Sublime Perversion of Capital

Walker Gavin Walker

Description

In The Sublime Perversion of Capital Gavin Walker examines the Japanese debate about capitalism between the 1920s and 1950s, using it as a "prehistory" to consider current discussions of uneven development and contemporary topics in Marxist theory and historiography. Walker locates the debate's culmination in the work of Uno Kozo, whose investigations into the development of capitalism and the commodification of labor power are essential for rethinking the national question in Marxist theory. Walker's analysis of Uno and the Japanese debate strips Marxist historiography of its Eurocentric focus, showing how Marxist thought was globalized from the start. In analyzing the little-heralded tradition of Japanese Marxist theory alongside Marx himself, Walker not only offers new insights into the transition to capitalism, the rise of globalization, and the relation between capital and the formation of the nation-state; he provides new ways to break Marxist theory's impasse with postcolonial studies and critical theory.  

Sujets

• Histoire
• 20th century
• History of Asia
• Japan

Informations

• Publié par: Duke University Press
• Date de parution: 25 février 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9780822374206
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

T H E S U B L I M E P E R V E R S I O N O F CAPITAL

ASIA  PACIFIC Society Culture, Politics, and Editors: Rey Chow, Michael Dutton, H. D. Harootunian, and Rosalind C. Morris

Duke University Press

Durham and London

2016

G A V I N W A L K E R

T H E S U B L I M E P E R V E R S I O N O F Mar C xist Theory A and the P Politics I of Hist T ory in M A odern Jap L an

© 2016duke university press. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America on acidfree paper∞ Text designed by Courtney Leigh Baker Typeset in Quadraat and Quadraat Sans by Graphic Composition, Inc.

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data Names: Walker, Gavin, [date] Title: The sublime perversion of capital : Marxist theory and the politics of history in modern Japan / Gavin Walker. Other titles: AsiaPacific. Description: Durham : Duke University Press, 2016. Series: Asiapacific: culture, politics, and society | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers:lccn2015040908| isbn9780822361411 (hardcover : alk. paper) | isbn9780822361602 (pbk. : alk. paper) isbn9780822374206 (ebook) Subjects:lcsh: Marxian economics—Japan—History—20th century. | Capitalism— Japan. Classification:llchb97.5 .w355 2016 |ddc330.952—dc23 lcrecord available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015040908

Cover art: Woodblock print by Yanase Masamu. Courtesy of the Oharu Institute for Social Research, Hosei University, Japan.

F O R R A C H E L

Acknowledgments ix Note on Translations xiii Three Orientations xv

One.1The Sublime Perversion of Capital

Two.The Feudal Remnant and the Historical Outside 28

Three.75Primitive Accumulation, or the Logic of Origin

Four.108Labor Power: Capital’s Threshold

Five.The Continent of History and the Theoretical Inside 152

Six.“The ReadyMade World of Capital” 182

Notes 195 Bibliography 225 Index 243

C O N T E N T S

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

This book began life as a dissertation at Cornell University, and in this sense, I owe first and foremost a great intellectual debt to Naoki Sakai, not only for his work and its influence on me but also for his continuing friendship and personal support. Thanks to J. Victor Koschmann and Brett de Bary for many discussions over the years that shaped the background to this project, for their close readings of my work, and for all their help and support. I’m grateful to Bruno Bosteels for his support, friendship, discussions, encouragement, and many decisive suggestions on my writing. I would like to deeply thank Yutaka Nagahara for his friendship, his solidarity, his encouragement and assistance, and for his support for me and for my work. It is not excessive to say that Yutaka’s own work, as well as our projects together, have been one of the deepest influences on me, and his support has given me a sense of energy to write. Harry Harootunian’s support and advice on this project have helped to shape it into what it is now, and his theoretical and political example is an inspiration. Carol Gluck provided muchneeded assistance, help, and sugges tions on a number of crucial aspects of this book. Ken Kawashima’s friendship and solidarity are behind a lot of this work, and all our times spent debating in living rooms, bars, clubs, and other inadvisable locations have helped shape every aspect of this book. Our current joint projects together have opened a new direction of analysis, a kind of improvisation and collaboration in the ory that has also changed my other work, this text included. Katsuya Hirano has been a close collaborator and friend for the duration of this research, and many of my analyses have been deeply impacted by our shared projects and shared intellectual goals. I would like to thank him for his friendship and sup port. Discussions and drinks with William Clare Roberts over the last three years have helped me think about all the themes of this book, and I’m grateful for his friendship.