1.2: Lineages of the Everyday in International Political Economy (Term Test 1)
Introduction
What is a Lineage: A theory or ideology in which people have theorized how events fit into the world, ways to view the world and incidents to understand them
To understand, analyze and judge an individual event
Critical Theory: A moral critique of culture and society, aims to challenge the power structures and assumptions that keep human beings from a full and true understanding of how the world works.
1.2.1: Liberal, Economic Nationalist and Marxist Lineages
Liberal Lineage
Liberalism: The wants and desires of the people within the market will direct economic tasks to where they could be done most efficiently on a national and international level, without significant influence by the government.
people should make more money than others as they have offered âmoreâ to society, positions seen as more important
the more the important people are paid, the more their workers will theoretically make
world of competition and voluntary exchange
world of markets where there is competition--should not be a monopoly
consumers need to choose from different providers
view market as an arena of freedom, always improving
Role of the State/Government in Liberalism: The government should have a very small role in its economy, other than supporting the function of the market to ensure it works in good faith (no thievery).
Free Trade: Liberalism believes in free trade, where there are no tariffs or taxes on items, the belief of countries doing what they are best at.
Market: The physical or virtual site where goods and services are exchanged, but also a way of organizing economic relations.
Adam Smith: Known as the first economist, he developed the first form of capitalism and provided the explanation of why the market should be the primary distributor within our society. Therefore, developed classical liberalism.
Invisible Hand: Through self interest and freedom of production, the best interest of society are fulfilled.
Voluntary Exchange: No one is forced to buy product, all have ability to choose
Market Sympathy: The idea that a definite price of an item exists, and how the sellers and buyers interact based on a price of an object.
Which current political party represents Liberalists in Canada? Progressive Conservatives
Economic Nationalist Lineage
Fredrich List: Developed the Economic Nationalist Lineage
Economic Nationalism: The idea that the market needs stable intervention by the government to prevent economic catastrophe, works to move less âdevelopedâ to more âdevelopedâ nations.
cannot leave market to its own devices, government needs to intervene and look over trade
International Economics: Is a competition between nations, end result will depend on which nation is more powerful
ex. the success of Nissan is a loss for America as it is not an American company
Infant Industry Production: When smaller local industries start up, they are not going to be as advanced as already established big industries. As a result, countries would block imports from these established industries so their nation could develop on their own.
List argued that no big nation developed with a liberal lineage
(âno imports from ukâ as uk was first to develop, nations attempting to develop would not be able to compete)
How do big nations feel about IIP? United States and Europe want nations to sign free trade deals to allow their products into countries attempting to establish Infant Industry Protection
Which current political party represents the Economic Nationalists in Canada? NDP
Marxist Lineage
Marxism: Disagrees with the naturalization of the commercial society we live in, as it merely serves the interests of those who benefitted from the spread of market exchange.
Potent element of Capitalism: The working class that relies on their labor power has been distracted/become accepting of their fundamental exploitation
Bourgeoisie: The capitalist class that owned the means of production and systematically benefitted from the spread of market exchange
Proletariat: Class of workers that rely solely on their labour power to make a living
The Role of the state in Marxist Societies: The State should serve the interest of the dominant class (the Proletariats), and those in power would reflect class strength
Commodity Fetishism: How an object hides their social relations behind their production and exchange. Basically, people value commodities based on their exchange value rather than their use value. This creates a false consciousness among the consumers who do not see the exploitation of the capitalist system.
Understanding the economy based on market relationships between commodities rather than social relationships between people.
Example of Commodity Fetishism: Perfume is often advertised using popular and attractive celebrities, not described in terms of its use (what it smells like).
Karl Marx on Commodity Fetishism: In a capitalist society, a commodity appears as if by magic to the consumer. This miraculous appearance, crucially, is divorced from the labour which produced it.
The Common Sense: The popular opinion of the dominant class. For those in power to gain support, they must engage in the dominant classâ âcommon senseâ to further their political agendas.
Developed by Antonio Gramsci
Support for NAFTA: built by the business community and right-wing advocates, NAFTA was referred to in popular media as unleashing entrepreneurialism and extending economic liberty instead of using quantitative economic arguments about job growth. Was done as it would readily appeal to the American public.
Henri Lefebvre
Marxist
Saw capitalism as an evolving spatial construct
ongoing process of colonialism, segregating people into certain ways of living
Everyday: The âeverydayâ is not what people do on a day-to-day basis but how activities are subordinated to the imperatives of capital and become routine
Everyday Life: life left over once all distinct superior specialized structured activities have been singled out
Frankfurt School Scholars: took aim at the culture industry in western capitalism for generating false needs that got people to buy into the political and economic system.
1.2.2: Feminist, Black and Post-structural lineages
Long standing concern for feminists: Certain tasks like cooking and cleaning are bracketed out from the formal economy.
Social Reproduction: Feminist political economy about the often unpaid and undervalued work involved in bearing children, maintaining households and caring for others, which reproduces the labour power and social cohesion on which capitalism depends.
The genered unpaid work crucial in ensuring that communiteies and the labour on which capitalism depends, continues
Biodeterminism vs social construction
Outside capitalist, wage, relationships
Feminist Lineage: many economists/philosophers (predominantly men) would bracket out certain tasks from the formal economy, like cooking and cleaning. these tasks are mostly done by women within the home without pay.
Work in the home is not valued in marxist theory, feminist scholars argue that power imbalance is cultural, can be structured to create less of an imbalance
argued against biological determinism
Biological Determinism: what you are âsupposed to doâ within a society may be determined by what gender a person is born as.
Patricial Hill Collins Philosophy: Cleavages that create common interests within a society.
there are specific things that create common interests in society, âcleavagesâ
ex black people are treated worse than white people in police
creates a set of interests for black people that are different than white interests
additional cleavages that create disadvantages in specific groups
Understanding the systems that create disadvantages for specific groups
âintersectionâ of gender, race class etc. can be a determinant, but is not the only determinant. Can intersect on different lines (like a black worker and a white worker)
Intersectionality: The effects that ensue when multiple axes of differentiation intersect in historically specific ways
how gender, sexuality, race, class and nation mutually construct on another as systems of oppression in their everyday lives
Post-structural Lineages: A structure in which a minority is visible to the authority at all times
developed by Michel Foucault
Panopticon: Prisoners become the principle in their own subjugation, will always act as if they are being watched by security
Subjectivity: A socially constructed selfhood in which an individualâs identity is both historically contingent and politically consequential.