Feminism Feudalism anarchism Freedom of Information Functionalism Gender
Global Capitalism Globalisation Great Thinkers Habituation of the Nation Hellinistic Philosophy Historical Materialism
Human Freedom Human Rights Humanity Immorality Independent Thinking Industrial Revolution
Pedagogy of Revolution

Flow of Ideas: events - Marx and Time

A Level Sociology and PhilosophyA Level Sociology and Philosophy
Business Takeover of SchoolsBusiness Takeover of Schools
Computers and I.T.Computers and I.T.
Education and Social JusticeEducation and Social Justice
Education MarketsEducation Markets
Education Not For SaleEducation Not For Sale
Employers NeedsEmployers Needs
Engineering IndustryEngineering Industry
Funding for EducationFunding for Education
GATSGATS
GlobalisationGlobalisation
Horological TrainingHorological Training
Human CapitalHuman Capital
Intellectual LabourIntellectual Labour
Intellectual Property RightsIntellectual Property Rights
KM and Knowledge RevolutionKM and Knowledge Revolution
Labour Power: a CommodityLabour Power: a Commodity
Leadership: a Marxist PerspectiveLeadership: a Marxist Perspective
Learning SocietyLearning Society
Lifelong Learning and MarxismLifelong Learning and Marxism
Marx and Future of the HumanMarx and Future of the Human
Marx and TimeMarx and Time
Marxist Educational TheoryMarxist Educational Theory
MERDMERD
New Labour Education PolicyNew Labour Education Policy
New Labour, Schools and the Knowledge EconomyNew Labour, Schools and the Knowledge Economy
Nietzsche and PostmodernismNietzsche and Postmodernism
PedagogyPedagogy
Prizes and AwardsPrizes and Awards
Radical EducatorRadical Educator
Recruitment, Apprenticeship and Employers NeedsRecruitment, Apprenticeship and Employers Needs
Social ClassSocial Class
Student WorkersStudent Workers
TRIPSTRIPS
ValueValue






Chandos Book Publishing 		The Speed of Life: the significance of Karl Marx's concept of socially necessary labour-time by Glenn Rikowksi, with Michael Neary, University of Warwick, Department of Sociology
Paper presented at the British Sociological Association Conference 2000, Making Time - Marking Time,
University of York, 17th-20th April 2000

Glenn Rikowski gave a talk at the Centre for Philosophy and Political Economy, University of Leicester, on: Karl Marx's Social Time, on Wednesday 7th June, 3.30-5.00pm, 501 Ken Edwards Building.
Abstract
Building on previous work with Michael Neary (Neary and Rikowski, 2000; and Neary and Rikowski, 2002), this paper explored the form and nature of time in the social universe of capital. Specifically, it outlined a theory of social time forged through the work of Karl Marx. Such a theory can begin to grasp the increasing speed of life currently being experienced in contemporary society. This theory is in opposition to social theories of time framed within mainstream sociology.
The opening sections contrast the work of Barbara Adam and Philip Turetzky. It is argued that this work is instructive: its critique moves towards an understanding of the form and nature of time in capital’s social universe which regulates the speed of life. In the case of Adam, the movement from social constructivism to subjectivism ends in relativism (and ultimately solipsism) negates explanation of subjective feelings of time exhaustion. Furthermore, Adam also clings on to a notion of objective but naturalistic time that she cannot sustain. In the case of Turetzky, his notion of becoming-time collapses into: a-historicism, essentialism, reification, naturalism, and an extreme formalism. Thus: Adam provides rich social content but is silent on the social form of time in capitalist society; whilst Tureztky’s theory of becoming-time has a strong sense of form but inadequate social content.
The presentation then moves on to an examination of Marx’s concept of socially necessary labour-time. It is argued that socially necessary labour-time grounds the nature and social form of time in capitalist society. In addition, it begins to uncover the riddle of the speed of life in capitalist society. However, there are a number of problems connected with this theory of social time. First, there is the question of whether a ‘universal’ time is possible in capital’s social universe arising out of the work of Marx, Einstein and more recently Postone: are we only left with a huge array of commodity times? Secondly, and connected with the first issue, there is a need to demonstrate how commodity times become commensurable. Thirdly, how does social time operate beyond commodity production? Finally, there is the issue of how social time is constituted in relation to that ‘other great class of commodities’ (Marx), i.e. labour power. The paper will offer some provisional and tentative answers to these questions.
References
Neary, M. & Rikowski, G. (2000) The Speed of Life: The significance of Karl Marx’s concept of socially necessary labour-time, a paper presented at the British Sociological Association Conference, ‘Making Time – Marking Time’, University of York, 17 – 20 April. Online at:
The Speed of Life
Neary, M. & Rikowski, G. (2002) Time and Speed in the Social Universe of Capital, in: G. Crow and S. Heath (Eds.) Social Conceptions of Time: Structure and Process in Work and Everyday Life, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.


Glenn Rikowski gave a talk at Birkbeck College, University of London, at the 'Marx, Individuals and Society' seminar, on the topic of Karl Marx's Social Time on 8th June, at 7pm. Room: 629, Malet Street, London (for abstract - see talk above)




Print Friendly - Print Friendly with links
Anti-Imperialist
 © Copyright, Flow of Ideas, Ruth Rikowski and Glenn Rikowski
current date time:
Capital and Class
Website Design and Coding by Digo PC
Site optimisation by Bytec Solutions
Free-thought Global Family Government
Higher Education Human Progress Idealism
Immorality Income Generation Indulgence
Injustice Intellectual Development Knowledge Management

Valid CSS!