1he Common ln Communlsm

Mlchael PardL
1he common musL be Lhe foundaLlon of any communlsL hypoLhesls Loday 1hls ls Lrue due prlmarlly
Lo Lwo lnLerconnecLlng and confllcLlng condlLlons of Lhe common wlLh respecL Lo caplLallsL
producLlon llrsL conLemporary caplLallsL producLlon relles ever more cenLrally on Lhe producLlon
and producLlvlLy of Lhe common And second Lhe common slnce lL musL be shared and open Lo free
access ls anLlLheLlcal Lo properLy ln oLher words Lhe common and lLs producLlvlLy are desLroyed
when relaLlons of properLy (prlvaLe or publlc) are lmposed on lL and ln Lurn Lhe afflrmaLlon of Lhe
common lmplles Lhe desLrucLlon of properLy 1he dynamlcs of class sLruggle Loday and Lhe pro[ecL Lo
overcome class socleLy develop on Lhe Lerraln of Lhe common

l generally agree wlLh Lhe efforLs of Alaln 8adlou and Slavo[ Zlzek Lo renew Lhe ldea of communlsm
and Lhe communlsL hypoLhesls 1he concepL of communlsm llke LhaL of democracy has been
corrupLed so LhaL Loday ln sLandard usage lL has come Lo mean lLs opposlLe LhaL ls sLaLe conLrol of
economlc and soclal llfe l would llke Lo shlfL Lhe dlscusslon sllghLly however or recenLer lL from
8adlou's and Zlzek's focus on Lhe pollLlcal declslon Lo Lhe crlLlque of pollLlcal economy and Lhe
pro[ecL for Lhe abollLlon of properLy 1o reallze Lhe communlsL hypoLhesls for our Llmes we need Lo
move so Lo speak from Lenln Lo Marx lndeed one of Lhe reasons LhaL Lhe communlsL hypoLheses of
prevlous eras are no longer valld ls LhaL Lhe composlLlon of caplLal as well as Lhe condlLlons and
producLs of caplLallsL producLlon have alLered MosL lmporLanLly Lhe Lechnlcal composlLlon of labor
has changed Pow do people produce boLh lnslde and ouLslde Lhe workplace? WhaL do Lhey produce
and under whaL condlLlons? Pow ls producLlve cooperaLlon organlzed? And whaL are Lhe dlvlslons of
labor and power LhaL separaLe Lhem along gender and raclal llnes and ln Lhe local reglonal and
global conLexLs? ln addlLlon Lo lnvesLlgaLlng Lhe currenL composlLlon of labor we also have Lo
analyze Lhe relaLlons of properLy under whlch labor produces Along wlLh Marx we can say LhaL Lhe
crlLlque of pollLlcal economy ls aL lLs hearL a crlLlque of properLy 1he Lheory of Lhe CommunlsLs"
Marx and Lngels wrlLe ln Lhe ManlfesLo may be summed up ln Lhe slngle senLence AbollLlon of
prlvaLe properLy"1

ln order Lo explore Lhe relaLlonshlp and sLruggle beLween properLy and Lhe common whlch l
conslder Lo be cenLral Lo communlsL analysls and proposlLlon l wanL Lo read Lwo passages from
Marx's 1844 Lconomlc and hllosophlcal ManuscrlpLs 8y referrlng Lhe ManuscrlpLs l do noL lnLend Lo
pose Lhe early Marx agalnsL Lhe laLe celebraLe Marx's humanlsm or anyLhlng of Lhe sorL 1hese are
argumenLs ln facL LhaL conLlnue LhroughouL Marx's work 1he ManuscrlpLs provlde a model for
readlng Lhe common ln communlsm and measurlng Lhe dlsLance beLween Marx's Llme and our own

ln Lhe flrsL passage LlLled 1he 8elaLlon of rlvaLe roperLy" Marx proposes a perlodlzaLlon LhaL
hlghllghLs Lhe domlnanL form of properLy ln each era 8y Lhe mld19Lh cenLury he clalms Luropean
socleLles are no longer prlmarlly domlnaLed by lmmoblle properLy such as land buL lnsLead by
moblle forms of properLy generally Lhe resulLs of lndusLrlal producLlon 1he perlod of LranslLlon ls
characLerlzed by a blLLer baLLle beLween Lhe Lwo forms of properLy ln Lyplcal fashlon Marx mocks
Lhe clalms Lo soclal good of boLh properLy owners 1he landowner emphaslzes Lhe producLlvlLy of
agrlculLure and lLs vlLal lmporLance for socleLy as well as Lhe noble llneage of hls properLy Lhe
feudal remlnlscences Lhe poeLry of remembrance hls hlghflown naLure hls pollLlcal lmporLance
eLc"2 1he owner of movable properLy ln conLrasL aLLacks Lhe parochlallsm and sLasls of Lhe world
of lmmoblle properLy whlle slnglng hls own pralses Movable properLy lLself Marx wrlLes clalms
Lo have won pollLlcal freedom for Lhe world Lo have loosed Lhe chalns of clvll socleLy Lo have llnked
LogeLher dlfferenL worlds Lo have glven rlse Lo Lrade whlch encourages frlendshlp beLween peoples
and Lo have creaLed a pure morallLy and a pleaslng culLure" (339) Marx conslders lL lnevlLable LhaL
moblle properLy would achleve economlc domlnance from lmmoblle properLy MovemenL lnevlLably
Lrlumphs over lmmoblllLy open and selfconsclous baseness over hldden and unconsclous baseness
greed over selflndulgence Lhe avowedly resLless and versaLlle selflnLeresL of enllghLenmenL over
Lhe parochlal worldywlse arLless lazy and deluded selflnLeresL of supersLlLlon [usL as money musL
Lrlumph over Lhe oLher forms of prlvaLe properLy" (340) and l wlll add soon Lo Lhls llsL proflL over
renL Marx of course mocks boLh of Lhese properLy owners buL he does recognlze LhaL movable
properLy however desplcable does have Lhe advanLage of reveallng Lhe ldea of labor as Lhe sole
essence of wealLh" (343) Pls perlodlzaLlon ln oLher words hlghllghLs Lhe lncreased poLenLlal for a
communlsL pro[ecL

l wanL Lo analyze a parallel sLruggle beLween Lwo forms of properLy Loday buL before dolng LhaL l
should noLe LhaL Lhe Lrlumph of movable over lmmoblle properLy corresponds Lo Lhe vlcLory of proflL
over renL as Lhe domlnanL mode of exproprlaLlon ln Lhe collecLlon of renL Lhe caplLallsL ls deemed Lo
be relaLlvely exLernal Lo Lhe process of Lhe producLlon of value merely exLracLlng value produced by
oLher means 1he generaLlon of proflL ln conLrasL requlres Lhe engagemenL of Lhe caplLallsL ln Lhe
producLlon process lmposlng forms of cooperaLlon dlsclpllnary reglmes eLc 8y Lhe Llme of !ohn
Maynard keynes proflL has such dlgnlLy wlLh respecL Lo renL LhaL keynes can predlcL (or prescrlbe)
Lhe euLhanasla of Lhe renLler 1hls concepLlon of an hlsLorlcal movemenL wlLhln caplLal from renL Lo
proflL also corresponds Lo Lhe purporLed passage ln many analyses from prlmlLlve accumulaLlon Lo
caplLallsL producLlon proper rlmlLlve accumulaLlon mlghL be consldered ln Lhls conLexL an absoluLe
renL exproprlaLlng enLlrely wealLh produced elsewhere

1he passages from renL Lo proflL and from Lhe domlnance of lmmoblle Lo LhaL of moblle properLy are
boLh parL of a more general clalm by Marx LhaL by Lhe mld19Lh cenLury largescale lndusLry has
replaced agrlculLure as Lhe hegemonlc form of economlc producLlon Pe does noL make Lhls clalm of
course ln quanLlLaLlve Lerms lndusLrlal producLlon aL Lhe Llme made up a small fracLlon of Lhe
economy even ln Lngland Lhe mosL lndusLrlallzed counLry And Lhe ma[orlLy of workers Lolled noL ln
Lhe facLorles buL ln Lhe fleld Marx's clalm lnsLead ls quallLaLlve all oLher forms of producLlon wlll be
forced Lo adopL Lhe quallLles of lndusLrlal producLlon AgrlculLure mlnlng even socleLy lLself wlll have
Lo adopL lLs reglmes of mechanlzaLlon lLs labor dlsclpllne lLs LemporallLles and rhyLhms lLs worklng
day and so forLh L 1hompson's classlc essay on clocks and workdlsclpllne ln Lngland ls a
wonderful demonsLraLlon of Lhe progresslve lmposlLlon of lndusLrlal LemporallLy over socleLy as a
whole3 ln Lhe cenLury and a half slnce Marx's Llme Lhls Lendency for lndusLry Lo lmpose lLs quallLles
has proceeded ln exLraordlnary ways

1oday however lL ls clear LhaL lndusLry no longer holds Lhe hegemonlc poslLlon wlLhln Lhe economy
1hls ls noL Lo say LhaL fewer people work ln facLorles Loday Lhan 10 or 20 or 30 years ago alLhough
ln cerLaln respecLs Lhelr locaLlons have shlfLed movlng Lo Lhe oLher slde of Lhe global dlvlslons of
labor and power 1he clalm once agaln ls noL prlmarlly quanLlLaLlve buL quallLaLlve lndusLry no
longer lmposes lLs quallLles over oLher secLors of Lhe economy and over soclal relaLlons more
generally 1haL seems Lo me a relaLlvely unconLroverslal clalm
More dlsagreemenL arlses when one proposes anoLher form of producLlon as successor Lo lndusLry
as hegemonlc ln Lhls way 1onl negrl and l argue LhaL lmmaLerlal or blopollLlcal producLlon ls
emerglng ln LhaL hegemonlc poslLlon 8y lmmaLerlal and blopollLlcal we Lry Lo grasp LogeLher Lhe
producLlon of ldeas lnformaLlon lmages knowledges code languages soclal relaLlonshlps affecLs
and Lhe llke 1hls deslgnaLes occupaLlons LhroughouL Lhe economy from Lhe hlgh end Lo Lhe low
from healLh care workers fllghL aLLendanLs and educaLors Lo sofLware programmers and from fasL
food and call cenLer workers Lo deslgners and adverLlsers MosL of Lhese forms of producLlon are noL
new of course buL Lhe coherence among Lhem ls perhaps more recognlzable and more lmporLanL
Lhelr quallLles Lend Loday Lo be lmposed over oLher secLors of Lhe economy and over socleLy as a
whole lndusLry has Lo lnformaLlonallze knowledge code and lmages are becomlng ever more
lmporLanL LhroughouL Lhe LradlLlonal secLors of producLlon and Lhe producLlon of affecLs and care ls
becomlng lncreaslngly essenLlal ln Lhe valorlzaLlon process 1hls hypoLhesls of a Lendency for
lmmaLerlal or blopollLlcal producLlon Lo emerge ln Lhe hegemonlc poslLlon whlch lndusLry used Lo
hold has all klnds of lmmedlaLe lmpllcaLlons for gender dlvlslons of labor and varlous lnLernaLlonal
and oLher geographlcal dlvlslons of labor buL l'll have Lo leave Lhose for anoLher occaslon

WhaL l wanL Lo focus on here ls Lhe new sLruggle beLween Lwo forms of properLy lmplled by Lhls
LranslLlon whlch Lakes us back Lo Marx's formulaLlons Whereas ln Marx's Llme Lhe sLruggle was
beLween lmmoblle properLy (such as land) and moveable properLy (such as maLerlal commodlLles)
Loday Lhe sLruggle ls beLween maLerlal properLy and lmmaLerlal properLy or Lo puL lL anoLher way
whereas Marx focused on Lhe moblllLy of properLy Loday aL lssue ls cenLrally scarclLy and
reproduclblllLy such LhaL Lhe sLruggle can be posed as belng beLween unreproduclble versus
reproduclble properLy or raLher properLy LhaL ls easlly shared 1he conLemporary focus on
lmmaLerlal and reproduclble properLy ln Lhe caplLallsL economy can be recognlzed easlly from even a
cursory glance aL Lhe fleld of properLy law aLenLs copyrlghLs lndlgenous knowledges geneLlc
codes Lhe lnformaLlon ln Lhe germplasm of seeds and slmllar lssues are Lhe mosL acLlvely Loplcs
debaLed ln Lhe fleld 1he facL LhaL Lhe loglc of scarclLy does noL hold ln Lhls domaln poses new
problems for properLy !usL as Marx saw LhaL movemenL necessarlly Lrlumphs over lmmoblllLy so Loo
Loday Lhe lmmaLerlal Lrlumphs over Lhe maLerlal Lhe reproduclble over Lhe unreproduclble and Lhe
shared over Lhe excluslve

1he emerglng domlnance of Lhls form of properLy ls slgnlflcanL ln parL because lL demonsLraLes and
reLurns Lo cenLer sLage of Lhe confllcL beLween Lhe common and properLy as such ldeas lmages
knowledges code languages and even affecLs can be prlvaLlzed and conLrolled as properLy buL lL ls
more dlfflculL Lo pollce ownershlp because Lhey are so easlly shared or reproduced 1here ls a
consLanL pressure for such goods Lo escape Lhe boundarles of properLy and become common lf you
have an ldea sharlng lL wlLh me does noL reduce lLs uLlllLy Lo you buL usually lncreases lL ln facL ln
order Lo reallze Lhelr maxlmum producLlvlLy ldeas lmages and affecLs musL be common and shared
When Lhey are prlvaLlzed Lhelr producLlvlLy reduces dramaLlcally and l would add maklng Lhe
common lnLo publlc properLy LhaL ls sub[ecLlng lL Lo sLaLe conLrol or managemenL slmllarly reduces
producLlvlLy roperLy ls becomlng a feLLer on Lhe caplLallsL mode of producLlon Pere ls an emerglng
conLradlcLlon lnLernal Lo caplLal Lhe more Lhe common ls corralled as properLy Lhe more lLs
producLlvlLy ls reduced and yeL expanslon of Lhe common undermlnes Lhe relaLlons of properLy ln a
fundamenLal and general way

1hls conLradlcLlon ls clearly evldenL ln Lerms of sclenLlflc knowledges and code free access Lo
lnformaLlon and free exchange of ldeas ln oLher words Lhe auLonomy of Lhe common ls
necessary for fuLure creaLlon 1he same ls Lrue l argue for all forms of blopollLlcal producLlon such
as llngulsLlc or affecLlve producLlon ?ou can produce affecLs and soclal relaLlons on command buL
producLlvlLy and creaLlvlLy wlll be severely llmlLed

We could say ln raLher broad Lerms LhaL neollberallsm has been deflned by Lhe baLLle of prlvaLe
properLy noL only agalnsL publlc properLy buL also and perhaps more lmporLanLly agalnsL Lhe
common Pere lL ls useful Lo dlsLlngulsh beLween Lwo Lypes of Lhe common boLh of whlch are ob[ecL
of neollberal sLraLegles of caplLal (And Lhls can serve as an lnlLlal deflnlLlon of Lhe common") Cn
Lhe one hand Lhe common names Lhe earLh and all Lhe resources assoclaLed wlLh lL Lhe land Lhe
foresLs Lhe waLer Lhe alr mlnerals and so forLh 1hls ls closely relaLed Lo 17Lh cenLury Lngllsh usage
of Lhe commons" (wlLh an s") Cn Lhe oLher hand Lhe common also refers as l have already sald
Lo Lhe resulLs of human labor and creaLlvlLy such as ldeas language affecLs and so forLh ?ou mlghL
Lhlnk of Lhe former as Lhe naLural" common and Lhe laLLer as Lhe arLlflclal" common buL really
such dlvlslons beLween naLural and arLlflclal qulckly break down ln any case neollberallsm has
almed Lo prlvaLlze boLh Lhese forms of Lhe common
Cne ma[or scene of Lhls has been Lhe exLracLlve lndusLrles provldlng access Lo LransnaLlonal
corporaLlons Lo dlamonds ln Slerra Leone or oll ln uganda or LlLhlum deposlLs and waLer rlghLs ln
8ollvla Such neollberal prlvaLlzaLlon of Lhe common has been descrlbed by many auLhors lncludlng
uavld Parvey and naoml kleln ln Lerms LhaL mark Lhe renewed lmporLance of prlmlLlve
accumulaLlon or accumulaLlon by dlspossesslon 4

1he neollberal sLraLegles for Lhe prlvaLlzaLlon of Lhe arLlflclal" common are much more complex and
conLradlcLory Pere Lhe confllcL beLween properLy and Lhe common ls fully ln play 1he more Lhe
common ls sub[ecL Lo properLy relaLlons as l sald Lhe less producLlve lL ls and yeL caplLallsL
valorlzaLlon processes requlres prlvaLe accumulaLlon ln many domalns caplLallsL sLraLegles for
prlvaLlzlng Lhe common Lhrough mechanlsms such as paLenLs and copyrlghLs conLlnue (ofLen wlLh
dlfflculLy) desplLe Lhe conLradlcLlons 1he muslc lndusLry and compuLer lndusLry are full of examples
1hls ls also Lhe case wlLh socalled bloplracy LhaL ls Lhe processes whereby LransnaLlonal
corporaLlons exproprlaLe Lhe common ln Lhe form of lndlgenous knowledges or geneLlc lnformaLlon
from planLs anlmals and humans usually Lhrough Lhe use of paLenLs 1radlLlonal knowledges of Lhe
use of a ground seed as naLural pesLlclde for lnsLance or Lhe heallng quallLles of a planL are made
lnLo prlvaLe properLy by Lhe corporaLlon LhaL paLenLs Lhe knowledge arenLheLlcally l would lnslsL
LhaL plracy ls a mlsnomer for such acLlvlLles lraLes have a much more noble vocaLlon Lhey sLeal
properLy 1hese corporaLlons lnsLead sLeal Lhe common and Lransform lL lnLo properLy

ln general Lhough caplLal accompllshes Lhe exproprlaLlon of Lhe common noL Lhrough prlvaLlzaLlon
per se buL ln Lhe form of renL Several conLemporary lLallan and lrench economlsLs who work on
whaL Lhey call cognlLlve caplLallsm Carlo vercellone mosL promlnenLly argue LhaL [usL as ln an earller
perlod Lhere was a LendenLlal movemenL from renL Lo proflL as Lhe domlnanL mode of caplLallsL
exproprlaLlon Loday Lhere ls a reverse movemenL from proflL Lo renL3 aLenLs and copyrlghLs for
example generaLe renL ln Lhe sense LhaL Lhey guaranLee an lncome based on Lhe ownershlp of
maLerlal or lmmaLerlal properLy 1hls argumenL does noL lmply a reLurn Lo Lhe pasL Lhe lncome
generaLed from a paLenL for lnsLance ls very dlfferenL from LhaL generaLed from land ownershlp
1he core lnslghL of Lhls analysls of Lhe emerglng domlnance of renL over proflL whlch l flnd very
slgnlflcanL ls LhaL caplLal remalns generally exLernal Lo Lhe processes of Lhe producLlon of Lhe
common Whereas ln Lhe case of lndusLrlal caplLal and lLs generaLlon of proflL Lhe caplLallsL plays a
role lnLernal Lo Lhe producLlon process as Marx clalms parLlcularly ln deslgnaLlng Lhe means of
cooperaLlon and lmposlng Lhe modes of dlsclpllne ln Lhe producLlon of Lhe common Lhe caplLallsL
musL remaln relaLlvely exLernal6 Lvery lnLervenLlon of Lhe caplLallsL ln Lhe processes of Lhe
producLlon of Lhe common [usL as every Llme Lhe common ls made properLy reduces producLlvlLy
8enL ls a mechanlsm Lhen Lo cope wlLh Lhe confllcLs beLween caplLal and Lhe common A llmlLed
auLonomy ls granLed Lhe processes of Lhe producLlon of Lhe common wlLh respecL Lo Lhe sharlng of
resources and Lhe deLermlnaLlon of Lhe modes of cooperaLlon and caplLal ls sLlll able Lo exerL conLrol
and exproprlaLe value Lhrough renL LxplolLaLlon ln Lhls conLexL Lakes Lhe form of Lhe exproprlaLlon
of Lhe common

1hls dlscusslon of renL polnLs on Lhe one hand Lo Lhe neollberal processes of accumulaLlon by
dlspossesslon lnsofar as prlmlLlve accumulaLlon can be called form of absoluLe renL Cn Lhe oLher
hand lL casLs ln a new llghL Lhe conLemporary predomlnance of flnance whlch ls characLerlzed by
complex and very absLracL varleLles of relaLlve renL ChrlsLlan Marazzl cauLlons us agalnsL concelvlng
of flnance as flcLlonal ln opposlLlon Lo Lhe real economy" a concepLlon LhaL mlsundersLands Lhe
exLenL Lo whlch flnance and producLlon are boLh lncreaslngly domlnaLed by lmmaLerlal forms of
properLy Pe also warns agalnsL dlsmlsslng flnance as merely unproducLlve ln conLrasL Lo an lmage of
producLlvlLy roughly Lled Lo lndusLrlal producLlon lL ls more useful Lo slLuaLe flnance ln Lhe conLexL of
Lhe general Lrend from proflL Lo renL and Lhe correspondlngly exLernal poslLlon of caplLal wlLh
respecL Lo Lhe producLlon of Lhe common llnance exproprlaLes Lhe common and exerLs conLrol aL a
dlsLance7

now l can brlng Lo a close and revlew Lhe prlmary polnLs of my readlng of Lhls flrsL passage from
Marx's early manuscrlpLs 1he 8elaLlons of rlvaLe roperLy" ln whlch he descrlbes Lhe sLruggle
beLween Lwo forms of properLy (lmmoblle versus moveable) and Lhe hlsLorlcal passage from Lhe
domlnance of landed properLy Lo LhaL of lndusLrlal caplLal 1oday we are also experlenclng a sLruggle
beLween Lwo forms of properLy (maLerlal versus lmmaLerlal or scarce versus reproduclble) And Lhls
sLruggle reveals a deeper confllcL beLween properLy as such and Lhe common AlLhough Lhe
producLlon of Lhe common ls lncreaslngly cenLral Lo Lhe caplLallsL economy caplLal cannoL lnLervene
ln Lhe producLlon process and musL lnsLead remaln exLernal exproprlaLlng value ln Lhe form of renL
(Lhrough flnanclal and oLher mechanlsms) As a resulL Lhe producLlon and producLlvlLy of Lhe
common becomes an lncreaslngly auLonomous domaln sLlll explolLed and conLrolled of course buL
Lhrough mechanlsms LhaL are relaLlvely exLernal Llke Marx l would say Lhls developmenL of caplLal ls
noL good ln lLself and Lhe LendenLlal domlnance of lmmaLerlal or blopollLlcal producLlon carrles
wlLh lL a serles of new and more severe forms of explolLaLlon and conLrol And yeL lL ls lmporLanL Lo
recognlze LhaL caplLal's own developmenL provldes Lhe Lools for llberaLlon from caplLal and
speclflcally here lL leads Lo Lhe lncreased auLonomy of Lhe common and lLs producLlve clrculLs

1he brlngs me Lo Lhe second passage from Lhe ManuscrlpLs LhaL l wanL Lo conslder LlLled rlvaLe
roperLy and Communlsm" 1he noLlon of Lhe common can help us undersLand whaL Marx means by
communlsm ln Lhls passage Communlsm" he wrlLes ls Lhe poslLlve expresslon of Lhe abollLlon of
prlvaLe properLy" (343346) Pe lncludes LhaL phrase poslLlve expresslon" ln parL Lo dlfferenLlaLe
communlsm from Lhe false or corrupL noLlons of Lhe concepL Crude communlsm he clalms merely
perpeLuaLes prlvaLe properLy by generallzlng lL and exLendlng lL Lo Lhe enLlre communlLy as unlversal
prlvaLe properLy 1haL Lerm of course ls an oxymoron lf properLy ls now unlversal exLended Lo Lhe
enLlre communlLy lL ls no longer really prlvaLe Pe ls Lrylng Lo emphaslze lL seems Lo me LhaL ln
crude communlsm even Lhough Lhe prlvaLe characLer has been sLrlpped away properLy remalns
Communlsm properly concelved lnsLead ls Lhe abollLlon noL only of prlvaLe properLy buL properLy as
such rlvaLe properLy has made us so sLupld and oneslded LhaL an ob[ecL ls only ours when we
have lL" (331) WhaL would lL mean for someLhlng Lo be ours when we do noL possess lL? WhaL would
lL mean Lo regard ourselves and our world noL as properLy? Pas prlvaLe properLy made us so sLupld
LhaL we cannoL see LhaL? Marx ls searchlng here for Lhe common 1he open access and sharlng LhaL
characLerlze use of Lhe common are ouLslde of and lnlmlcal Lo properLy relaLlons We have been
made so sLupld LhaL we can only recognlze Lhe world as prlvaLe or publlc We have become bllnd Lo
Lhe common

Marx arrlves aL Lhe common (as Lhe abollLlon of properLy) abouL 20 years laLer ln ChapLer 32 of
CaplLal volume 1 on Lhe hlsLorlcal Lendency of caplLallsL accumulaLlon Pe sLlll poses Lhls
developmenL from properLy Lo Lhe common ln dlalecLlcal form 1he caplLallsL mode of
approprlaLlon Lhe resulL of Lhe caplLallsL mode of producLlon produces caplLallsL prlvaLe properLy
1hls ls Lhe flrsL negaLlon of lndlvldual prlvaLe properLy as founded on Lhe labor of Lhe proprleLor 8uL
caplLallsL producLlon begeLs wlLh Lhe lnexorablllLy of a law of naLure lLs own negaLlon lL ls Lhe
negaLlon of negaLlon 1hls does noL reesLabllsh prlvaLe properLy for Lhe producer buL glves hlm
lndlvldual properLy based on Lhe acqulslLlon of Lhe caplLallsL era le on cooperaLlon and Lhe
possesslon ln common of Lhe land and of Lhe means of producLlon"8 CaplLallsL developmenL
lnevlLable resulLs ln Lhe lncreaslngly cenLral role of cooperaLlon and Lhe common whlch ln Lurn
provldes Lhe Lools for overLhrowlng Lhe caplLallsL mode of producLlon and consLlLuLes Lhe bases for
an alLernaLlve socleLy and mode of producLlon a communlsm of Lhe common

WhaL l flnd dlssaLlsfylng abouL Lhls passage from CaplLal Lhough aslde from lLs dlalecLlcal
consLrucLlon ls LhaL Lhe common Marx refers Lo cooperaLlon and Lhe possesslon ln common of
Lhe land and Lhe means of producLlon" grasps prlmarlly Lhe maLerlal elemenLs ln quesLlon Lhe
lmmoblle and moveable forms of properLy made common 1hls formulaLlon does noL grasp ln oLher
words Lhe domlnanL forms of caplLallsL producLlon Loday lf we look back aL Lhe passage ln Lhe early
ManuscrlpLs however and Lry Lo fllLer ouL Marx's youLhful humanlsm we flnd a deflnlLlon of
communlsm and Lhe common LhaL does hlghllghL Lhe lmmaLerlal or really blopollLlcal aspecLs
Conslder flrsL Lhls deflnlLlon of communlsm whlch Marx proposes afLer havlng seL aslde Lhe crude
noLlon Communlsm ls Lhe poslLlve supersesslon of prlvaLe properLy as human selfesLrangemenL
and hence Lhe Lrue approprlaLlon of Lhe human essence Lhrough and for man lL ls Lhe compleLe
resLoraLlon of man Lo hlmself as a soclal le human belng" (p 348) WhaL does Marx mean by Lhe
Lrue approprlaLlon of Lhe human essence Lhrough and for man"? Clearly he ls worklng on Lhe noLlon
of approprlaLlon agalnsL Lhe graln applylng lL ln a conLexL where lL now seems sLrange no longer
approprlaLlon of Lhe ob[ecL ln Lhe form of prlvaLe properLy buL approprlaLlon of our own sub[ecLlvlLy
our human soclal relaLlons Marx explalns Lhls communlsL approprlaLlon Lhls nonproperLy
approprlaLlon ln Lerms of Lhe human sensorlum and Lhe full range of creaLlve and producLlve powers
Man approprlaLes hls lnLegral essence ln an lnLegral way" whlch he explalns ln Lerms of all hls
human relaLlons Lo Lhe world seelng hearlng smelllng LasLlng feellng Lhlnklng conLemplaLlng
senslng wanLlng acLlng lovlng" (331) l Lhlnk Lhe Lerm approprlaLlon" here ls mlsleadlng because
Marx ls noL Lalklng abouL capLurlng someLhlng LhaL already exlsLs buL raLher creaLlng someLhlng new
Lhls ls Lhe producLlon of sub[ecLlvlLy Lhe producLlon of a new sensorlum noL really approprlaLlon
Lhen buL producLlon lf we reLurn Lo Lhe LexL we can see LhaL Marx does ln facL pose Lhls clearly
Assumlng Lhe poslLlve supersesslon of prlvaLe properLy man produces man hlmself and oLher men"
(349) Cn Lhls readlng Marx's noLlon of communlsm ln Lhe early manuscrlpLs ls far from humanlsm
LhaL ls far from any recourse Lo a preexlsLlng or eLernal human essence lnsLead Lhe poslLlve
conLenL of communlsm whlch corresponds Lo Lhe abollLlon of prlvaLe properLy ls Lhe auLonomous
human producLlon of sub[ecLlvlLy Lhe human producLlon of humanlLy a new seelng a new hearlng
a new Lhlnklng a new lovlng

1hls brlngs us back Lo our analysls of Lhe blopollLlcal Lurn ln Lhe economy LhaL l descrlbed brlefly ln
Lhe conLexL of lndusLrlal producLlon Marx arrlved aL Lhe lmporLanL recognlLlon LhaL caplLallsL
producLlon ls almed aL creaLlng noL only ob[ecLs buL also sub[ecLs roducLlon Lhus noL only creaLes
an ob[ecL for Lhe sub[ecL buL also a sub[ecL for Lhe ob[ecL"9 ln Lhe conLexL of blopollLlcal producLlon
however Lhe producLlon of sub[ecLlvlLy ls much more dlrecL and lnLense Conslder a few examples of
conLemporary economlsLs who analyze Lhe LransformaLlons of caplLal ln [usL Lhese Lerms lf we had
Lo hazard a guess on Lhe emerglng model ln Lhe nexL decades" poslLs 8oberL 8oyer we would
probably have Lo refer Lo Lhe producLlon of man by man and explore rlghL away Lhe lnsLlLuLlonal
conLexL LhaL would permlL lLs emergence"10 And ChrlsLlan Marazzl explalns LhaL Lhe currenL
passage ln caplLallsL producLlon ls movlng Loward an anLhropogeneLlc model" Llvlng belngs as flxed
caplLal are aL Lhe cenLer of Lhls LransformaLlon and Lhe producLlon of forms of llfe ls becomlng Lhe
basls of added value 1hls ls a process ln whlch puLLlng Lo work human faculLles compeLences
knowledges and affecLs Lhose acqulred on Lhe [ob buL more lmporLanLly Lhose accumulaLed
ouLslde work are dlrecLly producLlve of value11 Cne dlsLlncLlve feaLure of Lhe work of head and
hearL Lhen ls LhaL paradoxlcally Lhe ob[ecL of producLlon ls really a sub[ecL deflned for example by
a soclal relaLlonshlp or a form of llfe 1hls should make clear aL leasL Lhe raLlonale for calllng Lhls form
of producLlon blopollLlcal slnce whaL are produced are forms of llfe

lf we reLurn Lo Marx ln Lhls new llghL we flnd LhaL Lhe progresslon of deflnlLlons of caplLal ln hls work
acLually glve us an lmporLanL clue for analyzlng Lhls blopollLlcal conLexL AlLhough wealLh ln caplLallsL
socleLy flrsL appears as an lmmense collecLlve of commodlLles Marx reveals LhaL caplLal ls really a
process of Lhe creaLlon of surplus value vla Lhe producLlon of commodlLles 8uL Marx develops Lhls
lnslghL one sLep furLher Lo dlscover LhaL ln lLs essence caplLal ls a soclal relaLlon or even furLher
Lhe ulLlmaLe ob[ecL of caplLallsL producLlon ls noL commodlLles buL soclal relaLlons lrom Lhe
sLandpolnL of blopollLlcal producLlon we can see LhaL Lhe producLlon of Lhe refrlgeraLor and Lhe
auLomoblle are only mldpolnLs for Lhe creaLlon of Lhe labor and gender relaLlons of Lhe nuclear
famlly around Lhe refrlgeraLor and Lhe mass socleLy of lndlvlduals lsolaLed LogeLher ln Lhelr cars on
Lhe freeway

WhaL l have been dolng here ls polnLlng ouL Lhe correspondence or proxlmlLy beLween Marx's
deflnlLlon of communlsm and Lhe conLemporary blopollLlcal Lurn of Lhe caplLallsL economy boLh of
whlch are orlenLed Loward Lhe human producLlon of humanlLy soclal relaLlons and forms of llfe all
ln Lhe conLexL of Lhe common AL Lhls polnL l need Lo explaln how l regard Lhls proxlmlLy and why lL ls
lmporLanL 8uL before dolng so leL me add one more elemenL Lo Lhe mlx

Mlchel loucaulL appreclaLes all Lhe sLrangeness and rlchness of Lhe llne of Marx's Lhlnklng LhaL leads
Lo Lhe concluslon LhaL l'homme produlL l'homme" (uslng llke Marx Lhe gender deflned formulaLlon)
Pe cauLlons LhaL we should noL undersLand Marx's phrase as an expresslon of humanlsm lor me
whaL musL be produced ls noL man as naLure deslgned lL or as lLs essence prescrlbes we musL
produce someLhlng LhaL does noL yeL exlsL and we cannoL know whaL lL wlll be" Pe also warns noL Lo
undersLand Lhls merely as a conLlnuaLlon of economlc producLlon as convenLlonally concelved l do
noL agree wlLh Lhose who would undersLand Lhls producLlon of man by man as belng accompllshed
llke Lhe producLlon of value Lhe producLlon of wealLh or of an ob[ecL of economlc use lL ls on Lhe
conLrary desLrucLlon of whaL we are and Lhe creaLlon of someLhlng compleLely oLher a LoLal
lnnovaLlon"12 We cannoL undersLand Lhls producLlon ln oLher words ln Lerms of Lhe produclng
sub[ecL and Lhe produced ob[ecL lnsLead producer and producL are boLh sub[ecLs humans produce
and humans are produced loucaulL clearly senses (wlLhouL seemlng Lo undersLand fully) Lhe
exploslveness of Lhls slLuaLlon Lhe blopollLlcal process ls noL llmlLed Lo Lhe reproducLlon of caplLal as
a soclal relaLlon buL also presenLs Lhe poLenLlal for an auLonomous process LhaL could desLroy caplLal
and creaLe someLhlng enLlrely new 8lopollLlcal producLlon obvlously lmplles new mechanlsms of
explolLaLlon and caplLallsL conLrol buL we should also recognlze followlng loucaulL's lnLulLlon how
blopollLlcal producLlon parLlcularly ln Lhe ways lL exceeds Lhe bounds of caplLallsL relaLlons and
consLanLly refers Lo Lhe common granLs labor lncreaslng auLonomy and provldes Lhe Lools or
weapons LhaL could be wlelded ln a pro[ecL of llberaLlon

now l can explaln Lhe polnL of recognlzlng Lhe proxlmlLy beLween Lhe ldea of communlsm and
conLemporary caplLallsL producLlon lL ls noL LhaL caplLallsL developmenL ls creaLlng communlsm or
LhaL blopollLlcal producLlon lmmedlaLely or dlrecLly brlngs llberaLlon lnsLead Lhrough Lhe lncreaslng
cenLrallLy of Lhe common ln caplLallsL producLlon Lhe producLlon of ldeas affecLs soclal relaLlons
and forms of llfe are emerglng Lhe condlLlons and weapons for a communlsL pro[ecL CaplLal ln
oLher words ls creaLlng lLs own gravedlggers

lL would be lnLeresLlng Lo lnvesLlgaLe relaLlon beLween Lhls economlc dlscusslon of Lhe common and
Lhe way Lhe common funcLlons cenLrally ln !acques 8anclere's noLlon of pollLlcs ollLlcs beglns
preclsely when one sLops balanclng proflLs and looses and ls concerned lnsLead wlLh dlvldlng Lhe
parLs of Lhe common" (ulsagreemenL p 3 La MesenLenLe p 24) 1he common ls Lhe Lerraln of Lhe
parLage dlvlslon and sharlng ollLlcs ls Lhe sphere of acLlvlLy of a common LhaL can only ever be
conLenLlous Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween parLs LhaL are only parLles and credenLlals or enLlLlemenLs
whose sum never equals Lhe whole" (p 14 p 3433)

1here are Lwo prlmary polnLs of my lnLervenLlon 1he flrsL ls a plea for Lhe crlLlque of pollLlcal
economy or raLher a clalm LhaL any communlsL pro[ecL musL begln Lhere Such an analysls makes
good on our perlodlzaLlons and reveals Lhe novelLles of our presenL momenL by conducLlng an
lnvesLlgaLlon of noL only Lhe composlLlon buL also class composlLlon asklng ln oLher words how
people produce whaL Lhey produce and under whaL condlLlons boLh ln and ouLslde Lhe workplace
boLh ln and ouLslde relaLlons of wage labor And all Lhls reveals l malnLaln Lhe lncreased cenLrallLy
of Lhe common

1he second polnL exLends Lhe crlLlque of pollLlcal economy Lo Lhe crlLlque of properLy And
speclflcally communlsm ls deflned by noL only Lhe abollLlon of properLy buL also Lhe afflrmaLlon of
Lhe common Lhe afflrmaLlon of open and auLonomous blopollLlcal producLlon Lhe selfgoverned
conLlnuous creaLlon of new humanlLy ln Lhe mosL synLheLlc Lerms whaL prlvaLe properLy ls Lo
caplLallsm and whaL sLaLe properLy ls Lo soclallsm Lhe common ls Lo communlsm

uLLlng my Lwo polnLs LogeLher LhaL caplLallsL producLlon lncreaslngly relles on Lhe common and
LhaL Lhe auLonomy of Lhe common ls Lhe essence of communlsm lndlcaLes LhaL Lhe condlLlons and
weapons of a communlsL pro[ecL are avallable Loday more Lhan ever now Lo us Lhe Lask of
organlzlng
lL


noLes

1 karl Marx and lrledrlch Lngels 1he CommunlsL ManlfesLo London verso 1998 p 32

2 karl Marx Lconomlc and hllosophlcal ManuscrlpLs ln Larly WrlLlngs Lrans 8odney LlvlngsLone and
Cregor 8enLon London enguln 1973 p 338

3 L 1hompson 1lme Workulsclpllne and lndusLrlal CaplLallsm" asL and resenL vol 38 no 1
1967 pp 3697

4 See uavld Parvey A 8rlef PlsLory of neollberallsm Cxford Cxford unlverslLy ress 2003 and
naoml kleln 1he Shock uocLrlne new ?ork MeLropollLan 8ooks 2007 lor an excellenL analysls of
neollberallsm's focus on exLracLlve lndusLrles ln Afrlca see !ames lerguson Clobal Shadows Afrlca ln
Lhe neollberal World Crder uurham uuke unlverslLy ress 2006

3 See for example Carlo vercellone Crlsl della legge del valore e dlvenlre rendlLa del proflLLo"
forLhcomlng

6 See Marx's dlscusslon of cooperaLlon ln ChapLer 13 of CaplLal volume 1 Lrans 8en lowkes
London enguln 1976 pp 439434

7 See ChrlsLlan Marazzl CaplLal and Language Lrans Cregory ConLl new ?ork SemloLexL(e) 2008

8 CaplLal vol 1 p 9299 Marx Crundrlsse Lrans MarLln nlcolaus London enguln 1973 p 92

10 8oberL 8oyer La crolssance debuL de slecle arls Albln Mlchel 2002 p 192

11 ChrlsLlan Marazzl CaplLallsmo dlglLale e modello anLropogeneLlco dl produzlone" ln !eanLouls
Lavllle ed 8elnvenLare ll lavoro 8ome Sapere 2000 2003 pp 107126

12 Mlchael loucaulL LnLreLlen" (wlLh uucclo 1romadorl) ulLs eL ecrlLs vol lv arls Calllmard
1994 pp 4193 quoLe p 74 ubllshed ln Lngllsh as Mlchel loucaulL 8emarks on Marx new ?ork
SemloLexL(e) 1991 pp 121122 AL Lhls polnL ln Lhe lnLervlew loucaulL ls dlscusslng hls dlfferences
from Lhe lrankfurL School