The Micro-Politics of Capital: Marx and the Prehistory of the Present by Jason Read

Description

The Micro-Politics of Capital: Marx and the Prehistory of the Present by Jason Read is a rigorous and thought-provoking exploration of the intersections between Marxist theory, contemporary philosophy, and political thought. In this book, Read revisits Karl Marx’s critique of political economy, drawing connections between Marx’s analysis of capital and the emergence of new forms of power, subjectivity, and governance in the present age. Published in 2003, this work operates at the crossroads of Marxist theory and post-structuralist philosophy, engaging deeply with thinkers like Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, and Antonio Negri. Read’s central thesis is that Marx’s work, especially his analysis of capitalism as a system that produces not only goods but also social relations and subjectivities, remains profoundly relevant for understanding contemporary forms of power. He refers to this as the "micro-politics of capital"—the ways in which capital shapes individual behavior, desires, and identities at the most intimate and everyday levels. Rather than focusing solely on traditional Marxist themes of class struggle and economic exploitation, Read emphasizes how capitalism operates through decentralized and diffuse mechanisms of control that infiltrate daily life, shaping subjectivity itself. He argues that Marx’s early writings on alienation and human nature, as well as his mature critique of political economy, offer powerful insights into understanding how capital governs not just through institutions and economic structures, but also through culture, language, and ideology. Read also engages with Foucault’s ideas of governmentality and biopolitics, demonstrating how they can enrich and complicate a Marxist understanding of power and social control. He explores how capital’s capacity to mold life itself—human needs, desires, labor, and social relations—makes it a pervasive and dynamic system of domination. In The Micro-Politics of Capital, Jason Read challenges readers to rethink Marx’s relevance for contemporary political struggles. He highlights the importance of analyzing not only the macro-structures of capitalism but also the micro-level processes that produce capitalist subjects. Read’s work offers a powerful critique of neoliberalism and globalization, framing them as the latest phases in capitalism’s ongoing colonization of life and subjectivity. In summary, The Micro-Politics of Capital: Marx and the Prehistory of the Present is a groundbreaking and intellectually challenging work that reinvigorates Marxist theory through dialogue with post-structuralist philosophy. It’s essential reading for scholars and students interested in political theory, Marxism, critical theory, and the complex ways in which power operates in the modern world.