This podcast explores the connection between anti-colonial struggle, the world proletariat, and resistance against capitalism. It examines the changing social position of women, the construction of a patriarchal order, and the significance of the witch hunts in the development of capitalism. The podcast also discusses the redefinition of productive and reproductive tasks, the role of the family in reproducing poverty and the workforce, and Marx's assumptions about procreation and population in capitalist development. It delves into the criminalization of women's control over procreation, the degradation of women's well-being, and the role of the family in women's subjugation.
The podcast highlights the role of women's struggles in resisting the logic of capitalism and the interconnectedness of various forms of oppression.
The persecution of witches and the transformation of reproductive work were crucial aspects contributing to the development of capitalism during the transition from feudalism.
Capitalism devalued women's labor, excluded them from socially recognized work, and reduced them to a double dependence on employers and men.
Deep dives
The desire to rethink the development of capitalism from a feminist viewpoint
This podcast episode explores the desire to rethink the development of capitalism from a feminist perspective, avoiding the limits of a separate women's history and highlighting the importance of women's struggles and their role in resisting the logic of capitalism.
The worldwide return of phenomena associated with the genesis of capitalism
The podcast discusses the worldwide return of phenomena associated with the genesis of capitalism, such as new enclosures, mass incarceration, persecution of migrant workers, and violence against women. These phenomena are seen as interconnected and linked to the ongoing attack on workers and the continuing exploitation and oppression of women.
The concept of primitive accumulation from a feminist viewpoint
The podcast examines the concept of primitive accumulation from a feminist viewpoint, highlighting its importance in understanding the changes introduced in the social position of women during the transition from feudalism to capitalism. It argues that Marx's analysis of primitive accumulation needs to be expanded to include the transformation of reproductive work and the persecution of witches as crucial aspects contributing to the development of capitalism.
Population crisis, women's control over reproduction, and the war against women
The podcast explores the population crisis of the 16th and 17th centuries, the interventions of the state to regulate procreation, and the war against women that aimed to break their control over reproduction. It discusses the severe penalties imposed on contraception, abortion, and infanticide, as well as the persecution of unwed mothers and midwives. These measures were part of an attempt to restore desired population growth and reinforce patriarchal control over women's bodies.
The criminalization of contraception and control over procreation
Throughout history, women had control over the birthing process and access to various forms of contraception. However, with the rise of capitalism, procreation became public territory controlled by men and the state. Contraception was criminalized, and women's bodies were subjected to forced reproduction. Proletarian women were forced to procreate against their will, leading to their enslavement to the service of capitalist accumulation.
Devaluation of women's labor and the new sexual division of labor
Capitalism brought about the devaluation of women's labor and their exclusion from socially recognized work and monetary relations. Women's work was defined as non-work and only considered valuable when done for the family. The craftsman's efforts to exclude female workers from their workshops, along with the collaboration of the authorities, led to the displacement of women from the crafts and their confinement to reproductive labor. The family emerged as an institution for the appropriation and concealment of women's labor, reducing them to a double dependence on employers and men.
00:00:03 Introduction
00:24:07 The Accumulation of Labor and the Degradation of Women-Introduction
00:31:48 Capitalist Accumulation and the Accumulation of Labor in Europe
00:40:05 Land Privatisation in Europe, the Production of Scarcity, and the Separation of Production from Reproduction
00:44:13 Population Decline, Economic Crisis, and the Disciplining of Women
01:42:49 The Devaluation of Women's Labor
01:12:18 Women: The New Commons and the Substitute for the Lost Land
01:14:27 The Patriarchy of the Wage
01:23:06 Capitalism and the Sexual Division of Labor
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