m of care – mar 7 24
FETISH AND VALUE, PART 2 – [https://museum.care/events/fetish-and-value-part-2/]:
“When I conceived the idea of writing my own ‘Toward an Anthropological Theory of Value’ in the late 1990s, I originally … imagined its appearance would be followed by irate critiques from many of the principals insisting I had got their core arguments wrong, and a flurry of productive debates. Nothing of the sort ensued.” David Graeber (2013) from “It is Value that Brings Universes into Being.”
I share the disappointment. In this book David isn’t thinking of creating a theory of value, but rather about capturing the live debate happening around him in the world of high academia. He intended to contribute, to receive feedback, and to further the cause. The academia didn’t respond and David never had an opportunity to bring this to the people.
So this is exactly what I want to do in this group. To process David’s (and his teacher’s) ideas about value into a format accessible to a wider audience and if academia decides that this theory isn’t complete enough to give it to people then they are welcome to chime in.
We will start by reading smaller pieces by David to assemble the conceptual apparatus and learn to shift into his researcher mindset (if that isn’t too presumptuous of me) and when we feel ready enough we will progress onto the book itself – “Toward an anthropological theory of value”. I will be suggesting the reading track for this group but anyone is welcome to bring in the piece they think would contribute.
At the end of the group, I would like us to produce some short materials that could illustrate points we would develop in the course of reading. To this end, I would like this group recordings to be published.
I would like to start this group by reading Davids essay “Fetishism as social creativity“.
fetishism as social creativity:
this article aims to reimagine African fetishes, and fetishes in general, as ways of creating new social relations... social contract theory • social creativity •..
there’s a legit use of tech (nonjudgmental expo labeling).. to facil a legit global detox leap.. for (blank)’s sake.. and we’re missing it
legit freedom will only happen if it’s all of us.. and in order to be all of us.. has to be sans any form of m\a\p
notes/quotes from meeting:
stas kraev: summary: human condition as one of suffering.. leads to knowledge.. leads to power.. need something to stave our selfish impulses.. how we end up with gods, states, and other stupid human inventions.. that we insist that isn’t us who invented it but thru nature et al.. and failures come from our wrong practices
stas: econ problem is between our insatiable desires and finite world.. so job of econ is to distribute resources in a way we won’t kill each other.. all corruption due to sway from human nature..
patricia: want to think about hook that keeps us attached to this wanting.. in structure less .. value even if no structure.. value in the object.. ‘even if didn’t have capitalism.. actor looking at distinctiveness’
stas: what happens is.. 2 previous attempts at this book as reading group failed.. so trying to .. so you are looking at structure and value.. for david structure is inseparable from power.. social institutions for david: humans repeat certain actions in roughly same way.. structured in some sense.. value is that which persuades people to repeat same actions.. value is essence of institution .. so when gets hooked.. someone makes a connection and emulates action.. because see how this is proper way of behaving in society.. so chain of people emulated.. forms institution.. objective experience.. emotional association/attachment to object
patricia: that’s why he justifies that the networks are open ended.. is that where it allows us to imagine differently
stas: this is ch that talks about why open endedness is important.. if one says institution exists.. david says.. when act as if soc institution exists.. you are mistaken .. this is where fetishism come sin .. but also not a mistake if you do it and persuade others.. results.. now it exits.. so fetishes important part of change in society.. pretend something exists that doesn’t.. then social comes to be
gerard: what an econ might call demand.. anthro might call fetish.. because broader than goods/services.. it involves id, belonging et al.. perhaps now though ‘value’ might be word closest to original ‘fetish’.. value is what places us as part of social institutions
stas: connection between fetish and econ.. fetish is name for practice of creation of values.. then when gets to econ.. distinction between value and values
graeber values law: values are valuable because they cannot be compared with anything – David Graeber.. more of quote: just as commodities have econ ‘value’ because they can be compared precisely w other commodities, ‘values’ are valuable because they cannot be compared w anything.
stas: on values diff in and out of house.. in political econ household is econ activity when household labor is performed of producing human beings.. people find ways to transform one to another
gerald: back to idea of pretend process that allows creation of fetish into being
patricia: this whole thing of pretending.. symbolizing how much pain can we endure from this pretending.. tolerance higher and repeat bad habits because i really want some status/possessions..
john: relating to bhaskar’s 4 planor social being.. personality, others, nature, social structure.. last one as econ.. that’s what fetishized.. ignoring remaining 3 parts.. where i see actual value exists.. being human.. david mentioned all econs as human econs.. maybe concept of econ has been colonized.. but human econ.. crosses boundary of household..
david on human economies: it occurred to me that all economies are human economies and the strange thing about capitalism is it’s the only system that can make us forget this
stas: oath you give and punishments/sufferings you stipulate.. is necessary part of how africans dealt.. by giving oath object acquires power over them.. silly fun is about human relationships.. but caught up in fantasy of other people.. who pretend things are important.. allows to maintain social relationships.. david sees it as a misery of false pretense.. drawn together thru the violence.. false pretense of being busy..
norton productivity law.. kierkegaard busy ness law
stas: violence makes origin of relationship a fetish.. diff between pretense and false pretense
stas: now john.. how that turns into equality.. his original interest in bhaskar was that roy takes up on problem of the new.. how does anything social new happen at all.. informs david ability to.. how does any social newness get constituted
graeber model law: you’ll never ever be able to convince a person thru logical argument or even brilliant rhetoric that a free and just society is possible.. you can show them.. you can start doing it‘ – David Graebe
stas: power when money forces people to work.. and that is violence.. way you store a deer is you give it away.. that stores the value.. money takes on function of storing value.. by performance of doing stupid/miserable labor.. must be stupid/miserable for money to have this power
patricia on exchange
graeber exchange law: ‘the very principle of exchange emerged largely as an effect of violence’ david graeber
stas: mauss says contract is 2 people.. can extend it to many.. but never to all.. but to mauss probably can.. he says it’s in our nature to return the gift.. david says that isn’t true.. david can read authors he disagrees violently with and still salvage parts..
gift\ness and obligation ness and reciprocity ness
stas: next time.. turning modes of production inside out.. [https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/david-graeber-turning-modes-of-production-inside-out]
capitalism – transform of slavery (alt title).. read it first for m of care – feb 19
________
_______
________
________
________
________
_________
________
________
_________
be you. 