5.The working class - Uraz

The working class:

Class and the working class according to Marx and marxists

The first part of this presentation will focus on Marx's concept of class. Is class a sociological or political category? Are the contours of the working class defined or in a perpetual state of formation? We will develop concepts such as labor power, exploitation, alienation, productive and unproductive labor, and class antagonisms. In this sequence, we will also address the main debates within marxism concerning class analysis.

The proletariat in revolutionary strategy

The second part will give an overview of the revolutionary role attributed to the proletariat in marxism, starting with the conception of revolution as the self-emancipation of the working class, which signifies a break with previous socialist thought and practice. The formation of class consciousness, the concept of "revolutionary praxis", the general strike, the vanguard party, workers' control and the duality of power will be among the notions addressed in this sequence.

The working class today

The third part looks at the composition of the class today. We'll start with the proletarianization of intellectual labor in late capitalism, and discuss the concepts of precarity, domestic labor and social reproduction. We will also discuss the experiences and possibilities of organization, and the obstacles to it.

Readings:

Extract from: E.P. Thompson. Preface to 'The making of the English working class'

Excerpts from the 17th World Congress preparation text: "Social upheavals, fightbacks and alternatives" -Ernest Mandel, Historical pedagogy and communication of class consciousness