Date: Sat, 1 May 1999 17:38:39 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Re: AUT: Class composition/crisis/organisation (was Capital and


On Thu, 29 Apr 1999 Montyneill-AT-aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 99-04-27 01:04:35 EDT, Steve wrote:
> 
> << The insistence that there *is* some sort of relationship
>  between the two, rather than a one true organisational form good for all
>  seasons under capitalism (e.g. vanguard party, industrial union, workers'
>  council) strikes me as one of the most important contributions of Italian
>  workerism. >>
> 
> There may be, but taking off from a question/point raised earlier, if there 
> is a relationship does not mean that there is only one possible or "good" 
> relationship. Class composition may help explain why a form of organization 
> becomes dominant.

Monty, this is true that their might be more than one possible "good"
relationship between a given class composition and form sof organization.
Indeed, there would seem to be a problem in much "class composition"
analsyis of the organizational issue. In Bologna's classic piece a oneto
one mapping is made between particular class compositions and
organization. And this was an advance over previous a priori formulae.
BUT, the analysis of class composition precisely in so far as it
recognizes the complexity of class structure suggest, to me anyway , that 
within any class composition there may be several valid forms of
organizing (not even necessaily the formation of "an" organization) whose
articulation would form the most appropriate working class strategy at
some point in time. > > 

<<I find it
> hard to see any working class project emerging so far that posits something
> alternative to capital>>
> 
> Nor do I see it at the moment. Should this be discussed as "optimism" or 
> "pessimism"? Perhaps Harry is an "optimist" (and he has said some of us (or 
> all?) in Midnight Notes are too pessimistic), but I think we are both/all 
> thinking of how to help the class (transc)end capital. If overt or massive 
> resistance showing ways to end capital are not now visible, or if some of us 
> think they are more visible than do others of us, that does not falsify class 
> composition analysis, autonomist ideas (many, varied, contradictory as they 
> are), etc. Like Harry, John H., and others, I too have been thinking about 
> the Zapatista contribution to a way ahead, and think there is much of value 
> there. Immediate circumstances seem in Boston, in the US, to be quite 
> different....

Monty, in line with my previous remarks above, I would say that it is
probably a mistake to go looking for some one aggregating movement --tho
such a thing is possible. Even in the last great international cycle of
struggle --the late 60s and early 70s-- this wasn't the case.  I suspect
that not only have past struggles been, and present struggles are, diverse
and articulated, but those that will end capitalism will be the same and
teh result will be not one, but many worlds and their articulation will be
a new kind of politics, or new kinds of politics. This is one reason why I
tend to give more weight to various manifestations  of new ideas and wasy
of being and doing. I look around  and I see virtually every aspect of
capitalism subject to critiqueby people who have also developed
alternatives --alternatives that appear incompatable with the continuation
of capitalism.  The problem is not just the development of alternatives
but the finding of new  forms of organizing in which various struggles can
find  ways to be complementary and thus more effective.

Harry


> 
> Monty Neill
> 
> 
> 
> 
>      --- from list aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> 

............................................................................
Harry Cleaver
Department of Economics
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas 78712-1173  USA
Phone Numbers: (hm)  (512) 478-8427
               (off) (512) 475-8535   Fax:(512) 471-3510
E-mail: hmcleave-AT-eco.utexas.edu
Cleaver homepage: 
http://www.eco.utexas.edu/faculty/Cleaver/index2.html
Chiapas95 homepage:
http://www.eco.utexas.edu/faculty/Cleaver/chiapas95.html
Accion Zapatista homepage:
http://www.utexas.edu/students/nave/
............................................................................



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