Breaking away from Capital? Theorising activity in the shadow of Marx

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="mso-ansi-language:...

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Main Author: Peter Jones
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Outlines Association 2009-09-01
Series:Outlines
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ojs.statsbiblioteket.dk/index.php/outlines/article/view/2255
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author Peter Jones
author_facet Peter Jones
author_sort Peter Jones
collection DOAJ
description <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: DA; mso-fareast-language: DA;">The paper reflects on the relationship between the understanding of human activity which Marx expresses in <em>Capital </em>and the theoretical model of activity offered by an influential contemporary variant of Activity Theory. The paper argues that this variant departs significantly from Marx’s conception of human activity and its role in what he calls the ‘labour process’. In particular, Activity Theory has failed to distinguish between the labour process and the valorization process, a distinction which is fundamental to <em>Capital </em>and to Marx’s theoretical and political perspective more generally. The paper also argues that this conceptual conflation is also evident in the theoretical discourse of the founders of the Activity Theory tradition. The paper goes on to consider the theoretical and practical implications of this departure from the method and conclusions of <em>Capital.</em></span></p></span></span><em><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span></em>
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spelling doaj.art-aa5abd5a3e054ae1bfc5205398dd33832023-01-02T06:11:57ZengThe Outlines AssociationOutlines1399-55101904-02102009-09-0111145582039Breaking away from Capital? Theorising activity in the shadow of MarxPeter Jones0Communication Studies, Sheffield Hallam University<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: DA; mso-fareast-language: DA;">The paper reflects on the relationship between the understanding of human activity which Marx expresses in <em>Capital </em>and the theoretical model of activity offered by an influential contemporary variant of Activity Theory. The paper argues that this variant departs significantly from Marx’s conception of human activity and its role in what he calls the ‘labour process’. In particular, Activity Theory has failed to distinguish between the labour process and the valorization process, a distinction which is fundamental to <em>Capital </em>and to Marx’s theoretical and political perspective more generally. The paper also argues that this conceptual conflation is also evident in the theoretical discourse of the founders of the Activity Theory tradition. The paper goes on to consider the theoretical and practical implications of this departure from the method and conclusions of <em>Capital.</em></span></p></span></span><em><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span></em>http://ojs.statsbiblioteket.dk/index.php/outlines/article/view/2255activitylabourlabour processvalorization processActivity Theory
spellingShingle Peter Jones
Breaking away from Capital? Theorising activity in the shadow of Marx
Outlines
activity
labour
labour process
valorization process
Activity Theory
title Breaking away from Capital? Theorising activity in the shadow of Marx
title_full Breaking away from Capital? Theorising activity in the shadow of Marx
title_fullStr Breaking away from Capital? Theorising activity in the shadow of Marx
title_full_unstemmed Breaking away from Capital? Theorising activity in the shadow of Marx
title_short Breaking away from Capital? Theorising activity in the shadow of Marx
title_sort breaking away from capital theorising activity in the shadow of marx
topic activity
labour
labour process
valorization process
Activity Theory
url http://ojs.statsbiblioteket.dk/index.php/outlines/article/view/2255
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