Customer Reviews

Cyber-Marx: Cycles and Circuits of Struggle in High Technology Capitalism

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This superb book not only takes elements of Marx's legacy and makes them contemporary in a prose embraced enthusiastically by undergraduates. It also lists four sites of struggle within a visions of 'circuits of struggle.' These four are

1. struggle at the site of production (usually waged work)
2. struggle at the point of reproduction (women producing people and labour power, students being educated...);
3. struggle at the interface of nature and people (eco-feminism, water, air, forests and indigenous knowledge, seeds, terminator biotechnology and the like); and finally
4. struggle at the site of consumption (GMO foods, labels on foods, carcinogens and war-related poisoning of people and the ecosystem and the like).

The power of this complex analysis of peoples' resistance to corporate profit making is situated in its capacity to unite the thousands of different (formerly called 'single-issue') struggles into one international movement to 'globalize from below' or to build a new 'subsistence society' worldwide centred on the satisfaction of human and ecological needs rather than the production of profit or as John McMurtry (see his forthcoming Value Wars, Pluto, 2002, or 'the Cancer Stage of Capitalism, Pluto, London, 1999)calls 'money demand.'

This book is, for me, one of the top ten pieces of brilliant, committed scholarship, ever. It is in the tradition of both CLR James and the Italian autonomistas, notably Antonio Negri and Maria Rosa Dalla Costa.

"Cyber Marx" by Nick Dyer-Whitheford is a brilliant Marxist analysis and critique of the economy of technology in late capitalism. The author shreds the techno-booster utopian visions of theorists such as Alvin Toffler to expose today's information society for what it really represents: namely, a post-Fordist attempt by capital to deepen and extend its dominance, control and repression as never before.

Mr. Dyer-Witheford presents evidence that the information infrastructure used to coordinate global production and consumption chains might also provide subversive opportunities to the disenfranchised, who may ultimately choose to develop new social structures existing beyond the control of capital. In this manner, the author believes that the surplus value produced by machines could be used to institute a guaranteed wage, a communication commons, and a revived democracy.

On the other hand, Mr. Dyer-Witheford acknowledges that technology might be used by fascists to spread hate and intolerance, and cautions us that this possibility should not be taken lightly. As the social costs of capitalism increase for ever larger segments of the world's population, it is possible that an under-educated public may be led by self-serving leaders to turn violently against themselves. The author's optimism that people will choose to strive for peace and justice, however, distinguishes his work from the pessimistic tone that sometimes suffuses the work of other postmodernists and contemporary European Marxist scholars.

Mr. Dyer-Whitheford's cogent analysis provides clarity to readers seeking insight into the dynamics of post-industrial society. Let's hope that this important work gets the attention it deserves and provides guidance to those who may be wish to build a more humane and just society. Highly recommended.

This book not only maps out the territory of advanced Capitalism, but it provides a political philosophy that is a "Negri beyond Negri". Although Dyer-Witheford draws a lot of ideas from Antonio Negri and the Italian autonomist tradition, he surpasses them with his excellent analysis of postindustrial capital. Moreover, Negri's most recent work (with Michael Hardt), "Empire" falls short of Dyer-Witheford's "Cyber-Marx" which is more realistic, practical, concise and defensible than Negri has ever been. This book is worth buying by anyone interested in the realities of technological society.

Not only does Dyer-Witheford synthesize the seemingly incomprehensible theories of the so-called 'information society,' of 'cyber-space,' he shakes loose the stranglehold of myths that fortify its existence from above, and reminds us of its appropriation by labouring subjects who resist the ubiquitous oppression of global capital. A fantastic work.

I had an urge to go back to readings on politics after September 11th tragedy... So I bought a few books from Amazon and Autonomedia. Spent Christmas time reading them with an almost furiouos enthusiasm!
As a 49 years artist, european and ex-trotskyst wandering along the late capitalism pathway of illusions, I found this book an absolute must for anyone trying to do a map of the present state of humankind.
It is most probably the best portrait of post-marxism and neo-marxism done in the last twenty years. Systematic, well balanced, straithforward, wit and very very humanistic.
I think that this canadian leftist - Nick Dyer-Witheford - deserves an urgent translation of his book to french, spanish, portuguese and chinese as soon as possible...

This is a masterwork; a unique and nearly comprehensive view of Marxism appropriate for our times. Nick avoids dogma and certainly eliminates all vestiges of teleology. The absence of dogma is indicated by the wide variety of sources that are tied together with a strong square knot. Optimistic yet realistic, this book is a must for all progressives and all who give a damn about human and Earth survival. I would have liked to see more on neutralizing militarism; if he has ideas on this I hope he writes them up.

Addendum 12/6/02 -- Why aren't more people discussing this superb work?

Workers of all ecosystems/bioregions/networks/affinity groups UNITE! We have nothing to lose but a precious planet. Nick Dyer-Witheford gives us an excellent map of contemporary social struggles and offers wonderful hints on not only why, but how we can reappropriate the fruits of knowledge we are coerced into 'alienating' under the current paradigm of property and contract that is capitalism. Only then will we be able to have the time and freedom to mobilize our fellow citizens to alleviate the totally unnecessary impoverishment of 2/3rds of humanity. The dyad of globalization/antiglobalization is a misnomer and a cruel joke. This books tells us why and is written in an extremely accessible style that'll turn us all into organizers for social justice and economic democracy. Let's go for it....