Re: [xmca] New Book: Zones of Proletarian Development

Jonna,

Thanks for this description. I have ordered the book from Amazon. It may be
a little while before I can get down to reading it in detail so in the
meantime carry on with any other observations you may have. I took part in
both the London events she mentions in case that's a qualification ;). I
don't know the author either.

You raise some important issues about the absence of this kind of topic from
CHAT. If I remember rightly, there were a couple of articles in 'Historical
Materialism' a couple of years ago that made some relevant links. I will try
and dig them out.

Bruce

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonna Kangasoja" <jonna.kangasoja@helsinki.fi>
To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 1:48 PM
Subject: Re: [xmca] New Book: Zones of Proletarian Development

> Bruce, Mike and others,
>
> I got the Mastaneh Shah-Shuja book yesterday and after a quick look it
> seems well written and a fun read. Most importantly, like Bruce said,
> after a long time of waiting this book breaks the crying silence inside
> the CHAT field concerning research on contemporary political
> organization, e.g. the anti-capitalist movement (why not also the
> environmental movement) and by doing that opens up several lines of
> 'non-discussion'.
>
> One of the key arguments of the book is that the current phase of
> capitalism consists of four methods of surplus value extraction: real and
> formal, supplemented by 'pre-formal' and 'post-real'. The 'pre- formal'
> represents the forms that could be called 21st century slavery (e.g.
> child labor) and 'post-real' involve the application of computing, cyber,
> genetic and biotechnologies to labor power. The post-real mode of
> extraction will be completely original and may come to dominate and shape
> the interaction within this four-runged matrix.
>
> She writes:
> "It is the the enterity of the this four-runged evolving hierachical
> matrix (i.e. pre-formal, formal, real, post-real), with all its tensions
> and potential for joint activity, that I have termed the surreal phase of
> domination. [...] It is my argument that collectivities, and perhaps
> especially those that turn riotous or carnevalesque (i.e. those that
> transgress routine) provide transformative space 'in which subjectivity
> is unfurled, through the re-appropriation of of communication and the
> experience of co- operation, a transformation in which the material
> operation of reappropriation is also a moment of self-awareness' (Negri,
> 1989:138)."
>
> The two case studies discussed in the chapter 'Activity theory and Social
> Movements' are the 1990 anti-poll tax riots in Trafalgar Square and the
> Anti-war demonstration of February 2003 in London with over million
> demonstrators.
>
> The chapter also presents critique of activity theory and reflects on
> utility and limitations of it for the present analysis. (I think that
> this type of section is too often missing in CHAT inspired studies.)
>
> Why this contribution comes, what it seems, completely outside of the
> 'CHAT-field', is also an important question. Or has someone come across
> the author before?
>
> I hope she can join the discussion after people get the book in their
> hands. Bruce promised in the previous note to start it.
>
> Jonna
>
>
>
>
> BRUCE ROBINSON kirjoitti 21.7.2008 kello 18.27:
>
>> Like London buses, you wait a long time for writings on CHAT and radical
>> political consciousness and two come along at once (well, nearly - Wayne
>> Au's paper on Lenin & Vygotsky has been out for about a year.) I imagine
>> this takes a very different much more 'spontaneist' view of the zoped.
>> I will get hold of a copy and post about it here. I haven't also
>> forgotten my offering to write about Au and will when I get a bit more
>> time. Maybe a comparison.
>>
>> Bruce R
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Phil Chappell"
>> <philchappell@mac.com>
>> To: <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
>> Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 12:26 AM
>> Subject: [xmca] New Book: Zones of Proletarian Development
>>
>>
>>> Apologies for cross-posting
>>> Phil
>>>
>>> New Book Information (An OpenMute Publication)
>>>
>>> Zones of Proletarian Development
>>> Mastaneh Shah-Shuja
>>>
>>>
>>> In this book, Mastaneh Shah-Shuja presents a novel approach for the
>>> study-extension of the social movement. Employing conceptual tools
>>> from Marx,Vygotsky, Bakhtin and Activity Theory she examines the
>>> interaction
>>> of individuals within crowds in a variety of settings including London
>>> May Day celebrations, riotous Iranian carnivals, the anti-poll-tax
>>> rebellion, the
>>> great anti-war demonstration of 15 February 2003 and a number of
>>> historical and contemporary political organisations. She identifies
>>> ?zones of
>>> proximal development? (Vygotsky) where people learn from each other,
>>> solve
>>> social problems, develop consciousness and engage in collective
>>> meaning-
>>> making.
>>>
>>> Crucially, she demonstrates how capitalism is metamorphosing at a
>>> number of fronts simultaneously. She shows how new methods of
>>> exploitation and
>>> accumulation are being challenged by an emerging universal class
>>> unencumbered by some of the limitations of previous struggles. The
>>> reactionary
>>> nature of liberalism, social democracy, fascism and bolshevism are
>>> examined
>>> whilst the once-radical ideologies of left communism, council
>>> communism,
>>> anarchism,
>>> autonomist marxism, libertarian socialism and situationism are
>>> subjected to critical interrogation.
>>>
>>> Imaginatively presented, with a collection of illustrations, Zones
>>> of Proletarian Development captures the increasing complexities of the
>>> class struggle in the twenty-first century and offers concrete
>>> suggestions for organising against capitalism.
>>>
>>> Table of contents
>>> Introduction
>>> Chapter one - Epistemology, Methodology and Method
>>> Chapter two- Vygotskian May Days
>>> Chapter three- Iranian football riots as Bakhtinian
>>> carnivalesque
>>> Chapter four- Activity Theory and Social Movements: Two case
>>> studies
>>> Chapter five- Towards a new kind of revolutionary organising
>>> Appendix 1- Mindful Thuggery and the Spectacularisation of
>>> Drama
>>> Appendix 2- The Glorious Proletarian Siege of Oxford Street
>>> References
>>>
>>> Subjects:
>>> Political Science-History & Theory - Radical Thought;
>>> Psychology-Social Psychology;
>>> Social Science-Sociology - Social Theory
>>>
>>> ISBN: 978-1-906496-06-7 pbk.
>>> May 2008, 244x170 mm, c. 360 pages
>>> Recommended retail price: ?15/?21/$30
>>>
>>> Author's biography: Mastaneh Shah-Shuja is an independent researcher
>>> from an Afghani-Iraqi background although she has also lived
>>> extensively in both Iran and Russia. She is currently living in the
>>> United Kingdom with her two children. Mastaneh has been involved in
>>> anti-capitalist politics since her early teens. Please send reviews/
>>> comments to Mastaneh Shah-Shuja at: m.shahshuja {AT} yahoo.com
>>>
>>> This book can be ordered from all good bookshops including Amazon:
>>>
>>> For Amazon in UK go to
>>> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zones-Proletarian-Development-Mastaneh-
>>> Shah-Shuja/dp/1906496064
>>>
>>> For Amazon in USA go to
>>> http://www.amazon.com/Zones-Proletarian-Development-Mastaneh-Shah-
>>> Shuja/dp/1906496064/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209735928&sr=1-1
>>>
>>> For Amazon in Canada go to
>>> http://www.amazon..ca/Zones-Proletarian-Development-Mastaneh-Shah-
>>> Shuja/dp/1906496064
>>>
>>> For Amazon in Japan go to
>>> http://www.amazon.co.jp/Zones-Proletarian-Development-Mastaneh-Shah-
>>> shuja/dp/1906496064/ref=sr_1_8/503-4060494-
>>> 3574325?ie=UTF8&s=english-books&qid=1209735460&sr=1-8
>>>
>>>
>>> Other bookshops you can order it from:
>>>
>>> The New Social Worker Online go to
>>> http://shop.socialworker.com/Poverty-11294-1906496064-
>>> Zones_of_Proletarian_Development.html
>>>
>>> Eruditor.com go to
>>> http://www.eruditor.com/books/item/9781906496067.html.en
>>>
>>> Blackwell go to
>>> http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/jsp/display_product_info.jsp;jsessio
>>> nid=9518B86EDF540D371C4B07D9AF52CB10.bobcatt1?isbn=9781906496067
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- End forwarded message -----
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> xmca mailing list
>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>>
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Received on Thu Jul 24 06:45 PDT 2008