Well, Victor has thrown down a bit of a gauntlet, hasn't he?
I'm happy to let "false consciousness" go through to the 'keeper (as we
cricket fans say), but I feel obliged to defend the legitimacy of the
concept of "class consciousness."
Firstly, "class consciousness" has an important double-meaning: (1) an
individual's identification with a social class, and (2) the
self-consciousness of a social class. These two are obviously inter-related
and inseparable historically.
Secondly, we come to this question not just as members of "postmodernity"
but very specifically after a protracted period since World War Two when
class-consciousness (in both meanings) has been eclipsed by the "struggle
for recognition".
I remain of the view that while the conditions which led to the eclipse of
class consciousness after the second world war have not been dissipated,
the forms of social consciousness which supplanted them (social movements,
identity politics) have run their course. Consequently, I cannot but see a
future in which class consciousness makes a comeback in some form, changed
by the long period of identity and representation politics.
Do you really mean it Victor?
Andy
At 02:21 AM 1/01/2004 +0200, you wrote:
>Class-consciousness and false consciousness is, as I've written earlier, a
>non-issue that sells Newspapers and makes spurious reputations for moral
>crusaders of both left and right.
>Regards,
>Victor
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Jan 01 2004 - 01:00:10 PST