Marx's Capital.
For the last 30 years or so, I've read Marx's Capital, including Theories of Surplus Value, cover to cover, every five years. This will be my sixth complete reading, though I've obviously read bits of it a lot more times than that. This time, I've decided also to summarise it as I read it, in individual blog posts. I will set up an Index similar to those I already have in the sidebar, listing each of these posts.
Glossary Of Marxist Terms
To go along with Marx's Capital, I have also decided to produce individual blog posts that provide an explanation for terms commonly used in Marxist Theory. Given that some of these terms, such as Abstract Labour, are themselves subjects for debate, they will be open to other interpretations. Again, an index of terms will be set up in the sidebar. This has a further advantage for me, in that I often find I am explaining these terms within a blog post, to ensure that everyone reading it, understands the term. This will mean that, in future, I can simply put a hyperlink to the explanation.
The African Lions
Thirty years ago, I began to analyse the Asian Tiger economies as part of my analysis of Imperialism, and the New International Division of Labour. At a time when many on the Left were still describing these economies as in some way Neo-Colonies, I pointed out that these economies were already clearly rapidly developing, and set to challenge the existing developed economies. Even I had not recognised the extent to which China would be a part of that development. Many of those economies today cannot be described as developing any longer, but as now developed. Unfortunately, there are still some on the Left, for whom this reality does not sit well with their orthodoxy, and still cling to a notion that they are in some sense still dependent, oppressed, or Neo-Colonies of Imperialism.
Today, it is becoming increasingly clear that the same process of combined and uneven development, of as Bill Warren described it, "Imperialism:Pioneer of Capitalism", which created the conditions for the Asian Tigers to begin their process of development, is also at play in relation to at least a number of African economies. I believe that these African Lion economies are likely to hold a similar position 20 year from now to that the Asian Tigers had during the 1980's. Each cycle of development within the Long Wave has seen the process of industrialisation and modernisation shortened compared with that of the previous Long Wave. Germany and the US, took less time to modernise than did Britain; Japan less time than the US and Germany; China, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, etc.less time than Japan. Its likely that the leading African Lion economies, therefore, will modernise even more rapidly than the Asian Tigers. In fifty years from now it is likely to be an African economy that holds the position that China holds today.
Africa is the last continent on the planet to go through such a process of modernisation. It, is very important for that and many other reasons. I have decided, therefore, to undertake an in depth study of African economies, and to focus blog posts on developments within them. Again, a new Index for these posts will be put in the sidebar.
I will, of course, be blogging on all the other things I have covered in then past, but necessarily, as these are major areas of study, it will have a corresponding effect on the balance. I'm excited about the prospect of embarking on these three new ventures, and hope that all three will also be of considerable benefit for readers, and particularly for younger readers, for whom this information should act as a valuable resource, though I hasten to add, not in any way intended as an alternative to reading Marx yourself, and studying the facts of the world about you honestly, and with an open mind. Unfortunately, the latter is something that the domination of the Left by the sects has made increasingly difficult, at the very time when Marxism and the Labour Movement requires it most.
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