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Power, Democracy and Socialist Theory

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Power, Democracy and Socialist Theory POWER FROM BELOW: POWER, DEMOCRACY AND SOCIALIST THEORY ALAIN SAVARD A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN POLITICAL SCIENCE YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO MARCH 2020 © ALAIN SAVARD 2020 ABSTRACT This dissertation reframes socialist theory through the concept of power. The goal of this reconceptualization is to overcome the main limits of Marxism on issues of usefulness for activists, of accessibility for ordinary people, of the integration of feminist and anti-racist perspectives, and on its relationship to democracy. By building upon the implicit theory of power within the works of contemporary Marxists, such as Ellen Meiksins Wood, Alex Callinicos and G.E.M. De Ste. Croix, this dissertation proposes a new set of concepts that seeks to overcome these limits. By reframing Marxism through a theory of power, we can deepen our criticism of modern societies: the problem is not limited to exploitation, but more broadly tied to inequalities of social power. It allows an understanding of each phenomenon in their specificities, and linking them back to their commonalities, their effect on power inequalities. From there it also unlocks a more precise way of defining the social alternative around the principle of radical democracy. This theory of power can provide tools to analyze inequalities of power in small organization, just as well as the societal scale. Since this theory of power slightly decenters Marxism from the traditional materialist definitions, this dissertation also looks at the question of consciousness and the role of ideas. It proposes to think these questions with the principles of the primacy of practice and the centrality of trust. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT In the contemporary academic context ruled by authorship, competition and the desire to join the pantheon of great minds, the acknowledgement section of a dissertation aims to unburdens one’s debt to others, and then set one free to claim the rest as his own ideas. Yet, I believe that intellectuals are mainly the product of their social context. The creative process is not a solitary act. Authors deserve recognition of their work in clarifying, synthesizing and communicating new ideas. But those ideas are ultimately born in daily life, among ordinary people. The intellectual is the midwife of new ideas. This work is no exception. I spent years of my life working on this project, but the ideas presented here belong the communities in which I was immersed. They belong ordinary folks of Montreal and Toronto, to the Quebec student strikers of 2005 and 2012, to the academic circles of Université du Québec à Montréal and York University, to the public sector workers fighting against austerity, to the union militants confronting the bosses every day, to the feminists and anti-racist organizers, to the socialist comrades across the world and to the youth fighting for climate justice. This being said, I must convey special thanks to those who supported me during those years. I warmly thank David McNally and Alan Sears for their insightful supervision during the writing process. The comments and discussions with Terry Maley, Lesley Wood, Stephen D’Arcy and Shannon Bell were also very helpful. I am also grateful to have spent my time in Toronto sharing ideas and housework with my friends and fellow doctoral students Maïka and Christian. And finally, I thank my family Linda, Louis-Christian, Stéphanie, Christian, and Dominique, and especially my partner Elisabeth for her unconditional support. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..................................................................................................................... iii INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 PART I PROBLEMS .......................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 1: Limits of Marxism ...................................................................................................... 14 Marxism-s ..................................................................................................................................................... 16 Modes of Production Are Modes of Power .......................................................................................... 18 Totality and the Integration of Non-Capitalist Practices ................................................................. 25 Marxism and the Micro Level .................................................................................................................. 36 Socialism, Objective Interest and the Instrumental Approach to Democracy .......................... 39 On the Notion of Interest .......................................................................................................................... 45 Chapter 2: The Limits of Contemporary Theories of Power ............................................... 53 Lukes and the Classical Conception of Power in Political Science ................................................ 53 Foucault’s Ontology of Power ................................................................................................................. 57 Mann and the Sources of Social Power ................................................................................................. 61 Bourdieu and the Notion of Capital ....................................................................................................... 66 Implicit Power Theory in Marxism ....................................................................................................... 68 Chapter 3: The Challenge of Critical Theory ........................................................................... 80 Truth and Usefulness ................................................................................................................................ 80 Ontology and the Levels of Abstraction ............................................................................................... 87 Agency, Structure and Collective Action .............................................................................................. 93 PART II POWER ............................................................................................................................... 98 Chapter 4: The Accumulation of Power .................................................................................... 98 Class Power and the Structures of Appropriation.......................................................................... 114 Production and Power ........................................................................................................................... 122 Processes of Selection and Stratification .......................................................................................... 128 Chapter 5: Practice, Trust and Consciousness ...................................................................... 136 Classical Marxist Theory of Ideas ....................................................................................................... 136 Confronting Contemporary Idealism ................................................................................................. 139 The Primacy of Practice ......................................................................................................................... 141 The Centrality of Trust........................................................................................................................... 146 iv The Practical Embeddedness of Trust in Power Structures ........................................................ 159 The Sources of Dissent ........................................................................................................................... 165 PART III POTENTIAL .................................................................................................................... 170 Chapter 6: Power and Intersectionality ................................................................................. 170 Mainstream Intersectionality and the Matrix of Oppression ...................................................... 171 Social Reproduction Theory and Power ........................................................................................... 177 Spheres of Production and Structures of Appropriation ............................................................. 180 Structures of Subordination ................................................................................................................. 184 Strategic Implications ............................................................................................................................ 193 Chapter 7: Power in Capitalist Societies ................................................................................. 195 Defining Capitalism ................................................................................................................................ 195 Defining the State System ..................................................................................................................... 200 Capitalism and States ............................................................................................................................
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