Marxism 6

Nirnaya Bhatta  this was one lecture prepared on computer for 2008 batch and I must have given its print out to your batch. Your question needs little long lecture probably you wee not present in 3-4  classes on Class and Class conflict, that is not just ban economic relation but a social relation of domination. the dominant classes try to enhance the domination and subordinated ones to reduce and eventually end it. Anyone earning livelihood by selling labor is by definition a worker and part of class in itself vis-a-vis corporate capitalism but remain a lump of mass as long as they do not acquire class consciousness and organize themselves on the basis of common class interest. The link between class in 'itself and for itself' is class consciousness that is a complex and difficult task -- the task of radicalizing the social consciousness against all the attempts of the powerful ideological apparatuses to blunt it. Thanks, Nirnay, I will add to it one more section on this for this batch's students. Tight now I shall tell you just 3 things: 1. The capitalism has learnt enough from Hindu caste system in which almost everyone finds some one to look down at. That is why the working class unity is more difficult.2. Capitalism is different from previous ruling classes that it democratizes and some of its privileges to the upper echelons of the working classes inducing them to harbor the illusion of being part of the ruling classes. Gunter Andre Frank's definition of lumpen bourgeois can be extended to encompass this class into its ambit. 3. The bureaucracy is a class apart. I will elaborate these but right now have other things to do.