Workerism
Encyclopedia
Workerism is a name given to different trends in left-wing political discourse, especially anarchism
and Marxism
. In one sense, it describes a political position concerning the political importance and centrality of the working class
. Because this was of particular significance in the Italian left, it is often known by its Italian translation, Operaismo. In another sense, workerism refers to the glorification of the culture of the working class, independent of their historical role.
, that starts out from the power of the working class. Michael Hardt
and Antonio Negri
, known as operaist and autonomist writers, offer a definition of operaismo, quoting from Marx as they do so:
The workerists followed Marx in seeking to base their politics on an investigation of working class life and struggle. Through translations made available by Danilo Montaldi and others, they drew upon previous activist research in the United States by the Johnson-Forest Tendency
and in France by the group Socialisme ou Barbarie
. The Johnson-Forest Tendency had studied working class life and struggles within the Detroit auto industry, publishing pamphlets such as "The American Worker" (1947), "Punching Out" (1952) and "Union Committemen and Wildcat Strikes" (1955). That work was translated into French by Socialisme ou Barbarie and published, serially, in their journal. They too began investigating and writing about what was going on inside workplaces, in their case inside both auto factories and insurance offices.
The journal Quaderni Rossi ("Red Notebooks", 1961-5), along with its successor Classe Operaia ("Working Class", 1963-6), both founded by Negri and Tronti, developed workerist theory, focusing on the struggles of proletarians.
Associated with this theoretical development was a praxis based on workplace organising, most notably by Lotta Continua
. This reached its peak in the Italian "Hot Autumn
" of 1969.
By the mid-1970s, however, the emphasis shifted from the factory to "the social factory" - the everyday lives of working people in their communities. The operaist movement was increasingly known as autonomist.
(or an idealised conception of it) and manual labour
in general. Socialist realism
is an example of a form of expression that would be likely to be accused of workerism in this sense, but this also applies to Liberalism and Fascism, such as Franco's Falangist movement, which often used propaganda showing workers living and working in equitable conditions.
The charge of workerism is often levelled at syndicalists, but this is less justifiable. While governments have used workerism to exploit the working class, whether they are Communist or Liberal governments, Syndicalists owe their very existence to the existence of a working class which they supposedly represent. Traditional communist parties are also thought to be workerist, because of their supposed glorification of manual workers to the exclusion of white-collar workers.
This use of the term was the most common English language
use during the twentieth century.
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
and Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
. In one sense, it describes a political position concerning the political importance and centrality of the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
. Because this was of particular significance in the Italian left, it is often known by its Italian translation, Operaismo. In another sense, workerism refers to the glorification of the culture of the working class, independent of their historical role.
Workerism as revolutionary praxis
Workerism (or Operaismo) is a political analysis, whose main elements were to merge into autonomismAutonomism
Autonomism refers to a set of left-wing political and social movements and theories close to the socialist movement. As an identifiable theoretical system it first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerist communism...
, that starts out from the power of the working class. Michael Hardt
Michael Hardt
Michael Hardt is an American literary theorist and political philosopher perhaps best known for Empire, written with Antonio Negri and published in 2000...
and Antonio Negri
Antonio Negri
Antonio Negri is an Italian Marxist sociologist and political philosopher.Negri is best-known for his co-authorship of Empire, and secondarily for his work on Spinoza. Born in Padua, he became a political philosophy professor in his hometown university...
, known as operaist and autonomist writers, offer a definition of operaismo, quoting from Marx as they do so:
- Operaismo builds on Marx's claim that capitalCapital (economics)In economics, capital, capital goods, or real capital refers to already-produced durable goods used in production of goods or services. The capital goods are not significantly consumed, though they may depreciate in the production process...
reacts to the struggles of the working class; the working class is active and capital reactive. - Technological development: Where there are strikes, machines will follow. "It would be possible to write a whole history of the inventions made since 1830 for the sole purpose of providing capital with weapons against working-class revolt." (Capital, Vol. 1, Chapter 15, Section 5)
- Political development: The factory legislation in England was a response to the working class struggle over the length of the working day. "Their formulation, official recognition and proclamation by the State were the result of a long class struggle." (Capital, Vol. 1, Chapter 10, Section 6)
- Operaismo takes this as its fundamental axiom: the struggles of the working class precede and prefigure the successive re-structurations of capital. http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2002-02-13-hardtnegri-en.html
The workerists followed Marx in seeking to base their politics on an investigation of working class life and struggle. Through translations made available by Danilo Montaldi and others, they drew upon previous activist research in the United States by the Johnson-Forest Tendency
Johnson-Forest Tendency
The Johnson–Forest tendency, sometimes called the Johnsonites, refers to a radical left tendency in the United States associated with Marxist theorists C.L.R. James and Raya Dunayevskaya, who used the pseudonyms J.R. Johnson and Freddie Forest respectively...
and in France by the group Socialisme ou Barbarie
Socialisme ou Barbarie
Socialisme ou Barbarie was a French-based radical libertarian socialist group of the post-World War II period . It existed from 1948 until 1965...
. The Johnson-Forest Tendency had studied working class life and struggles within the Detroit auto industry, publishing pamphlets such as "The American Worker" (1947), "Punching Out" (1952) and "Union Committemen and Wildcat Strikes" (1955). That work was translated into French by Socialisme ou Barbarie and published, serially, in their journal. They too began investigating and writing about what was going on inside workplaces, in their case inside both auto factories and insurance offices.
The journal Quaderni Rossi ("Red Notebooks", 1961-5), along with its successor Classe Operaia ("Working Class", 1963-6), both founded by Negri and Tronti, developed workerist theory, focusing on the struggles of proletarians.
Associated with this theoretical development was a praxis based on workplace organising, most notably by Lotta Continua
Lotta Continua
Lotta Continua was a far left extra-parliamentary organization in Italy. It was founded in autumn 1969 by a split in the student-worker movement of Turin, which had started militant activity at the universities and factories such as Fiat...
. This reached its peak in the Italian "Hot Autumn
Hot Autumn
The Hot Autumn of 1969–1970 was a massive series of strikes in the factories and industrial centers of Northern Italy, during which workers demanded better pay and better conditions. Between 1969-1970 there were over 440 million hours of strikes alone...
" of 1969.
By the mid-1970s, however, the emphasis shifted from the factory to "the social factory" - the everyday lives of working people in their communities. The operaist movement was increasingly known as autonomist.
Workerism as a negative cultural phenomenon
More broadly, workerism can imply the idealisation of workers, especially manual workers, working class cultureWorking class culture
Working class culture is a range of cultures created by or popular among working class people. The cultures can be contrasted with high culture and folk culture, and are sometimes equated with popular culture and low culture ....
(or an idealised conception of it) and manual labour
Manual labour
Manual labour , manual or manual work is physical work done by people, most especially in contrast to that done by machines, and also to that done by working animals...
in general. Socialist realism
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
is an example of a form of expression that would be likely to be accused of workerism in this sense, but this also applies to Liberalism and Fascism, such as Franco's Falangist movement, which often used propaganda showing workers living and working in equitable conditions.
The charge of workerism is often levelled at syndicalists, but this is less justifiable. While governments have used workerism to exploit the working class, whether they are Communist or Liberal governments, Syndicalists owe their very existence to the existence of a working class which they supposedly represent. Traditional communist parties are also thought to be workerist, because of their supposed glorification of manual workers to the exclusion of white-collar workers.
This use of the term was the most common English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
use during the twentieth century.
Lenin's accusations of workerism
V.I. Lenin charged a number of Russian socialists with being workerist for opportunistically following the political or cultural movements of the working class, instead of holding a separate Marxist political position.Further reading
- Steve Wright Storming Heaven: Class composition and struggle in Italian Autonomist Marxism (University of Michigan Press ISBN 0-7453-1607-9) (Extract: The Workerists and the unions in Italy's 'Hot Autumn' at Libcom.org)
Workerism as revolutionary movement
- A critique of autonomism, which grew from operaismo, published by a Trotskyist group
- Interviews of members of the operaismo movement
Workerism as pejorative
A critique of "workerism" with a Marxian definition of proletariat.- A critique of workerism from an ANC (South Africa) internal bulletin in 1986. It differentiates three types of workerism.