Marxism in Plural Times: Decolonizing Subsumption

Abstract

This essay reconsiders Marxist theory’s vexed concept of the subsumption of labor, through two opposing views: Harry Harootunian’s notion of using formal subsumption to critique teleological and unilinear concepts of history and Antonio Negri’s philosophy of time and political praxis, which stems from a scenario of real subsumption coinciding with the demise of the law of value and the lack of an outside to capitalism. These views can be reimagined from a decolonizing perspective: rather than a closed historical phase, the mechanism of subsumption should be seen both as a process of becoming and as a global site of social struggle. The decolonization of subsumption hence challenges any rigid separation between the worlds of real and formal subsumption and emphasizes their combination in the global logics of capital accumulation. Decolonizing subsumption is thus a precondition for developing global working-class solidarity to fight against the international division of labor.

Key Words:

• Formal Subsumption
• Harry Harootunian
• Marxism
• Antonio Negri
• Real Subsumption

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the anonymous peer reviewers for their insightful responses to my work.

Notes

1 See Mandarini (2009) for a reconstruction of the significance of the debate.