Economic Subjects and The Shape of Politics

Callari, Antonio

doi:10.1177/048661349102300127

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Economism, however, is a slippery concept with a complex genealogy. According to Callari (1991), ‘classical orthodox Marxism’ was economistic because it assumed that capital predefined politics, that is, the base determined the superstructure. Although criticizing this orthodox position was part of the genesis of the postcolonial project of subaltern studies (Chibber, 2013), this strict form of economic determinism is rejected by many contemporary Marxists and certainly the Marx-inspired scholars who are cited in urban studies (see, e.g.…”

Section: The Substance Of Postcolonial Critiquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can the straw man speak? An engagement with postcolonial critiques of ‘global cities research’

Meeteren

Derudder

Bassens

2016

Dialogues in Human Geography

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This paper engages with postcolonial critiques of global cities research. We argue that such criticisms are generally hampered by their tendency to be polemical rather than engaging, as evidenced by both the quasi-systematic misrepresentation of the core objectives of global cities research and the skating-over of its internal diversity. We present a genealogy of postcolonial critiques starting from Robinson's (2002) agenda-setting discussion of global cities research, followed by an analysis of how her legitimate concerns have subsequently morphed into a set of apparent truisms. These misrepresentations are then contrasted with the purposes, diversity and critical character of global cities research as actually practiced. We interpret this discrepancy to be part of a gradually routinized straw man rhetoric that emerged as an unfortunate rallying point for postcolonial urban scholars. The consequence is that global cities research tends to be casually invoked to distinguish one's own position. We conclude by advocating practices of 'engaged pluralism' rather than 'polemical pluralism' when 'doing global urban research', and propose that critical realism can provide an important epistemological bridge to make different positions communicate.

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Section: The Substance Of Postcolonial Critiquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Callari (1991), 'classical orthodox Marxism' was economistic because it assumed that capital predefined politics, i.e. the base determined the superstructure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can the straw man speak? An engagement with postcolonial critiques of ‘global cities research’

Meeteren

Derudder

Bassens

2016

Dialogues in Human Geography

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“…Based on the Gramscian framework outline above, I argue that all these "economic" phenomena should be theorized as complexly socially and historically constituted and thus diverse in their organization, operation, and effects. Hence, the following types of conceptualizations need, I contend, to be identified, denounced, and replaced: those that see "the economy" or markets as self-constituting or selfregulating (e.g., governed by an "invisible hand"); separate from the rest of society with their own laws, types of behavior, motivations, forms of thinking (e.g., utility maximization, self-interest, or instrumental rationality), and predictable effects (e.g., growth, efficiency, social welfare, or equilibrium); and those that view various types of economic phenomena (e.g., markets or economic enterprises) as essentially the same in their basic structure, that is, similarly determined by a limited number of "economic" variables (e.g., supply and demand, free trade, laissez-faire, competition, or profitability) and therefore operating according to similar "laws," "imperatives," or "logics" and having similar outcomes (Resnick and Wolff 1989;Wolff and Resnick 1987;Gibson-Graham 1996;Watkins 1998;Amariglio and Ruccio 1994;Callari 1991;Hindess 1987;Block 1990;Swanson 2007a).…”

Section: Examples Of Depoliticized and Procapitalist Discoursesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic Common Sense and the Depoliticization of the Economic

Swanson

2008

Political Research Quarterly

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This article theorizes and begins to explore the extent to which academic and nonacademic discourses contribute to the reproduction and legitimacy of the economic status quo. The author argues that economic practices in the United States are often depoliticized in at least two different ways: They are naturalized or essentialized conceptually, and political control over them is limited. Drawing on antiessentialist Marxian economic theory, Gramsci's theory of hegemony, and poststructuralist theory, the author constructs a framework for conceptualizing economic practices in a more politicized manner. The author also provides some specific examples of depoliticized discourses and a few examples of more politicized discourses.

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“…8 These terms are from Hirst andThompson (1992, 1996). 9 The tendency on the part of classical Marxism to economize the political is critically discussed by Antonio Callari (1991). 10 See, e.g., the various proposals put forward in the issue of Labor Research Revzew (1995) titled 'Confronting Global Power'.…”

Section: The View From Belowmentioning

confidence: 99%