China's new Marxist left

["michael a. lebowitz" <mlebowit@xxxxxx>]

        

I don't
know if you  could say that the 'Marxists' were entirely
marginalised. At an official conference of Marxist economists in Beijing
less than two years ago, I was struck by the vigour with which the
assembled Chinese Marxist economists were discussing the law of value---
in particular, how to demonstrate that utility yields value and the
capitalist is a productive worker. (All this in response to a call from
above for updating the law of value for the modern socialist market
economy--- and a week before a number of capitalists received the 'model
worker' awards for May Day.) Han Deqiang (mentioned in a note by Stephen
as China's best left economist) was not invited to the conference (but
instead was speaking to many students). He said he probably was not
invited because he didn't agree with the theory of productive forces
(ie., that all that matters is that the productive forces advance). He
will, however, be at the Marx Conference in Havana in May (along with
David Harvey, Samir Amin, Istvan Meszaros, Leo Panitch and a host of
others).

        

in
solidarity,

        

michael
Re: re China's new Marxist left
by jjlassen
25 January 2004 20:01 UTC

Michael,

The academic left is much more marginal in China than in the US, and even more
removed from the experiences of the producers than here.

Zuo Dapei, wrote a short piece on heterodox economics in China. It gives a
sense of what's 'left' in economics (which is, as in the US, *the* hegemonic
academic discipline of social science):
http://www.chinastudygroup.org/index.php?type=article&id=31

On the hopeful side, a group of leftist academics recent teamed up to set up a
book store and meeting place for lectures and movies, called Utopia. If people
are passing through, it's the place to go. Their website is at:
http://www.wyzxwyzx.com/
(but it's all in Chinese)

Cheers,

Jonathan



Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6


Currently based in Venezuela. Can be reached at


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