Social Classes and the Dynamics of Capitalist Society in Postone's Materialist Ontology

Abstract

In Postone's immanent critical reading of Marx's mature theory, the commodity form is the axis from which the entire capitalist society is unveiled, laying the cornerstone for a pertinent understanding of social classes and their struggles. He places the specific form of social mediation of capitalist society at the center of the constitution of this socioeconomic formation and at the core of Marx's critical theory. In this article, following Postone in his reinterpretation of Marx's mature theory, we focus our attention on the category of social class and its necessary articulations with the dynamics of capital accumulation. The aim is to elucidate Postone's appropriate and innovative treatment of this categorical set and demonstrate the importance of such categories in his reading of Marxian theory. We highlight, in particular, his treatment of the historical role of the proletariat and its relationship to the fundamental contradiction of capitalism.