Critical Theory and the Critique of Political Economy

Bonefeld successfully both reveals the supposedly innate contradictions of a system that is imposed externally on us and succeeds in dissecting the most pivotal contradiction, that is, how our own labor is simultaneously organized as concrete and abstract labor. * Critique * Bonefeld's most accomplished work to date, and certainly represents a definitive statement on critique, negative dialectics, and Open Marxism ... a book which sets out his own unique vision of Marxism as Critical Theory that moves in reflexive and dialectical engagement with its definite subject matter: political economy and the inherently antagonistic social constitution of capital ... Critical Theory at its intelligent, robust and challenging bestargumentation this book delivers from cover to cover. -- Greig Charnock * Antipode * Exactly the kind of book we need ... We need a conceptual comprehension that sharpens and focuses our experience. We do not live in a world in which the abolition of capitalism seems imminent. In such conditions, especially when a thinker breaks through old theoretical integuments, the obligation is towards the very critique and critical theory that animates this book. -- Chris Wright * Mute * Compelling and persuasively argued account of the tasks with which critical theory is faced today, and of the failure of the larger part of Marxist theory to date adequately to address those tasks ... The book represents what is perhaps the most sustained and comprehensive exposition of the critique of political economy from its at times incipient formulation within Marx's oeuvre. -- Josh Robinson * Marx and Philosophy Review of Books * In the tradition of the best critical and Marxist theory, this brilliant, vital book encompassess and challenges everything ... [Bonefeld's prose] is audacious, breathtaking and exciting in a way unmatched in most 'academic writing' ... This book is a game-changer, theoretically practically, and politically. From within the field, Bonefeld gives considerable pause for thought to scholars working within value-form theory ... [and] even where Bonefeld cousels against the affirmation of alternatives, the book generates a sense of hope ... This urgent, stirring book of everything demands to be read. -- Frederick H. Pitts * Capital & Class * A very rewarding read. It brings together a large array of ideas and provides devastating critiques of both capitalism and some of its Marxist critics. The book will no doubt appeal to those most associated with left communist ideas. That said, in a period where criticisms of capitalism have taken on no more than a dismal rejection of it as an unfair system ran by elites and corporations, I feel it is a must read for any person who considers themselves Marxist or anti-capitalist. Werner Bonefeld restates the fundamentals of the critique of political economy and provides us with a highly engaging and important piece of work. -- Liam Conway * The Project: A Socialist Journal * Is Marx is an economic thinker? Bonefeld's lucid and original reading answers this question in the affirmative ... In an age when much of what passes as communist thought and practice is either the ossified dogmas of the past, or moralistic denunciations of the abstractions of wealth and finance, this book should, despite its density, act as a wake-up call to anyone who hopes for a reinvigoration of the anticapitalist left. -- John P. Merrick * Review31 * Werner Bonefelds outstanding book revitalizes the best tradition of critical theory, which he proficiently combines with the critique of political economy and new readings of Marx. Bonefelds book is essential for anyone who wants to understand the inverted world of capitalism and to fight its barbarism. * Massimiliano Tomba, Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche, Universit di Padova, Italy * Bringing together Adornos Critical Theory and Marxs Critique of Political Economy sheds rather new light on bas

Werner Bonefeld teaches in the Department of Politics at the University of York, UK. His work contributed to the development of the internationally recognised Open Marxism school.

Dedication Acknowledgments 1. Introduction: Critical Theory and the Critique of Political Economy Section I: On the Critique of Political Economy as a Critical Social Theory 2. Political Economy and Social Constitution: On the Meaning of Critique 3. Society as Subject and Society as Object: On Social Praxis Section II: Value: On Social Wealth and Class 4. Capital and Labour: Primitive Accumulation and the Force of Value 5. Class and Struggle: On the false Society 6. Time is Money: On Abstract Labour Section III: Capital, World Market and State 7. State, World Market and Society 8. On the State of Political Economy: Political Form and the Force of Law Section IV Anti-Capitalism: Theology and Negative Practice 9. Anti-Capitalism and the Elements of Antisemitism: On Theology and Real Abstractions 10. Conclusion: On the Elements of Subversion and Negative Reason Selected Bibliography Index