On Jun 29, 2007, at 1:53 PM, Carrol Cox wrote:
> I'll come back to this sometime in the next year (I hope), but let
> state without much defense or explanation now a tentative response: A
> class analysis which incorporates psychology can only lead to identity
> politics in their most useless form; it transforms class from a social
> relation to a mechanical and static conditon which shapes individual
> psychologies. This won't do -- but I think it is a place to start
> from.
Why is individual psychology static, and why is it not deeply connected to social relations? Experiences in class society help shape who you are. People can change in changing circumstances, and their own insights can change the way they act, which can change social relations. There's nothing mechanical about it, since it can be very fluid and often unpredictable. If anything, your agentless view of politics and history is what's static and mechanical; shit just happens, and there's nothing we can do about it.
Doug