2. Marxism 101
● history & class struggle
● proletariat & bourgeoisie
● commodity
● use value & exchange value
● labor power
● wage labor
● social reproduction
● reserve army
● surplus value
3. David Harvey: Neoliberalism
Premises of neoliberalism as a theory:
● market forces will maximize human well-being
● for that to happen, we need an
institutional framework of private property
rights, individual liberty, free markets, and
free trade
● the state’s job is to create and preserve
that framework
4. Keynesianism
● Named after John Maynard Keynes
● Keynes called for state intervention - especially
government spending during economic crisis to
raise employment and stimulate consumption
● State has to balance market forces
● Broadly, Keynesianism describes a philosophy
that is put in action as “social welfare state”
policies
● Social welfare includes state spending on
schools, education, health, employment.
5. Naturalization of Neoliberalism
Neoliberal economic theory becomes attached
to principles of individual freedom and liberty
● In US, this takes on an especially strong
libertarian tone
● Harvey argues that business elites join
forces with the Christian Right (“moral
majority”) in the 1980s - what was the result
of this partnership?
6. Key Examples
● Chile
● New York City’s fiscal crisis of 1970s
● US invasion of Iraq
7. Redistributive vs Generative
Harvey argues that neoliberal policies have not
actually produced greater wealth. Instead, the
net result of neoliberal policies has been a
redistribution of wealth to a smaller and smaller
elite class.
8.
9. Accumulation by Dispossession
On page 15, Harvey discusses Marx’s notion of
“accumulation by dispossession.” What did
Marx mean by that term, and how does Harvey
update it for the contemporary moment?
11. Amazing Scalpels and Swagger Jacking:
Aren Aizura and Stephen Crockett
● What did you write in your prompt this week about
these two articles?
● In Aizura’s article, what are the visitors to the clinics
paying for? What services do the workers provide?
● In Crockett’s, what are the businesses in DC selling?
● How does this relate to our first conversation about
globalization and culture? What roles does culture
play in these cases?
● Is this good, bad, both, neutral? Why?
