying social structures

Craib (1992) — view of society

• Society = puppet theatre

  • Humans = puppets

  • Unseen structures = puppet masters

Role of social structures

• Determine everything about us and prepare us to fit into pre-existing positions in capitalism

  • Like Parson’s status-roles

Althusser — free will

• Simply product of FCC

  • E.g. myth of meritocracy

Althusser — how socialism will come about

• Contradictions in the 3 structures will occur and lead to collapse of system

CRITICISM of scientific/structural Marxism

• Economic determinism → structural determinism

CRITICISM of scientific/structural Marxism — Gouldner

• Scientific approach discourages political activism

2 CRITICISMS of scientific/structural Marxism — Thompson (1978)

1. Ignores role of W/C struggle in changing society

2. Elitist — some people know best?