3rd Annual Forum on Capital as Power: "Capitalizing Power: The Qualities and Quantities of Accumulation"
September 28-30, 2012, York University, Toronto
11. Capital as an Imaginary Institution of Power
Harald Wolf, University of Go ettingen and University of Kassel (hwolf1@gwdg.de)
In Capital as Power, Nitzan and Bichler (N/B) allude several times to eminent French social theorist Cornelius Castoriadis and his magnum opus The Imaginary Institution of Society. But the references don't connect the two theoretical outlooks in a really systematic manner. My contribution aims to provide a preliminary comparison of some of the main topics of the 'Capital as Power' and 'society as imaginary institution' theoretical frameworks in order to prepare a more systematic connection or reciprocal elucidation. Such a comparison promises to be useful for the enhancement of both frameworks. I propose the following comparative topics:
• Capitalism as a rationalization and control project: there are many points in common in this respect, but I will ask whether N/B's conception of this project may not be too 'one-dimensional';
• Capital and labour: after the critical elimination of 'labour value' in N/B, there seems to be a kind of blind spot on the labour side that could be filled with theorems by Veblen (already mentioned by N/B) and Castoriadis;
• Capital and market: one can agree with N/B's argument against the 'expulsion' of power from apologetic as well as 'critical' market discourses -- but is N/B criticism of Castoriadis's (and Braudel's) understanding of the relation of capitalism and the market valid?
• The imaginary of capital and the imaginary of power: I will ask whether N/B have a tendency to grasp capital too much as a kind of power 'technology', and if this tendency could be revised by applying the concept of the imaginary institution.
Conference page: [ Ссылка ]
