Our next UvA PPA colloquium takes place on 8th April from 3.30 to 5pm in Faculteitskamer II, as well as on Zoom: https://uva-live.zoom.us/j/68214151652 

The full paper will be circulated to all PPA members and registered participants around Wednesday April 1st, a week before the event. Please email me if you'd like to be registered to participate, and I'll send you a copy of the paper then.

Abstract

In this paper, I revisit Karl Marx’ account of the covert character of capitalist domination. I distinguish between two concepts in Marx’ economic writings that I refer to as abstract domination and impersonal class domination, respectively. Abstract domination arises when social relations become autonomous from the individuals that stand in these relations. Impersonal domination, in contrast, arises from wage-dependency which constitutes and mediates the domination of capitalists over workers in impersonal ways. I raise some critical objections to Marx’ account. In particular, I argue that it remains unclear as to why abstract domination should be considered a form of social domination at all, rather than as mere structural constraint on agency. I also show that Marx account of how abstract and impersonal domination are related falls short of his own goal of “de-fetishizing” capitalist social relations. I  conclude by sketching an alternative that mobilizes the explanatory potential of Marx’ own concept of impersonal domination, and that retains Marx’ commitment to de-fetishization.