RFH Ep. 76 "Sociological Marxism” and Capitalist Crises––Interview with Gavin Rae

Radio Free Humanity: The Marxist-Humanist Podcast

The co-hosts welcome sociologist Gavin Rae, to discuss his critique of “Sociological Marxism,” which well-known left sociologists Erik Olin Wright and Michael Burawoy proposed two decades ago. They rejected Marx’s theory of capitalist crisis, claiming that state economic management has caused capitalism to stabilize, and that the value theory underlying Marx’s crisis theory is internally inconsistent. Gavin argues that the Great Recession soon showed that the notion of stable capitalism is dubious, and that the temporal single-system interpretation of Marx’s value theory has made it untenable to uncritically repeat the charge of the internal inconsistency. He and the co-hosts also discuss Wright and Burawoy’s embrace of Karl Polanyi’s thought and his focus on markets instead of production. Gavin argues that Marx’s crisis theory and the “dominance of production” can be incorporated into sociology, and he suggests several ways to do so. Current-events segment: New Mexico judge bars Capitol insurrectionist from holding office. Will more disqualifications follow?