Vivek Chibber Bücher

Postkoloniale Theorie ist in den letzten Jahren im akademischen Raum zu einem äußerst einflussreichen Ansatz geworden. Diese Denkschule, mit der Entwicklungen im globalen Süden erklärt werden sollen, ist insbesondere für ihre Kritik an universalisierenden Kategorien der Aufklärung bekannt. Genau hier setzt Vivek Chibber am Beispiel der »Subaltern Studies« theoretisch akribisch und historisch gesättigt an und weist analytische Fehlschlüsse und historische Missverständnisse in ihren zentralen Argumentationen nach. Politisch will er damit die Perspektive eines proletarischen und antikapitalistischen Internationalismus im Sinne von Marx verteidigen, die seiner Ansicht nach von postkolonialer Theorie verbaut wird.

Das Buch von Vivek Chibber gliedert sich in drei Teile: Der erste Teil behandelt die Klassenstruktur im Kapitalismus und die Notwendigkeit kollektiven Handelns der Arbeiterinnen. Der zweite Teil beleuchtet die Verbindung von Reichtum und politischer Macht. Der dritte Teil diskutiert die Rolle der Arbeiterinnenkämpfe für andere soziale Bewegungen und deren organisatorische Herausforderungen.

Does class determine economic options, or is class in our heads-a matter of interpreting symbols and meanings? Cultural theorists have made the second claim, sidelining materialism. Now, amid deepening inequality, Vivek Chibber defends materialist analysis of class power, while arguing that we still have something to learn from cultural frameworks.

The book delves into the reasons behind the varying success of countries in establishing developmental states post-World War II, focusing on India's unique experience. It argues that the response of domestic capitalists was crucial, highlighting how Indian industrialists actively campaigned against a robust state-led development initiative in the years following Independence. Despite ambitious programs in the 1950s and 1960s, the Indian state's lack of institutional capacity hindered rapid industrialization, challenging conventional views on state capacity and development.

Leading thinkers' critiques of award-winning Postcolonial Theory, as well as the author's responses and reformulations

A strategic guide to building a more democratic and egalitarian future Why is our society so unequal? Why, despite their small numbers, do the rich dominate policy and politics even in democratic countries? Why is it so difficult for working people to organize around common interests? How do we begin to build a more equal and democratic society? Vivek Chibber provides a clear and accessible map of how capitalism works, how it limits the power of working and oppressed people, and how to overcome those limits. The capitalist economy generates incredible wealth but also injustice. Those who own the factories, hotels, and farms always have an advantage over the people who rely on that ownership class for their livelihoods. This inequality in power and income is reflected in the operation of the state, where capitalists are able to exert their will even under relatively democratic conditions. The most important reason is that states depend on the employment and profits from capitalist enterprise for both finances and legitimacy. Every meaningful victory for working people has been won through collective struggle but collective action is very difficult to coordinate. In the final section of the book, Chibber walks the reader through some of the historical attempts to build socialism and presents a vision of how we might, perhaps against the odds, build a socialist future.