Commonwealth:
An Exchange
ANALYSIS: DAVID HARVEY
"THERE HAVE BEEN TWO FOUNDATIONAL THEMES in Antonio Neg work over the yeas: The
Fit can abiding faith in the espace ofthe working lator the multe redefined as “the
party ofthe poor” and therefore, acoeding to Spinora, the only "rv subject of democcicy")
"ures their immanent power of laboring co construct an alternative to the world given by
“pital. They can do 50, Ney believes, by way of autonomous and nonbiraccicly orga
fied sel-management. The second theme arses out of a deply held belie! that Spinoess
‘Phliaophical works provide a framework of ada thowgh capable of iluminating nt cnly
howe the works but als how tought to be and ca be. Wedding the immanent powers the
rite with a neo Spinorandheveetical armature, Neg ground a theory of revolution and
!Nredefsition of wha eal commansm might be abou.
‘Unsurprisingly, these eo chemes ar heavily on display in Commonalth, che new joint
stlort of Michel Hardt and Neqe co es out hee dens ad fo deine a alternative global
Tratenag they pele to pain “alermodernity"—for utes tte previous Work,
‘hey went long way Suppor, bth intl”
Teetualy and ideologically, those leftist
‘movements tha sought to change he orld
In eadial ways without forming berate
Cal polvial pare or engaging with what
"he author saw athe futile ques 0 take
stare power But chey dio ins way that
sought to define diferent kindof commu
ris ome that was grouaded neveteenth
fad cightcenth-cenary philosophy. This
Constituted a upture withthe post Mare
history ofthe communist movement but
aot however wholesale abandonment of
Mata crac nsights With che colle or
modification of seualy existing comm:
‘isms, portclaly afer 1989, tony was
2 dillerent kind of world postibe bur a
ferent kindof communism wat alto poss
ble Inthe efforeo define what this might
be, Hardt and Negri have been oined by
several the key phlorpbicl goes sch
Alin Badu and Jacques Rencitre
‘This atempt a edace diferent form of
communi ker on renewed urgency ods
{ven ony the spplingcondion under‘which noe ofthe people om plane Farth rug osrvive hut aio the gate
istorns of wreversleeneronmentldegacation ad incessngfequent
short term ss elf destrston thin he eaptalst syste, On the other
and. tere esomething add abou appealing ro seventeenth and eiteeth
seo shikers with an eeysevcotentrcemury kes pede rm Amer
inthe lead in he search fr aers Be that a ema, one side eu oF Hard
snd Negi eflrehas Been abo in Spina study Groupe in radial student
‘iecles and an inerestng fascination wth all ese thinkers such a Gilles
Deleuze. who ao appeal Spinoza to ground thee argument
Revutonary thought, Harden Neg eu, mus finda way to content
“aptalsm and “the republic of proper” Irshould noc shun deny polis
‘rinsead mast work throught and ear rom,” heeause tthe “peamary
‘hile for tuggle within and agains the public of property since entity
tele cd om property and sovereign.” They work through the pablem
‘hice stages, “Making visible che subordinasons” (gender cacy cls and 30
mh" ent 38 property pis, in certain sense, reappropiatng en
tty” and defending tas posesion and property. ris abou saying, This
tvho lam, and these ae the conditions under which suffer and Bave my being.
The “uct ask of entity politics. to proced fram indignation” (a key
concept rom Spinoza} “ro rebellion against the sretutes of domination wing
the subordinated identity as a weapon i the ques for freedom.” But his see
‘ond ask insofar a5 stil reat Ment asa form of property, "can always be
"sccommodated within he rling strctarer ofthe republic of property.” The
danger that deny cam become an end [a form of ownership that one has a
‘ested interest perpetuating) rather han a means. Ie permit emancipation,
“th treedom tobe who vu really are,” bat binders iberation, “the eedors of
sellderermination and sellsansformation he fredom to determine what
Sow can become.” The hid tatk therefore to eve forthe abolition ofl
Tocms of density. This “vel-aboliton of identity ithe key to understanding
hhow revolutionary politics can begin with denny but mat end up there.” The
“communis popontion” i that workers, for example, “aim to deRtroY Rot
hemseves but che identity thar defines them as workers. The pitary objec
of elas strugale, in other words, is noe co kill capitalists but o demolish the
focal structures and insiutions tha suntan their privilege and authority,
bolshing too, thereby, the conditions of proletarian Sebordination." In this,
the refusal of work, o what the authors elsewhere refer to asthe erateny of
“exodus” becomes the primary weapon. Tis is what liberation isall abot
And revolution sabout liberation, por emancipation,
‘Revolutionary feminism, quecr theory, and race
theory have analogous projet: All of chem eck
abolish the identity tha imprisons one nan existing
‘tracare Revolution “is noe forthe aint of are It
1s for monsters," Hardt and Negri write, making,
‘muchof the igure of Caliban. “You have ose who
‘you ae to discover what you can become.” The par
the authors conclude, “compote by pales and mulipiiy, an revel
‘onary strug forthe common be sbccessfull pursue.”
Inspiring though his node of revolcion may bein many ways there area
hostof problems wiht. To Bape with, Harde and Negr dismiss lvoj Ze
ontenton tha thee ismething far more foundational sbout ls than there
'Saboutall he other forms of went a relation ro the prpeteation of capil
‘Sm, ad in thie thin Zeki ight. No mater how imporant ce, nde,
snd sewual denity may have been nthe bistoy of capitalism's developmen
and nomater how important the stragles waged nei nam tis pouble ro
fnvinage the perpesaton of capitalism without them —smnething thats impos.
Sibi inthe cave of elas Second ial denies have tobe abolished forthe
‘epublica propery ro be demolished then the range of ents under com
‘ation sar too conventionally defined. AS usual, fr example, geogrphic
‘eniations with places and eepons, as well a local loyalties (he special
{elation tothe land claimed by indigenous populations) are let out af the
picture except in the cave of nationaliem, which simply dismised ae cor-
‘upton. Third, while revoluson's quite propel opposed o preva notons
‘ofthe republic of propery the presumption that the worlds six and a half i=
lion people can be ed, warned, clothed, housed, and leaned without ay ir.
chal frm of governance and outide the each of moneteation and mates
‘dubious inthe exreme. This question ifr to huge obelef to dhe horizon
tal sel-oganiation of autonomous beings. Capitalism, with ts hierarchical
forms, hes made serous progress inferding the word albeit unevenly, 2 one
‘must be careful noo demolish thowe ruts to readily. The lack of spec
feation of any revolutionary transformation i the material foundations of