Abstract
This book argues that Indian society is characterized by a complex of forces such as low labor productivity in export-oriented and local subsistence production. The majority of people live in abject poverty. These forces and their economic result have to be understood via class analysis—how large groups of people relate to each other and to nature. Raju Das provides an extensive theoretical and empirical version of this analysis—the best ever written so far.
The significance of class relations is this: exploitation occurs in the material production of human existence. The ruling class rules over the making and conditions of social life
Marxist thought is inherently structural; with “structure” referring to an order of necessity, and necessity interpreted as the material production of existence: in the end “necessity” is that set of social practices performed for the sake of human survival. Structuralism analyses this system of social practices in a systematic way—Marxism—conceived as a science of existence for the sake of totally changing the world in the whole process of the emancipation of peasants and the working class. This particularly appeals to theorists from the working class, who know well the press of necessity. Labor all over the world is united in work—they make existence possible . . . for everyone. Emancipation means not the end of necessity, obviously, but democratic control over the social production of life. For structuralists, science (conceptualized structurally rather than empirically) takes the place of religion, in the sense that it explains human origins in a way that gives meaning to life activities rather than just representing them formally, symbolically. In the critical scientific attitude, exactly because the causes of action are knowable (i.e., do not derive from god, spirit, “energy in the air someplace” or random chaos), people are responsible for their actions (exactly as Sartre said), and societies (especially their elites) are accountable for what they have done, and show every sign of doing, and will be treated accordingly. People must liberate the production of human life.
Raju Das agrees with this. He devoted his life to this kind of liberation politics long ago. He has done as much as anyone to further our cause.
Once more. We fight for democratic control over the production of life itself.