You've probably heard of post-modernism, but if you've tried to read any of its advocates, you're probably none the wiser. Here SEAN TUNNEY tries to unravel its meaning, basing himself on David Harvey's book The Condition of Post-modernity. FOR THE SAKE of simplicity we can categorise 'post-modernism' as combining three things philosophical movement, a stylistic movement, and an allegedly new way of organising production under capitalism (also called 'postThere is no agreed 'orthodoxy' of post-modernism. But what unites its key thinkers, like Baudrillard, Lyotard and narratives of social thinkers like Mara. For post-modernists, history has no The whole project of the Enlightenment, the tradition starting with the French revolution and reaching down through Marx, is fundamentally flawed in thinking that rational social organisanarratives lead directly to Stalinism and Intellectual reaction Today, a period of intellectual reaction, defending the Enlightenment tradi'rationalism' is a crucial task for Marxists. Irrationalism, the tradition which comes from the German philosopher Neitzche, has at its core the rejection of any project for bulding a more sane human society. Its says that theory, any theory, has nothing to do with an account of the real world or changing it; on the contrary 'discourse is a game, a pure even The major post-modernists do not just convey pure irrationalism. Foucault, who wrote serious accounts of the history of sexuality, stressed the importance of the concent of Dower. as o• posed to the Marxist 'class' and 'class struggle' for understanding history This is the connection of a part of the post-modern tradition with some theorists of 'new social movements'. But the connection is tenuous. Most social movement theorists, even if they reject Marxism, still see their project grounded The irrationalism of post-modern theory is intimately linked to a rejection of collectivism. For them there is no such thing as truth, everything is relative, and the social is a combination of individual, partial experiences. In this world, images and appearance are more important than what Marxists claim are 'unAs be seen, post-modern philosophers abandon any attempt at explaining the world, and regard attempts to change it as leading directly to Why, if post-modernism is so deeply irrational. is it so influential? David Harvey links this to changes in capitalism, and I think he is right on this. 'Modernist' social theories and artistic through much of this century - repre sent confidence in the future on the part of the bourgeoisie and the working class. Post-modernism is the pathological theory of a system incapable of conWhat are the changes in capitalism -'post-Fordism' -which post-modernism mirrors? They are the attempts, called by Harvev 'flexible accumulation'. restructure capitalist production to deal with the long crisis which started in the Work has been restructured so the full-time workforce gets smaller, and the number of workers on short term and emporary contracts has been greatly inreased. In addition subcontracting b small firms has increased. This has led in turn to older systems of production such as sweatshops and homeworking These features threaten the ability of the unions to organise. And, contrary to theorists who argue this is positive for women and black people, it is precisely these workers who are most exploited by these practices.
Post-Fordism is an attempt to impose a new structure of production which is more flexible and imposes harshe forms of exploitation on the working class, while greatly increasing its insecurity. Coupled with this has been a massivereduction in transport and communication costs. This has led to much more mobile international capital, and a new international division of labour. manipulated to speed up the use of products. While a typical 'Fordist product, a washing machine, had a turnverage for post-Fordist goods, such as computer software or fashion-manipuDoes this imply a new post-industrial era, as some post-Fordists claim? Harvey says not, and I think he is right. The Canary Wharf: Modernism with twiddly bits post-Fordist era represents a modification within the mass production, huge factory, conveyor-belt capitalism which emerged in the 1920s and '30s, and not a completely new order. Insofar as it attacks the basic job security and social security of the working class it is a mas sive step backwards.
Progressive?
Post-modernist and post-Fordist theorists present the as progressive. How can 'this be? They as period of capitalism as having the virtues recion for he in dividual, and a bigger choice of consumer products, than the old capitalism dominated by the big factory, the big bureaucracy, nationalised This is an individualistic (put crudely, yuppie') view, if ever there was one The new capitalism was highly liberating for young commodity 80,000 a year - but even they are now in trouble. But for the mass of the working salaried in telecosal, the newpapit lism is a disaster. The freedom to set up your own small business (if you've got the capital) or choose from 2000 models of ersonal computers doesn't mean a lo ) most workers. Generally they pu more value on a functioning health service, lower electricity and water bills, How are the ideologies of postmodernism and post-Fordism linked? Post-modernism is a useful ideological capitalism with all its ploitation. As Alex Callinicos explains in ris Against Post-modernism, this ideolng is typically popular among the new mid le class intellectuals who see the ne How does post-modernist social theory fit in with post-modern style? Harvey explains that modernist styles, especially in architecture, were linked to mass production. Mass-produced postwar housing, needed to reconstruct the bomb-damaged cities, gave rise to the tower blocks and simple bold lines - the kind of thing which Prince Charles calls 'monstrous carbuncles'. Often this kind architecture was deeply oppressiv nd depressing - especially for tho living in working class council estates.
Post-modernist style on the other hand claims to promote the individual and the new, often "Post-modernism making a pastiche of previous styles represents not - SO that your local Waitrose susomething new, but ermarket often modernism gone ooks like a Roman Villa. But is postrotten" modernist style really new? Martin Thomas has aptly described much post-modernist architecture as 'modernism with twiddly bits'. Its claims to originality, to being a fundamental break with 'modernism', are as weak as the claims of post-Fordism to be a fundamental break with mass-production capitalism.
Modernism, and modernist social philosophies like Marxism, represented he tremendous tive forces in capitalism in the 20th century. It also represented the 'modern' challenges to it - in particular the Russian revolution and the Communist movement.
Post-modernismrepresents notsome thing new, but modernism gone rotten. Yes, there is a 'post-modern capitalism, the capitalism of flexible accumulation and anti-working class restructuring; it is not a mirage. This new phase of impital philosophy fusty test a capitalism philoso cla mould be chamode ist claims challenged. But the kev to fighting it is to organise against the attacks on the working class which come through capitalist restructuring. The claims of post-modernism will collapse when a new period of advance for the working class develops in the major capitalist countries.
No. 6 July 20, 1991
The collapse of the Eastern bloc, economic recession in the West, US militarism in the wake of the Gulf war, and the debt crisis all add ur o misery for the less developed countries. Catastrophe follows on catastrophe as poverty intensifies the effects of 'natural disasters'. Al round the world, from South Africa, to Central America and Palestine, liberation movements are under heavy pressure. Cuba is in the US For advance registration send £12 (£15 on door), or for students £5 (£6 on door) to: Crisis in the Third World, PO Box 1109, London N4 2UU.
ciali ASTHE LAST years of the twentieth century tick by and we get closer to the year 2000, the faint whiff of 'millenniumism' in the air today is likely to grow stronger. For your average Christian fundamentalist, the time is rapidly approaching where the great historical battle between Good and Evil, prophesied in the Bible's book of Revelations, becomes reality on earth.
It is easy for marxists to scoff at this and other manifestations of religious fundamentalism. But we should be care ful, this is no idle threat in a period of massive capitalist crisis. The rise of the Nazis in Germany was not merely a question of them brutally taking state power. It was also accompanied by a very strong ideological assault, of which the appeal to Christian spirituality was a very important component.
Religious fundamentalism is on the rise, and importantly it is becoming increasingly militant. What then should marxists make of religion?
Ritual
First of all it is necessary to look ate. what we mean by 'religion'. Are all forms of human ritual. even spirituality, necessarily religious? In a historical sense, no. In very early human societies, tens of thousands of years ago, symbolic importance was attached to a great number of everyday objects and events. Food, water, fire, wood, rain, the sun, the moon, illness, birth and death were all part of the struggle for survival •and often rituals existed around these things.
But symbolic rituals are not necessarily the same thing as religion. Rituals were used as part of learning the art of third Outlook for Socialism.
Plus socialist activists from India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Brazil.
Cheques payable to 'Outlook International'. Page 12 July 20, 1991 No. 6 Marxism survival and of explaining the apparently unexplainable.
The development of religion came alongside the evolution of class societies. Spirits became promoted to gods and goddesses, and rituals became institutionalised. Religion then came to be usea to ideologically maintain tne domination of one individual or group in society over the rest.
Oppressed
The development of monotheistic (one god) religions came much later on Judaism was the first, followed by Christianity and then Islam. The development of new religions has always coincided with revolts and upheavals in the societies concerned. At their inception Judaism, Christianity and Islam were all religions of the oppressea secuons or those societies. All had popular leaders and prophets - Moses, Jesus and Mohammed - who dealt not only with spiritual salvation, but also with the everyday concerns of the oppressed What all religions share in common is they first of all offer hopeto seoplewhose everyday existance is full of exploitation, oppression and despair. As the new religions became incorporated into the ideology of ruling classes, religious mes sages became more and more concerned with salvation after death, rather than change during a lifetime.
These religions have constantly Christianity started off as the religion ol slaves in revolt against the Roman empire. It then became the orncial reigion of the empire itself - the Holy Roman empire. It has been used to justif slavery, feudal monarchies, and free unadulterated capitalism. Britain today is still a Christian state, which is why so Ernest Mandel Marxist economist and leading member of the Fourth International Sergio Rodriguez and Heather Dashner Revolutionary Workers Party (Mexico) Theology doesn't liberate all many politicians are so keen to emphasise their Christian credentials For marxists, religion can be criticised on two levels. Firstly, on a philosophical level, all religion is essentially idealist. This means that explanations of the material universe are sought in supernatural causes, rather than in the material universe itself.
Religions of all kinds tell us that the answers to the problems of life are to be ultimately found with some supernatural being(s) rather than in the 1 and now. The philosophical tradition of marxism, in contrast, is that of dialectical materialism, which was developed out of scientific criticism of religion.
Dialectical materialism supercedes religion in that it provides an explanation of all existence, including the development of consciousness, solely from the motion of matter itself - rather than by invoking God or spirits.
Reactionary
On a social level, religion is rather more contradictory. In most cases, the established religions act in a fundamentally reactionary way. The Anglican church seeks to maintain its current status as part and parcel of the British state.
The current Pope is arguably the most reactionary Pope for forty years. Judaic fundamentalism is the ideological cornerstone of the utterly reactionary Zionist state of Israel. Similarly, Islamic fundamentalism provides the ideological prop for regimes in Saudi Arabia and Iran.
On the other hand, there are religious movements which consciously seek to fight imperialism. The popular liberation theology movement in Latin America is one example of this. This movement has formed through the Catholic church establishment has colluded with both the imperialists themselves, and the friends of imperialism in Latin America. Father Aristide, recently elected President of Haiti. is a liberation theologist, considers himself to be a christian marxist, and has even released a rap single 'Capitalism is a Mortal Sin'.
Atheism
But is religion compatible with the struggle for socialism The answer to this must be found in the dual character of religion. Even Lenin, whom no-one can accuse of shying away from philosophical Socialism hand ellioni, its atted in insisted in Socialism and Religion' that atheisn should not be part of the Party's programme. He argued that unity in the really revolutionary struggle of the op pressed class for creation of a paradise on earth is more important to us than unity, of proletarian opinion on paradise in heaven.' Whilst religion may be philosophically compatible with marxism, it should not be used to divide the workers' movement: that is a favourite technique of the ruling class.
In order to win the minds of workers, you have to win their hearts as well. That is why marxists will continue to work where necessary alongside progressive religious currents in the fight against capitalism and imperialism, while making no compromise in defending and arguing for our materialist views, and combatting all forms of bigotry and ideology. No doubt the debate will continue.
Letters
Key speakers include: Saleh Jaber leading Arab militant of the Fourth International