Red Notes

Link to PDF of pamphlet.

Published by Red Notes, London, UK, late 1970s

Jean Jacques Elisée Reclus
Born 15 March 1830 - France , died 4 July 1905 - Belgium

French geographer, was born at Sainte-Foy la Grande (Gironde), on the 15th of March 1830. He was the second son of a Protestant pastor, who had a family of twelve children, several of whom acquired some celebrity either as men of letters, politicians or members of the learned professions.

Introduction

This text, like the preceding one, belongs to Negri's period in prison and was published, in the same anthology, Macchina Tempo, Feltrinelli, Milano 1982. The problematic of these essays is outlined in the introduction to the article above, 'crisis of the Crisis-state'. The underlying theme is the need to redefine the class antagonism in advanced capitalism, at a level corresponding to the real, total subsumption of society, of social labour as a whole, to capitalist domination. This means, as Negri argues here - but also in earlier articles included in this volume - that the conception of the 'working class' has to be broadened and extended to contradiction and antagonism in the sphere of social reproduction as a whole - ie beyond direct production as such.