Morning Comrades!
Yes, you read right. Another series, I know, I too am asking myself not only where I am getting this energy from and why I am getting myself into this but a mind that is resting due to manual labour is an eager mind, and working I have been.
In lieu of last weeks series on accelerationism several core questions arose about the core structuring behind our capitalist system. I consider myself firmly planted within the materialist train of thought within the teachings and understandings of Marxist thought but obviously am not ignoring the more massive recent advances in queer, feminist contributions to our understanding. These certainly have and will continue to play a significant role, not only in this discourse but in our collective advancement towards revolution and a world past this insanity.
I am forever intrigued not only about the root causes of injustice but equally about the solutions. The last few years the concept of “injustice” has additionally moved from the local, present, material to the global, underlying, root realities that cause them, and so have their potential solutions.
I have not mapped this series out in the slightest nor have I really laid out a plan so I cannot say how long this will be, but having gathered a scope of the importance, I have a feeling it will be longer. I will do my utmost to keep it interesting and not so strictly theoretical / philosophical and keep it relatable. The topic, based on the some of the ideas and notions set forth last week is that of a possible solution to the underlying cancer that is killing not just us, but this planet. Additionally, this was sparked by a dear friends and respected agitator/partner of mine, let’s call them Jane, who last week, and I am paraphrasing here, said something along the lines of:
Without the idea of property, capitalism couldn’t exist but more specifically I wanted to bring this idea into the context of the smallest building block of Western Capitalism: The Family.
Furthermore, this series will explore our understanding of the word, what it means and entails within our capitalist realities, how the concept of patriarchy was created and is used to exploit, at the very least, 50% of the population and most importantly what can be done to counteract this. Revolutions start at home and I firmly believe that by reaching an understanding of what we consider “our safe spaces” aka, our families, are in reality a social construct created to exploit us. There is heaps to unpack here, the historical origins, its players and reasons, property, the role of the state and our political frameworks but most importantly, again, how to counter act these “realities” to build a better world.
“The ultimate, hidden truth of the world is that it is something that we make, and could just as easily make differently.” - David Graeber
A couple of important disclaimers before we get into this rabbit hole that I hope you will join me on, another trip to Wonderland! This discussion is anything but new. As a matter of fact, shortly after Karl Marx’s death, his partner, Friedrich Engels published the absolute masterpiece: The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State that laid the groundwork for the advancements both in the materialistic school as well as later the queer & feminist approaches to this subject, both of which are progressing towards a union of late, something I find terribly exciting.
After Marx’s death, in rummaging through Marx’s manuscripts, Engels came upon Marx’s precis of Ancient Society – a book by progressive US scholar Lewis Henry Morgan and published in London 1877. The precis was written between 1880-81 and contained Marx’s numerous remarks on Morgan as well as passages from other sources. Engel’s work focuses on early human history, following the disintegration of the primitive community and the emergence of a class society based on private property. Engels looks into the origin and essence of the state, and concludes it is bound to wither away leaving a classless society. Lenin would later describe it as “one of the fundamental works of modern socialism.”
Entire schools of scholars from the 2nd wave of Marxism, especially noteworthy is Alexandra Kollontai, following the Communist Revolution in 1917 published entire volumes on the subject, furthering our understanding of the patriarchal columns upon which the injustice of capitalism is built and how to counter them. Following the founding of the International Feminist Collective by activists and scholars such as Silvia Federici in the 1970s and from the 3rd wave of radical, autonomous Marxist Feminist by the late 1990s, the questions inherent in our concepts of family, care, reproduction, work, wealth, the state and capitalism were beginning to be seriously challenged. A groundbreaking piece of work again comes from Federici in 2004, entitled “Caliban and the Witch” that responds to both feminist and Marxist traditions and essentially offers a brilliant and critical alternative to Karl Marx's theory of primitive accumulation. This the tip of the iceberg but it is absolutely and utterly noteworthy that I am not asking many, if any at all, original questions here and that the answers I am hoping to present are anything but my own, but entirely formed by 100s of years of work before me.
I have always had my own ideas about family and its connected roles, identities and realities. These have repeatedly changed and drastically so over the last 44 years and I consider that a net positive, at least. I am certain that my current understanding and enactment of them will also change in the future, thus is my understanding of time. With that, another, personal disclaimer. Whilst I, currently, do not believe that the Western concept of a heteronormative, nuclear families with all their inherent realities is good and I certainly aim to dismantle all its internalized and socialized injustices in my reality, this isn’t a crusade against it, or anyone that wants to live that way. Some of you know me personally and I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that with my several decade long plus of being at the arse-end of this system that this would be a personal crusade. That’s fair. I will bring personal stories and experiences but this isn’t about vindicating anyone or anything. At best, I would love to raise questions and discussions for each and everyone to make up their own mind. It would be even better if this series can help anyone understand the “why” of their reality and ask themselves “if” they want it to be so. That’s the aim here.
Last but definitely not least: whatever perspectives and questions I am offering here most definitely come from a White, European, Male perspective. Not only is that all I can offer but all I should offer. I couldn’t and will not ever offer any other perspective in regards to region, race, sex or culture but they most definitely exist and I urge you to seek those out. As the largest benefactor of this system, I understand my job not only as an educator but also an agitator, having, by sheer genetic luck, received the greatest of privileges: being the last on the list of agitators to fuck with by those bastards doing the fucking. All of this needs to be read and understood in that context.
To kick start this series, for now, an overview of the questions I have written down.
What is the Family? It’s history and meaning, according to who and for what benefit? The inherent injustice of patriarchy and how to challenge it, the role of the state and force and our understanding or property within these confines as well as their countermeasures. What is Care Work and how can it be a tool in dismantling capitalism.
For starters in any case.
Thank you for your time, attention and support. I hope you are as excited about this as I am. Until then, I remain yours, without compromise,
V.