T H E S T A N D P O I N T O F T H E P R O L E T A R I A T
Candle wax, car wax, moustache wax. Could be anything.
- Johnny Utah, FBI agent trying to trace ghosts in Point Break (1991)
It should be clear by now why the bourgeois economists find it impossible to point out the essence of their science, to put the finger on the gaping wound in the social organism, to denounce its innate infirmity. To recognize and to acknowledge that anarchy is the vital motive force of the rule of capital is to pronounce its death sentence in the same breath, to assert that its days are numbered.
- Rosa Luxemburg, What is economics? (1907)
O n e c o u l d t h i n k o f t h a t d a y , a s a d a y w h e n a l l e g o r i c a l p r i n c i p l e s w e r e o n c e a g a i n p u t i n m o t i o n . I t a l l c o u l d h a v e e a s i l y t a k e n p l a c e i n s i d e t h e s t r u c t u r e o f a n e x h a u s t e d m i s e - e n - s c é n e , o r w a s i t a r e a p p e a r i n g p a r o d y o r r e p e t i t i o n o f a
d e e p e r s t r u c t u r e i n a Ve n e z u e l a n o r M e x i c a n t e l e n o v e l a o f t h e 1 9 8 0 s , t h a t h a d b e e n r e - i n v o k e d ?
N e w l y a w o k e n f r o m a l o n g a f t e r n o o n s i e s t a ; a w o m a n w i t n e s s e d a h e a t e d d i s c u s s i o n b e t w e e n t w o e n r a g e d - f o r m e r l y
s o p h i s t i c a t e d T V - j o u r n a l i s t s - a b o u t t h e p r e s e n t f u r n i s h i n g s o f t h e w o r l d . N o p o s s e s s e d s u b j e c t s w e r e a c t i v e i n t h i s e p i c a t a l l , n o r a n y a m n e s i a c i d e n t i t i e s s e a r c h i n g f o r a s h o l l o w b o d i e s e i t h e r, b u t s u r e l y t h e r e w a s s o m e t h i n g , w h i c h w e l c o m e d e v e n i n n e r - c i t y s p e c t a t o r s t o t a p i n t o t h e c o n t r a d i c t o r y h a z e
g e n e r a t e d b y t h e p a i r, a s i f t h e u n c o m f o r t a b l e s p i r i t s o f t h e t r a n s m i s s i o n s u m m o n e d a l l .
D e b o r a h : L e t ’ s c u t t o t h e c h a s e : W h a t y o u a r e s a y i n g i s a l l
s i z z l e a n d n o s t e a k r e a l l y . I n o r d e r t o f a t h o m t h e p r e s e n t c r i s i s
w e h a v e t o b e s p e c i f i c o n w h a t i s i n c r i s i s a t f i r s t , a n d w h a t
t h e p r o p o r t i o n s a r e . W h a t i s t h i s t h i n g c a l l e d “ f i n a n c i a l i z a t i o n ”
a l l a b o u t r e a l l y ?
1I t s o u n d s l i k e y o u a r e t r y i n g t o t r a c e
s h a p e l e s s w o r m - h o l e s w i t h y o u r d i z z y “ g e n e a l o g y ” i n s t e a d o f t r y i n g t o a p p r o x i m a t e m o r e o f a n o p e n m o u t h i n s p e c t i o n o f a p a t i e n t t h a t i s p r e s e n t a n d a c t u a l l y s i t t i n g o n y o u r s o f a w i t h t r e m o r s - s w e a t i n g i n f e v e r i s h p o s t - m e t h d e l i r i a .
B o b : L i s t e n ; t h e o r g a n s s e e m t o b e i n g o o d c o n d i t i o n , i f y o u n o w a l l o w m e t o u s e t h e s a m e t y p e o f r h e t o r i c a l t r o p e s t h a t y o u a r e t h r o w i n g a t m y f a c e . I a m n o t h a r b o u r i n g a n a l i e n f o r m o f l i f e h e r e y o u k n o w , s o t r y t o b e l e s s h o s t i l e p l e a s e . I a m
n e i t h e r l u r e d b y t h e b e a u t y o f t h e c o m p l e x i t y o f t h e f i n a n c i a l s y s t e m i t s e l f n o r i t ’ s m i n d - t e a s i n g s t a g e c r a f t , s o I w o n ’ t p l a y t h e r o l e o f a n o c c u l t d e t e c t i v e , w h o m h a p p i l y d e a l s i n f u z z y d e d u c t i o n s . W h a t w e a r e s e e i n g h e r e s e e m s t o b e m o r e o f a m a t t e r o f “ i n t e s t i n a l d i s t u r b a n c e s ” r a t h e r t h a n t h e d o w n f a l l o f a c i v i l i z a t i o n . We a r e t a l k i n g g a s e s h e r e . . .
D e b o r a h : A l l t h a t i s s o l i d o s s i f i e s , r i g h t ? T h e a c t u a l i z a t i o n o f a f o u n d a t i o n a l a n d s y s t e m i c i n n a t e t h a t i m p l o d e d y o u m e a n ? S o m e k i n d o f o r i g i n a l s i n o f a c c u m u l a t i o n r o o t e d i n t h e p r i m i t i v e m a c h i n a t i o n s o f t h e c r e a t i o n o f s u r p l u s v a l u e ? !
O n c e I s o r t o f d a b b l e d i n l i t e r a t u r e a n d d r a m a . To d a y I l e a v e s u c h w o r l d l y m a t t e r s t o o t h e r s .
B o b : S o p h i s t r y . . . I w a s f o l l o w i n g t h e s a m e c h a i n o f
m e t a p h o r i c a l o r n a m e n t s a s y o u . I g u e s s y o u a r e s u c c e e d i n g i n
1Financialization is often described as the process of domination by the finance sector over all other activities in the
“realm of the economy”. Many critics see potential problems with such a definition, especially in relation to the current global economic crisis, since it may further mystify real relations and lead to “the omission of the permeation between financial and productive capital just as the other socioeconomic causes at the origin of the contradictions of the crisis in capital valorization”. For further development of a critique see Carlo Vercallone´s essay The crisis of the law of value and the becoming-rent profit in the lucid anthology Crisis in the Global Economy: Financial Markets, Social Struggles, and New Political Scenarios, ed., Andrea Fumagalli & Sandro Mezzadra (New York: Semiotexte, 2010), p. 85-119.
p u l l i n g m e i n t o y o u r o r b i t o f u n i v e r s a l i n t e r p r e t a t i v e f r e n z y . We l l , I d o n ’ t s h a r e y o u r a n t i - c o m m e r c i a l e m o t i o n s s i m p l y . N o a e r i a l p h o t o g r a p h - l i k e a l l u s i o n o f y o u r s c a n e v e n a p p r o a c h t h e n u a n c e s o f t h e s e n e b u l o u s e v e n t s .
A v i g o r o u s t e e n a g e r s t u m b l e d a w a y t o t h e k i t c h e n , l e a v i n g t h e d o r m i t o r y f o r 7 w h o l e m i n u t e s i n o r d e r t o s q u e e z e i n a b o w l o f c o r n f l a k e s a n d a c i d o p h i l u s - f e r m e n t e d y o g h u r t , i n - b e t w e e n t h e i n t e n t i o n a l m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g s o n s c r e e n . H e l i k e d h i s c e r e a l s w i t h o u t t h e s m o o t h f r u i t i n e s s t h a t c o m e s w i t h t h e o t h e r l e s s e x p e n s i v e l a b e l s . T h e w o r l d w a s t r u l y h i s o y s t e r t h i s d a y , a n d t h e e r o t i c i s m o f l i f e l a y ( f o r t h a t d a y ) i n k e r a t i n - i n f u s e d
b e v e r a g e s a n d c h r o m e - c o a t e d R e e b o k s .
D e b o r a h : B o b . Yo u a r e p a i n t i n g m e i n t o a c o r n e r h e r e ; I a m t h e r e a l i t y p r i n c i p l e i n t h i s s t u d i o . T h e c r i s i s w a s n o t a m i s h a p o f a n a u t o m a t o n w i t h o u t a n y i n d e x i c a l r e l a t i o n t o t h e w o r l d o r t h e a g e n c y o f a c o m m u n i o n o f m e n t h a t w r e c k e d a n o l d i n d u s t r i o u s a n d m o r e t a c t i l e c a p i t a l i s m .
2T h e “ f u z z i n e s s ” t h a t y o u r e f e r t o , a n d t h e s e m b l a n c e i t s e l f i s t h e m o r p h o l o g y o f a r e a l s o c i a l a n d h i s t o r i c r e l a t i o n .
3B o b : S o w h a t i s t h a t r e l a t i o n y o u a r e g o i n g o v e r a b o u t ? Wo r d s a n d f i n a l i s t r h e t o r i c d o n ’ t c r e d i t y o u r a n a l y s i s . Yo u a r e
f o s s i l i z i n g s o m e t h i n g t h a t i s a l i v e a n d k i c k i n g .
2The idea of individually greedy financial players and “out of line” bank executives, as the main causers of the economic crisis is erroneous. Financialization and the creation of the derivative market, securitization, the expansion of credit and other practices such as offshoring seem to be intertwined with accumulation and systemic growth itself. See for example David Harvey’s seminal text on spatial aspects of capital accumulation Notes towards a theory of uneven geographical development in Spaces of Global Capitalism (London: Verso, 2006), p. 69-117 and an illuminating lecture by Adam Hanieh at The School of Oriental and African Studies in London http://soasradio.org/adam-hanieh 3An interesting and clarifying text on theories of the rule of abstraction is Alberto Toscano’s piece The open secret of real abstraction, published in volume 20 (2008) of the journal Rethinking Marxism which is an exposé of historical and present discussions. In the writings of Karl Marx, the first chapter of Capital, on commodities - delivers the main material while Estranged Labour in the so-called “Paris Manuscripts “ seem to be the most popularly read within practitioners of kulturkritik.
D e b o r a h : M e t h o d o l o g i c a l e v a s i o n i s g o o d f o r r e s t l e s s s o u l s l i k e y o u . T h e r e s i d u a l t r a c e s o f t h e t r i c k s a n d w o r k i n g s o f c a p i t a l c a n s u r e l y b e a e s t h e t i c a l l y a p p r e c i a t e d r e t r o s p e c t i v e l y f r o m e n v i o u s e y e s t h a t f a n t a s i z e a b o u t e c s t a t i c d i s e m b o d i e d
e x i s t e n c e .
B o b : I ’ m f e e l i n g t h e s t a r k h u m i d i t y i n t h e a i r . Yo u r l a p e l m i c i s d r e n c h e d i n s a l i v a a n d y o u ’ l l s o o n n e e d t o h y p e r v e n t i l a t e . L e t s t a l k a b o u t t h e a c t u a l e v e n t s o f t h e f i n a n c i a l c r i s i s .
4D e b o r a h : R e a l r e b e l l i o n s a n d i n s u r r e c t i o n a r y t e n d e n c i e s a r e w a s h i n g o v e r t h e w o r l d .
5A c r i s i s m i g h t b e a s t a t e o f
r a t i o n a l i z a t i o n a n d r e c o n f i g u r a t i o n .
6B u t t h a t a l s o m e a n s t h a t t h e w o r l d o f c a p i t a l i s w e a k a s a s y s t e m a t t h i s m o m e n t . A n y n e w d e a l o r r e t u r n t o a c o n s e n s u s a n d s o c i a l d e m o c r a c y s e e m s a l s o i m p o s s i b l e .
B o b t o u c h e s h i s b a l d i n g h e a d a n d r e l a x e s h i s s h o u l d e r s b e f o r e t h e y c u t i n t o c o m m e r c i a l s w h i l e D e b o r a h r e a s s u r e s h e r s e l f t h a t
4An official and final U.S. government report on the causes of the financial crisis was issued and can be found here:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-FCIC/content-detail.html. Even this report still seems though, to have problems with tracing or tracking any individual actors. Recurring figures in the gallery of villains are otherwise: Alan
Greenspan, Henry Paulson, Bern Bernanke, Angelo Mozilo and “Dick” Fuld. The later one not so charmingly portrayed in the BBC-dramatization: The Last Days of Lehman Brothersand the documentary The Fall of Lehman Brothers.
5See David Graebers report on Occupy Wall Street:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/25/occupy-wall-street-protest and Paul Masons speculative analysis earlier this year on the reasons behind the uprisings:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/paulmason/2011/02/twenty_reasons_why_its_kicking.html. Numerous others examples of analysis and entries on current social upheavals after the crisis exists that don’t fit here for spatial reasons.
Many contextualize events in Chile, Greece, Egypt, Tunisia, Spain and England to name a few at prima facie.
6See the devastating use of shock or crisis as the opening up of markets as “reconfiguration” (too put it mildly) in the book by Naomi Klein The Shock Doctrine (2007). In relation to the question of credit and foreclosures, the idea of
“accumulation by dispossession” is crucial here. See for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a9TAbQHzjQ and The New Enclosures (1990) by The Midnight Notes Collective: http://www.midnightnotes.org/newenclos.html.
The “bail outs” could also be seen from the perspective of transfer of public assets into the ownership and
administration of private institutions as part of this process. For the phenomena of contemporary forms of primitive accumulation in Stockholm see Kent Wernes articles and writings on the privatization of housing and health:
http://kentwerne.se/2010/09/17/508/ and http://kentwerne.se/bocker/du-skona-nya-hem/.
i t a l l w e n t d o w n p r e t t y g o o d a g a i n s t h e r p i t h y f o r m e r b f f o n p r i m e - t i m e - s y n d i c a t e d - s a t e l l i t e - t e l e v i s i o n . P o s t - p a r t i s a n t r a n s c e n d e n c e w a s n o w o v e r.
N O T E S O N A R T I S T I C I N S T I T U T I N G – A P r a c t i c e I h a v e n o w f o r a w h i l e b e e n i n t e r e s t e d i n a r t i s t s a n d i n s t i t u t i o n s , a n d t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p o f a r t i s t s t o t h e r e s t o f
s o c i e t y a s p a r t i a l w h o l e s . T h e i m m a n e n c e o f a r t i s t i c p r a c t i c e s a n d w o r k s l i e a t a c l o s e i n t e r m e d i a t e p r o x i m i t y w h e n e v e r I w o r k i n m y s t u d i o ; p a r t i c i p a t e i n e x h i b i t i o n s , s y m p o s i a o r i n f o r m a l r e s e a r c h c o m m u n i t i e s .
M o s t o f t h e t i m e , t h o u g h , I e n j o y t h e f r i e n d s h i p a m o n g c o l l e a g u e s t h e m o s t , t h e o n e s w h e r e t h a t u n d e f i n e d s h a r e d s o m e t h i n g t r a n s c e n d s b e y o n d a n o b v i o u s i n t e n t i o n o r d i r e c t c o m m o n d e n o m i n a t i o n . I a m a l l f o r r e a l a n t a g o n i s m s t h o u g h ; f r o n t a l d u e l s a n d m a c h i a v e l l i c c o t e r i e s a m o n g a n t i - o e d i p a l
d e s p e r a d o s w h e r e s o c i a l s u i c i d e a l w a y s l i e s i n w a i t b e n e a t h t h e f l o o r - y e a r n i n g f o r t h e m o m e n t w h e n t h e c o o r d i n a t e s o f t h e c o m m u n a l l a w ( o f b e c o m i n g r e s p e c t a b l e ) c o l l a p s e s .
T h e k i n d s o f l e a k a g e i n - b e t w e e n u s a l l a p p e a r t o b e t h e u n r u l y v i r t u a l o b j e c t , w h i c h d e f l e c t s e v e r y k i n d o f r a t i o n a l i z a t i o n , e v e n i n t h e m a r k e t o f a p p e a r a n c e s a n d w i t h i n t h e l a t e c a p i t a l i s t m e t a p h y s i c s o f s t r a t e g y ( a n d n e t w o r k i m p e r a t i v e i t s e l f ) , w h i c h w e a l l a r e s u b j e c t e d t o .
T h e t e n d e n c y t o w a r d s a p o i e s i s w i t h o u t a s u b j e c t a n d a s o r t o f t o t a l c o n s u m p t i o n o f t h e o t h e r d r i v e s m y a r t i s t i c l e a n i n g s . T h e t r a n s v e r s a l a n o m a l y ( n o t n e c e s s a r i l y t h e s u r r e a l e x o t i c o r
i m p r e s s i o n i s t i c b e y o n d ) i n f o r m s m y p r a c t i c e a s w e l l .
S o m e t i m e s i t v a n i s h e s i n t o t h e f a m o u s t r a s h b i n o f d e p l e t e d g e s t u r e s a s a h e s i t a n t s i g n i f i e r w i t h o u t l i f e , o t h e r t i m e s i t d i s t u r b s t e m p o r a l i t y i t s e l f .
C r i s i s a n d c r i t i q u e
I t h i n k t h a t t h e r e i s p o t e n t i a l l y a m a s s i v e r e s i d u e o f s p e c u l a t i v e c r i t i q u e i n t h e t u r b u l e n c e t h a t w e a r e l i v i n g t h r o u g h a t t h i s e v e n t o f s h i f t i n g a n d i n s t i t u t i o n a l i z a t i o n . G o v e r n a n c e o v e r a r t i s t i c i n s t i t u t i o n s , m a r k e t s , a c a d e m i e s a n d t h e l a w i s b e i n g r e a r r a n g e d o n c e a g a i n j u s t a s t h e g l o b a l a r t b o o m p e a k e d i t s e l f i n t o o b l i v i o n .
I n t h e s l i g h t l y c o m p r e s s e d e s s a y T h e S t a n d p o i n t o f t h e P r o l e t a r i a t ( 2 0 1 1 ) I t r i e d t o r e c o n c i l e s o m e o f t h e w o r n b u t s t i l l e n r i c h i n g i d e a s t h a t I ’ v e b e e n w o r k i n g w i t h t h e l a s t t w o y e a r s a t M e j a n . T h e s e a r e i d e a s r e l a t e d t o e c o n o m i c s ,
p h i l o s o p h y a n d d i f f e r e n t f o r m s o f r e s e a r c h m e t h o d o l o g i e s .
T h e e s s a y p r e s e n t e d a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h i s s t r e a m o f t e x t a i m s t o m i m i c a k i n d o f d e l i c a t e m a c h i n e t h a t p o t e n t i a l l y g e n e r a t e s m u l t i p l e l i n e s o f t h o u g h t s i n t h e r e a d e r , s i l l y
a s s o c i a t i o n s a n d c o n c u r r e n t p o i n t o f e n t r i e s t h a t f a l l o n e a c h o t h e r , b l e e d i n t o t h e s i g n i f i c a t i o n o f e a c h o n e a n d f o r m m i n o r s e m i o s p h e r e s w h i c h i n v i t e w i t h o u t t h e t i m b r e o f a n o p e n
i n v i t a t i o n , b u t s t i l l w e l c o m e s t h e g e n e r o u s .
T h e f o r m a l d e c i s i o n s a r e n o t a l l t h e t i m e s e t f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g i n m y w o r k . I a m a l l f o r a l o o s e c a u s e a n d
t e n d e n t i o u s i m p u l s i o n , i n s p i t e o f t i m e a l l o w i n g I t e n d t o w a i t
a n d s u b j e c t m y s e l f t o t h e u n s t a b l e t e m p o r a l i t i e s o f t h e a l m o s t
i m p o s s i b l e w h i c h I ’ v e c o m e t o r e a l i z e , p r o f e s s i o n a l i z e s m y
p r a c t i c e a b i t a n d d i s c i p l i n e s i t s o u t c o m e s b y m o v i n g m e a b i t t o o m u c h t o c e r t a i n r e g i o n s o f p r o d u c t i o n . I h o p e T h e
S t a n d p o i n t o f t h e P r o l e t a r i a t d o e s o t h e r w i s e .
T W O m a n n e r s A N D o n e I N C L I N A T I O N
A M O U N T
S i n c e m o r e t h a n a y e a r I ’ v e w o r k e d w i t h o t h e r s t u d e n t s
c o n t i n u o u s l y . T o g e t h e r w e h a v e f o r m e d a n a r t i s t i c s o v e r e i g n c a l l e d “ a m o u n t ” w h i c h i s a v e h i c l e f o r r e s e a r c h d e s i r e s r e l a t i n g t o c u r r e n t o r i m p e n d i n g m a t t e r s .
M o s t o f t h e t i m e s w e m e e t a n d r e a d h i g h l y i n t e r e s t i n g n e w
t h e o r e t i c a l e s s a y s w h i c h s e e m t o c i r c u l a t e i n m a n y p a r t s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d s i m u l t a n e o u s l y . We l l . . . m o s t l y i n t h e m i c r o c o s m o f c i r c u i t s a m o n g f r i e n d s o f s h a r e d a r t i s t i c p o s i t i o n s . We a l s o u s e o u r b o d i e s f o r e x p e r i m e n t a l p r a c t i c e s , w h i c h r e l a t e t o s t u d i e s o f d i s c i p l i n e , r e g i m e n t a t i o n a n d t h e c o n t e m p o r a r y f o r m o f l i f e t h a t i s p r o d u c e d i n l a t e c a p i t a l i s t S w e d e n .
7S o m e t i m e s w e r e c o r d a n d d o c u m e n t o u r w o r k s b u t g e n e r a l l y s p e a k i n g w e t r a v e l w i t h o u t a n y r e c o r d i n g d e v i c e s i n o u r h o r i z o n .
T h i s s u m m e r w e k e p t v i s i t i n g d i f f e r e n t p l a c e s t o a u g m e n t o u r k n o w l e d g e a n d i n t e n s i f y o u r c o m m u n a l f i d e l i t y . T o g e t h e r w e ’ v e b e e n e v e r y w h e r e f r o m D a l a r n a , t h e c o m m e r c i a l c e n t r e s o f
S t o c k h o l m t o l a s t y e a r s H i s t o r i c a l M a t e r i a l i s m C o n f e r e n c e a t S O A S i n L o n d o n a n d b a c k t o o u r r e s e a r c h a t h o m e w h i c h h a d
7Besides my participation in amount, I also from time to time take upon myself small writing projects that are related to other parts of the contemporary moment such as this study material, which I made for the education institution ABF and publishing house Atlas for a book on islamophobia called “Hatet mot Muslimer”. You can find it here:
http://www.abf.se/Global/Press%20och%20Nyheter/Nyheter/2011/Hatet_mot_muslimer_-_studiehandledning.pdf
