[lbo-talk] Firesale of the Empire

[Michael Perelman]

I don't think we disagree at all.  In my book, Invention of Capitalism, 
I describe it as a continuing process.  What I meant by one-off was 
that each increment of primitive accumulation is a one-off act that 
cannot be repeated.  In other words, once a piece of land is stolen by 
the capitalists, it is stolen.  If another capitalist steals it, it is 
not exactly primitive accumulation, but a transfer of titles among 
capitalists.  By primitive accumulation expands geographically -- the 
taking of African oil which is moving into new territory.  It can 
become more intensive as well, as in the privatization of water.

On Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 11:21:23AM -0600, Eric Beck wrote:
> 
> While I disagree strongly with Michael that primitive accumulation is
> a localized, one-off act -- I think it is very much a process, never
> done with for good, that always affects production -- I can't follow
> Harvey in saying that the current era mostly feeds off the labors of
> the previous era. That why in this article
> <http://www.rhizomes.net/issue19/beck.html> I called ABD an
> end-of-history narrative for anticapitalists.

-- 
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA 95929

Tel. 530-898-5321
E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
michaelperelman.wordpress.com