The Formal and Real Subsumption of Gender Relations
Challenging the Transhistorical Status of ‘Patriarchy’
In: Historical MaterialismSearch for other papers by Elizabeth Portella in
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Abstract
Attempts to unify Marxist and feminist social critique have been vexed by the fact that ‘patriarchy’ predates the advent of capitalism (its transhistorical status). Feminists within the Marxist, socialist, and materialist traditions have responded to this point by either granting patriarchy a certain autonomy relative to capitalism (the ‘dual/triple systems’ approach), or by suggesting that patriarchal relations have a foundational and necessary status in the history of capitalist development (which we term the ‘origins-subsistence’ approach). This paper offers an alternative account of the relationship between capitalism and the transhistorical status of ‘patriarchy’. In aid of a ‘unitary theory’ of Marxist Feminism, we argue that the transhistorical status of patriarchy is better understood through an application of Marx’s concepts of formal and real subsumption. A modified version of these concepts can illuminate not only capitalist appropriation of antecedent social and economic forms, but also its capacity to produce new forms of gendered exploitation and oppression.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1899 | 999 | 95 |
| Full Text Views | 159 | 98 | 14 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 466 | 289 | 34 |
The Formal and Real Subsumption of Gender Relations
Challenging the Transhistorical Status of ‘Patriarchy’
In: Historical MaterialismSearch for other papers by Elizabeth Portella in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Larry Alan Busk in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Attempts to unify Marxist and feminist social critique have been vexed by the fact that ‘patriarchy’ predates the advent of capitalism (its transhistorical status). Feminists within the Marxist, socialist, and materialist traditions have responded to this point by either granting patriarchy a certain autonomy relative to capitalism (the ‘dual/triple systems’ approach), or by suggesting that patriarchal relations have a foundational and necessary status in the history of capitalist development (which we term the ‘origins-subsistence’ approach). This paper offers an alternative account of the relationship between capitalism and the transhistorical status of ‘patriarchy’. In aid of a ‘unitary theory’ of Marxist Feminism, we argue that the transhistorical status of patriarchy is better understood through an application of Marx’s concepts of formal and real subsumption. A modified version of these concepts can illuminate not only capitalist appropriation of antecedent social and economic forms, but also its capacity to produce new forms of gendered exploitation and oppression.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1899 | 999 | 95 |
| Full Text Views | 159 | 98 | 14 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 466 | 289 | 34 |
