Studies in the relationship of literature in English to philosophy.

Why read the first volume of Capital more than 150 years after its initial publication in 1867? The world around us is in crisis. Coming to grips with that crisis requires understanding how it got that way. Marx’s Capital continues to be an illuminating guide in that project. Marx wrote Capital in the mid-nineteenth century, as the set of relations he called “capitalism” was just falling into place. Having lived in this system all our lives, it is harder for us to see its particular configuration than it was for someone to whom it was all new. Hence, we turn to Marx, and to Capital, as a lens through which to understand the present. Not only is Marx being seriously and widely read again since the financial crisis of 2008, but it is his mature critique of political economy that is of interest. Reading Capital today, we’ll see why 20th and 21st century radical thinkers on questions of race, gender, colonialism, environmental destruction, imperialism and financial predation have sought to build on its concepts and methods or, even in moving past them, feel that they must first be confronted and critiqued anew. In the last two to three weeks of the course, we’ll turn to some of these contemporary thinkers as a way of gaining an introduction to Marx’s continuing critical presence in the radical politics of our time. Most of the course, however, will be devoted to understanding Capital Vol 1. So if you have long wished to study and work through this book in a structured manner, this is your chance. This course is open to advanced and beginner readers of Marx alike and is suitable to students in all majors. The main qualification for being in this course is a commitment to read and discuss 50-75 pages a week of difficult writing. The only book required for purchase is the Penguin edition of Capital Vol 1. It is essential that you buy a physical copy of this book and that it is in this particular edition. All other readings will be made available electronically through bCourses.

Book List

Karl Marx, Capital Vol 1 (Penguin)

Repeat Rules

Requirements class fulfills