Karatani Talk on Capital
★ “An Introduction to Modes of Exchange” can be downloaded from: http://www.kojinkaratani.com/en/ 1. The basic modes of exchange B
submission-protection（
C
commodity exchange
2.
A
D
A state
C
Community (clan) D
City (market)
X
Power and Mode of Exchange
B
political power
A
C
monetary power
D
４
B
X
The basic social formation
B
３.
reciprocity (gift-return)
magical power
X
World system
world-empire
A
mini-world system
C
world-economy
D
world republic
(modern world system）
５
Capital-nation-state in the modern world system
B
state
A
C
capitalist economy
D
６. a.
nation
X
Historical stages of the modern world system economic viewpoint (mode of production)
-- linear development
1750-1810 mercantilism
1810-1870 liberalism
1870-1930 imperialism
1930-1990 late capitalism
1990Neoliberalism
capital
merchant capital
industrial capital
financial capital
state monopoly capital
multinational capital
Nationstate
imperialism
welfare state
regionalism
state
Absolute monarchy textiles
light industry
heavy industry
durable consumer goods
information
economic policy
World commodity
b.
politico-economic viewpoint (mode of exchange B+C) – cyclical
hegemoni c state world capitalism
―1750 Holland
1750-1810
1870-1930 UK
1870-1930
1930-1990 USA
1990-
liberalist
imperialist
liberalist
imperialist
liberalist
imperialist
７. Three formulas of capital accumulation
８
Ⅰ
Merchant capital
Ⅱ
Interest-bearing capital
Ⅲ
Industrial capital
M-C-M’’（M＋α） M-M’-M’’……
M-C--P--C’-M’
Quotes from Marx
1 “A commodity seems at first glance to be a self-evident, trivial thing. The analysis of it yields the insight that it is a very vexatious thing, full of metaphysical subtlety and theological perversities.” （Capital . volume1, chapter1） 2: “Communism is for us not a state of affairs which is to be established, an ideal to which reality will have to adjust itself. We call communism the real movement which abolish the present state of things. The condition of this movement result from the now existing premise”. ( German Ideology) 3: “The use-value of a thing is realized without exchange, i.e. in the direct relation between the thing and man, while, inversely, its value is realized only in exchange, i.e. in a social process”. 4: “The riddle of the money fetish is therefore the riddle of commodity fetish, now become visible and dazzling to our eyes” ( Capital 1, 2-1). 5: “Commodities alone are money.” “As the hart pants after fresh water, so pants his soul after money, the only wealth.” ( Capital 1, 1-1). 6:“The exchange of commodities begins where communities have their boundaries, at the points of contact with other.”（Capital 1,1-2）
7: “The hoarder therefore sacrifices the lusts of his flesh to the fetish of gold. He takes the gospel of abstinence very seriously” (Capital 1, 2-1) 8: “Capital cannot therefore arise from circulation, and it is equally impossible for it to arise apart from circulation. It must have its origin both in circulation and not in circulation. Hic Rhodus, hic Salta!” (Capital 1, 2-1) 9:“〔I〕criticized the mystificatory side of Hegel nearly thirty years ago when it was still the fashion". But now Marx declares; “I therefore openly avowed myself the pupil of that mighty thinker, and even, here and there in the chapter on the theory of value, coquetted with the mode of expression peculiar to him. The mystification which the dialectic suffers in Hegel’s hands by no means prevent him from being the first to present its general forms of motion in a comprehensive and conscious manner. With him it is standing on its head. It must be inverted, in order to discover the rational kernel within the mystical shell.” (Capital 1, postface to the second edition)
