The material conditions of non-domination: Property, independence, and the means of production

Bryan, Alexander

doi:10.1177/14748851211050620

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 39 publications

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“…We can understand the condition of economic independence as the set of material conditions that must be satisfied for a citizen to have access to the range of capabilities and opportunities required for republican citizenship; that is, a threshold of the full range of resources, capabilities, and opportunities which together constitute the economic basis of non-domination. A citizen who achieves economic independence is one who is able to participate in civic life as an equal, and to access the resources associated with that condition without subjecting herself to arbitrary power (Bryan 2021b). As well as indicating the material condition of any given individual, the condition of economic independence is also sensitive to economic inequality and incorporates institutional and systemic dimensions.…”

Section: Economic Independencementioning

confidence: 99%

Should Republicans be Interested in Exploitation?

Bryan

Kouris²

2022

Res Publica

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Recent work in republican political theory has identified various forms of domination in the structures and relations of capitalist societies. A notable absence in much of this work is the concept of exploitation, which is generally treated as a predictable outcome of certain kinds of domination. This paper argues that the concept of exploitation can instead be conceived as a form of structural domination, understood in republican terms, and that adopting this conception has important implications for republican attempts to theorise modern capitalist societies. Building on existing domination accounts of exploitation, we argue that exploitation is a form of structurally constituted domination that enables a systemic illegitimate extraction ofvalue. However, in contrast to competing accounts, domination is understood here in the republican terms of subjection to arbitrary power. We show that conceiving of domination in these terms not only makes the concept easily accessible from within a republican framework, but has advantages over competing accounts. Our argument also demonstrates why using the concept of exploitation will be useful for republican theorists. We show that a polity based on exploitative relations of production is antithetical to key republican commitments. These asymmetric power relationships undermine the economic and political independence of citizens and, crucially, constrain the political and economic ends that a polity will be effectively able to pursue. As such, exploitation should be a central preoccupation of republican political economy.

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Section: Economic Independencementioning

confidence: 99%