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Classes in Contemporary Capitalism
Nicos Poulantzas’s third major work is a pioneering survey of some of the most fundamental, yet least studied, aspects of the class structure of advanced capitalist societies today. The book starts with a general theoretical essay that for the first time seriously explores the distinction between the “agents” and “positions” of capitalist relations of production, and seeks to avoid the typical errors of either functionalism or historicism. It also provides a polemical reconsideration of the problem of the “nation state” as a political unit today, and its relationship to the internationalization of capital.
Finally, and most originally, Poulantzas develops a long and powerful analysis of the much-abused concept of the “petty-bourgeoisie.” In this, he scrupulously distinguishes between the “traditional” categories of petty-bourgeoisie—shopkeepers, artisans, small peasants—and the “new” categories of clerical workers, supervisors, and salaried personnel in modern industry and commerce. At the same time he demonstrates the reasons why a unitary conceptualization of their class position is possible. The difficult question of the definition of “productive” and “unproductive” labor within Marx’s own account of the capitalist mode of production is subjected to a novel and radical reinterpretation. The political oscillations peculiar to each form of petty-bourgeoisie and especially their characteristic reactions to the industrial proletariat, are cogently assessed.
Poulantzas ends his work with a reminder that the actions and options of the petty-bourgeoisie are critical to any successful struggle by the working class, which must secure the alliance of important sections of the petty-bourgeoisie if the fateful experience of Chile is not to recur elsewhere tomorrow. Combining empirical and theoretical materials throughout, Classes in Contemporary Capitalism represents a notable achievement in the development of Marxist social science and political thought.
Finally, and most originally, Poulantzas develops a long and powerful analysis of the much-abused concept of the “petty-bourgeoisie.” In this, he scrupulously distinguishes between the “traditional” categories of petty-bourgeoisie—shopkeepers, artisans, small peasants—and the “new” categories of clerical workers, supervisors, and salaried personnel in modern industry and commerce. At the same time he demonstrates the reasons why a unitary conceptualization of their class position is possible. The difficult question of the definition of “productive” and “unproductive” labor within Marx’s own account of the capitalist mode of production is subjected to a novel and radical reinterpretation. The political oscillations peculiar to each form of petty-bourgeoisie and especially their characteristic reactions to the industrial proletariat, are cogently assessed.
Poulantzas ends his work with a reminder that the actions and options of the petty-bourgeoisie are critical to any successful struggle by the working class, which must secure the alliance of important sections of the petty-bourgeoisie if the fateful experience of Chile is not to recur elsewhere tomorrow. Combining empirical and theoretical materials throughout, Classes in Contemporary Capitalism represents a notable achievement in the development of Marxist social science and political thought.
348 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1973
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About the author
Nicos Poulantzas
38 books86 followers(Greek: Νίκος Πουλαντζάς). Greek-French Marxist political sociologist. In the 1970s, Poulantzas was known, along with Louis Althusser, as a leading Structural Marxist and, while at first a Leninist, eventually became a proponent of eurocommunism. He is most well known for his theoretical work on the state, but he also offered Marxist contributions to the analysis of fascism, social class in the contemporary world, and the collapse of dictatorships in Southern Europe in the 1970s (e.g. Franco's rule in Spain, Salazar's in Portugal, and Papadopoulos's in Greece).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 14, 2019
I am glad that I finally read a proper monography on Marxian class theory since a great majority of Marxist social scientists on the political left choose not to confront class analysis, although all of them acknowledge the existence of "the theory". But still, it's a bit disappointing to see Poulantzas, such a successful theorist in so many ways, making the same kind of mistake that Weber makes about power structures.
May 19, 2022
Really hard to summarize my thoughts on this book in a brief fashion. I took a lot of notes while reading. Poulantzas is one of the most interesting Marxist theorists of the state that I've read, carrying on the insights of Louis Althusser. He's also very good at diagnosing the Ideological and Political viewpoints of the petit bourgeoisie, as he demonstrated in his book on fascism.
However, I strongly disagree with his view that the determinant factor in whether a worker is technically part of the working class is whether their labor is "productive". A huge swath, a numerical majority, of the workers he places in the 'new petit bourgeoisie', are absolutely actually part of the working class. His points on the ideological and political effects of the class positions of mid level managers, engineers, and technicians are well taken, those are very real and have actual effects on class struggle. But the idea that elementary school teachers, trash collectors, and millions of retail and service workers aren't part of the working class because their labor doesn't add surplus value to commodities is just untenable. We see these workers participate in the class struggle equally as much as "productive" workers, there is no vascilation between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie as there is with engineers and managers. I think the more determinant relation for class structure is that of exploitation. These workers do not direct others, they can't hire or fire, their surplus labor is extorted from them. In these ways they are all workers, and they participate in the class struggle alongside other workers. So labeling them petit bourgeois makes no sense.
These disagreements aside, this is still a more interesting and rigorous examination of the phenomenon commonly called the 'PMC', albeit in a now somewhat outdated conjunctural context of 1970s France, than we see from most modern authors. The sections on the relations of the various fractions of the bourgeoisie to the state is also particularly interesting.
Good book, worth reading even if I have some rather major disagreements with some of it's points.
However, I strongly disagree with his view that the determinant factor in whether a worker is technically part of the working class is whether their labor is "productive". A huge swath, a numerical majority, of the workers he places in the 'new petit bourgeoisie', are absolutely actually part of the working class. His points on the ideological and political effects of the class positions of mid level managers, engineers, and technicians are well taken, those are very real and have actual effects on class struggle. But the idea that elementary school teachers, trash collectors, and millions of retail and service workers aren't part of the working class because their labor doesn't add surplus value to commodities is just untenable. We see these workers participate in the class struggle equally as much as "productive" workers, there is no vascilation between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie as there is with engineers and managers. I think the more determinant relation for class structure is that of exploitation. These workers do not direct others, they can't hire or fire, their surplus labor is extorted from them. In these ways they are all workers, and they participate in the class struggle alongside other workers. So labeling them petit bourgeois makes no sense.
These disagreements aside, this is still a more interesting and rigorous examination of the phenomenon commonly called the 'PMC', albeit in a now somewhat outdated conjunctural context of 1970s France, than we see from most modern authors. The sections on the relations of the various fractions of the bourgeoisie to the state is also particularly interesting.
Good book, worth reading even if I have some rather major disagreements with some of it's points.
February 7, 2018
neverovatno gusta, ali sjajna knjiga koja dosta toga u vezi sa klasnim određenjima i klasnim pozicioniranjima objašnjava. iako ima problematičnih delova (npr. čini mi se da je Pulancasovo određenje proizvodnog rada ovde problematično i maltene svodivo na rad u primarnom sektoru), delovi o razlici manuelnog i intelektualnog rada kojima se objašnjava ideološka ravan društvene podele rada su genijalni. kao i ključna analiza savremene (Pulancasu savremene svakako, ali dosta korisno i za nama savremena klasna određenja) sitne buržoazije. sve u svemu knjiga je jedna od abeceda marksizma
January 28, 2015
p interesting imo, especially for someone trying to flesh out an understanding of class structure in modern europe
February 8, 2020
Una revisión de la teoría de Marx, la adapta a la 2a mitad del s. XX, la matiza y la concreta, además añade ciertos aspectos interesantes. No es un giro a la teoría sino pequeños retoques. Interesante. No es difícil de leer
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews