GEOG 8230, "Reading Marxi(sms)", will be taught by Professor George Henderson in spring 2010 on Wednesdays from 2:00-4:30 p.m.
GEOG 8230: Reading Marxi(sms)
Geography 8230, Reading Marxi(sms), Professor George Henderson, Spring, 2010, Wednesdays 2-4:30 p.m.
This seminar is an introduction to the study of capitalist formations from various Marxist perspectives. It begins with texts written by Marx and proceeds to a selection of authors who follow but also contest and disrupt him. Some of the key questions we will explore are:
• What does it mean to call a social formation capitalist?
• Is capitalism propelled by an "inner logic"?
• Why does capitalism unfold unevenly in time and space?
• What is meant by the concept of value?
• Does the idea of a beyond-capital inhere in the idea of capital itself?
The seminar pays special attention to the idea that Marx's work can be read openly, in an exploratory fashion; it emphasizes the surprising multiplicity of inferences that have been drawn from Marx's work. A substantial part of our time will be spent reading Marx (including Capital, vol. 1, and works written before and after) and a typically overlooked text by David Harvey, The Limits to Capital.
Other authors we will read: J.K. Gibson-Graham, Christopher Arthur, Gayatri Spivak, Nicholas Thoburn, Louis Althusser, Diane Elson, Antonio Negri, Warren Montag, Bertell Ollman, Timothy Mitchell, and others.
* Come to first class having read Ch. 1 of Capital, vol. 1
Student work: Take turns presenting readings and leading weekly discussions; write one paper of 20-25-pages.
Permission number required for enrollment.
