Law and reproduction: Louis Althusser’s criticism of capitalist law

Abstract

Law is an important part of Althusser’s thought. He profoundly criticized the mechanism of capitalist law from the perspective of ‘reproduction.’ First, the law cannot be separated from the relations of production. In order to maintain capitalist relations of production, the law covers up the exploitation in the process of capitalist production. The key methods are to determine the ownership of the means of production and products and confuse the technical division of labor and social division of labor in the process of labor. It demands the submission of legal subjects, seducing and tempting subjects through the ideological function of law so that they will actively and willingly accept the restriction of law. Secondly, the law and the State are integrated. The ‘surplus-violence’ that the ruling class holds over the ruled class is transformed by law into legal State power, and the State power shapes individuals into subjects and endows subjects with rights through law, with the aim of the reproduction of capitalist relations of production. In addition, at the end of the article, I also mention Althusser’s preliminary conception of communist law.

Keywords:

• Law
• relations of production
• state
• reproduction
• Louis Althusser
• contemporary Chinese Marxism

Acknowledgments

This paper is translated into English by Wang Yuting, research Master of Philosophy, Radboud University, NL.

Notes

1 Althusser made it clear in the preface of On the Reproduction of Capitalism that he would fill in the blank left by Marx’s Capital from the reproduction of the relations of production. ‘Since Marx discusses the reproduction of the productive forces at length in Capital Volume 1 (the theory of wages: reproduction of labor-power) and Capital Volume 2 (the theory of the reproduction of the means of production), I have discussed this question cursorily. On the other hand, I have discussed the reproduction of the relations of production at length. Marx has left us important pointers on this subject, but they are unsystematic.’

2 Althusser thinks that the ‘social division of labor’ mentioned by Marx in Capital is actually the division of social labor, that is, the division of labor among different departments of social production. He reformed this concept to distinguish it from the technical division of labor.

3 ‘Quelle est alors cette énergie A, que nous désignons ici par Force ou Violence? Tout simplement la force ou la Violence de la lutte des classes, la Force ou la Violence qui n’a ≪pas encore≫ été transformée en Pouvoir, qui n’a pas été tansformée en lois et en droit.’ Translation from French are the translator’s own.

4 ‘Car effectivement la domination de classe se trouve sanctionnée dans et par I’État en ce que seule la Force de la classe dominante y entre et y est reconnue - et, qui plus est, elle est le seul ≪moteur≫ de I’État, la seule énergie à y être transformée en pouvoir, en droit, lois et normes.’

5 ‘L’État n’est ≪séparé≫, n’est ≪au-dessus des classes≫ que pour assurer la reproduction des conditions de domination de la classe dominante. Cette reproduction ne consiste pas seulement dans la reproduction des conditions des ≪rapports sociaux≫, et en définitive du ≪rapport de production≫, mais aussi des conditions maté-rielles du rapport de production et d’exploitation.’

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by The National Social Science Fund Project of China (Project No. 17BWW014).

Notes on contributors

Kefei Xu

Kefei Xu received his doctorate degree in Trans-cultural Studies from Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 in 2011; He used to teach at University Lyon 3 (lecture and ATER) and is professor of philosophy at the Department of Philosophy of Beijing Normal University; His main research interests are French Marxism, the spread of French contemporary thoughts and ideas; His major publications include Le maoisme de la revue Tel Quel: l’engagement politique des intellectuals autour de Mai 1968, The Wind from East: The Chinese Dream of Tel Quel Intellectuals. He has also published about 30 research articles in English, French and Chinese.