I've got the pamphlet "Autonomism vs. Leninism: Harry Cleaver Debates the DSP," which is also a good intro, contrasting as it does autonomist Marxism from its Leninist variant. In addition, there is of course the AUT-OP-SY email discussion list for autonomist marxists at http://lists.village.virginia.edu/~spoons/aut.html
The pamphlet is put out by The Bad Days Will End. Contact info I have is bronterre at earthlink.net
Brian
On Thu, 19 Sep 2002, Alec Ramsdell wrote:
> Doug Henwood wrote:
>
> > Alec Ramsdell wrote:
> >
> > >A few days ago Doug mentioned that Tahir is an
> > >autonomist Marxist. What are some distinguishing
> > >characteristics of this autonomist Marxism?
> >
> > Sometimes people are prickly about these
> > attributions. If so, Tahir,
> > sorry. Just evoking a tendency - antistatist,
> > antihierarchical,
> > antiparty, pro the self-organizing activity of the
> > working class.
> >
> > Here's a bit from Harry Cleaver's intro to his AM
> > archive:
> >
> <http://www.eco.utexas.edu/faculty/Cleaver/txarchintro.html>.
>
> This looks like an excellent resource, thanks.
>
> > >These archives contain a wide variety of material
> > related to those
> > >threads of the Marxist tradition which have
> > emphasized the
> > >self-activity of the working class. "Autonomist "is
> > used here in
> > >several senses: 1. the autonomy of the working
> > class vis a vis
> > >capital, 2. the autonomy of workers vis a vis their
> > official
> > >organizations, e.g., trade unions or parties, 3.
> > the autonomy of
> > >various sectors of the class from each other, e.g.,
> > that of blacks
> > >from whites, women from men, etc.
>
> Tahir, what's your angle on sense 3? I understand the
> necessity of organizing and identifying around these
> sectors in so far as doing so enables collective
> political agency. At the same time is there a risk
> that doing so can also contribute to the reification
> of these categories beyond their political efficacy,
> so that one overlooks the fact that what characterizes
> race, gender, etc. are in large part social,
> historical, and political contingencies?
>
> A quick question after a short read.
>
> Alec
>
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