Emergent Terrain w/ Akbar, Winant, & Riofrancos
The Dig
00:00
The Left's Power and Constraints in Capitalist Societies
The chapter discusses the limited power of the left in capitalist societies to impose its demands due to the organization of the ruling class by the state. It explains that even when the left is relatively more powerful, its effects are usually mediated through coalition partners who both manage and isolate the left for their own purposes. The chapter also references Polanzas' idea that the state establishes compromises between dominant and dominated classes to reproduce class hegemony, and emphasizes that all measures taken by the capitalist state, even those imposed by the popular masses, are ultimately pro-capitalist.
Transcript
Play full episode
