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Marx’s Capital

Class Unity

Sundays beginning September 10 at 2pm ET

Register HERE

The purpose of this study group is to gain a relatively comprehensive overview of the Marxian account of modern social dynamics and relations. It is not uncommon among leftists to regard economic theory generally or Marx’s own economic theory specifically as though it were unnecessary, less important than historical-political issues, outdated, or too ‘reductive’. Marx is admittedly a ‘critic’ of capitalism and classical political economy. But he is also ultimately committed to the idea of explanation of social phenomena on the basis of political economy. And indeed, the distinction between radical-liberal or utopian-socialist views and Marxian or materialist-socialist views is drawn in relation to the role of political economy. Hence this group focuses on Marx’s economic theory with the hope of revising some ordinary assumptions on the left.

We will meet weekly to discuss readings of Marx’s texts. The aim is to understand his theory and the broader extent of its implications for contemporary purposes. In order to facilitate discussion, members will take turns adopting the responsibility of summarizing and presenting the core of the readings under consideration in a given week’s meeting. Register for the course HERE.

All readings will be provided as PDFs. Required and recommended (not-required) readings will be marked accordingly.

Texts:

Karl Marx, Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Volumes I-III. New York: Penguin, 1990, 1991, 1992.

PDF LINKS: Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3

—–, Grundrisse. New York: Penguin, 1993.

—–, The Political Writings. New York: Verso, 2019.

—–, The Manuscript of 1961-3 [Theories of Surplus Value]. In: Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volumes 30-4. New York: International Publishers, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992.

—–, Wage Labor and Capital & Value, Price and Profit. New York: International Publishers, 

Part One: Introduction and the General Concept of Capital

Session 1. Introduction (notes)

Session 2. The General Concept of Capital (notes)

Part Two: Industrial Capital and the Production of Surplus Value

Session 3. The Production of Surplus Value (notes)

Session 4. Industrial Capital (notes)

Part Three: Commercial Capital, Realization of Surplus Value, Unproductive Labor

Session 5. Commercial or Merchants’ Capital (notes)

Session 6. Productive and Unproductive Labor (Notes)

Part Four: Finance Capital

Session 7. Part I

Session 8. Part II (Notes)

Part Five: Landlords, Ground Rent, and Rentiers

Session 9. Part I (Notes)

Session 10. Part II (Notes)

Part Six: Reproduction, Capital as a Totality, and Fetishism

Session 11. Reproduction

Session 12. Capital as a Totality and Fetishism

Part Seven: Realization Crises and Money Crises

Session 13. Part I

Session 14. Part II

Part Eight: So-Called Primitive Accumulation and Political Applications

Session 15. Primitive Accumulation

 

Extra / Optional / Recommended / Useful Literature:

Ben Fine & Alfredo Saad-Filho, Marx’s Capital, 5th Edition. New York: Pluto Press, 2010.

David Harvey, A Companion to Marx’s Capital: The Complete Edition. New York: Verso, 2018.

—–, The Limits to Capital. New York: Verso, 2018. 

Michael Heinrich, An Introduction to the Three Volumes of Karl Marx’s Capital. New York: 

Monthly Review Press, 2012.

Mariana Mazzucato, The Value of Everything. New York: Public Affairs, 2018, chapter 1.

Ellen Meiskins-Wood, “Capitalism”. In: The Elgar Companion to Marxist Economics. Edward

Elgar: Northampton, MA, 2012.

Karl Marx. A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy. New York: International 

Publishers, 1970.

Fred Moseley, Money and Totality, “Introduction” and chapter 1 (Boston: Brill, 2016)

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