The Spatial Fix Is In

“Spaces of Global Capitalism – A Theory of Uneven Geographical Development,” by David Harvey, 2006/2019

Harvey is the most prominent leftist geographer inspired by the Marxist method.  He’s always integrated spatial issues like land rent with labor exploitation. This book’s three essays start with a 2004 lecture about the contradictions between neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism on the one hand, and the actual democratic needs of the working classes on the other.  He sees both isms as anti-democratic props to capital, as both have worked to reestablish class power for the rich.  According to Harvey, this is the ruling class’s main weakness since both ideologies demand authoritarian rule.  As a result the ruling classes have to constantly negotiate how to placate, control, confuse or defeat the proletariat, the majority. This is not news or shouldn’t be.

Choose the Red Pill

The second essay of ‘notes’ is more ambitious.  It seeks to integrate 4 theories of uneven geographical development into one theory inspired by dialectics and materialism.  Theory one is capital’s view that it only brings ‘progress’ to the backward across the world.  Theory two is Jared Diamond / Jeffrey Sach’s claims that the environment determines economies and societies.  Theory three is that imperialism underdevelops and exploits the periphery/global south/3^rd World for profit.  Theory four is a limited version of Marxism, which states that class struggle is the only motor in this process.

If this sounds fraught, well, he’s the one who wrote “Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism,” so complexity in his view is the nature of society. This book is mostly a theoretical discussion.  It has few references to actual events, so at times the text becomes a bit of a word salad.  Oddly, the rural/urban divide is never mentioned. 

Harvey discusses how ‘common sense,’ ‘pragmatism’ and ‘realism’ hide ideology in the guise of being objective.  He applies 4 Marxian views – A. how capital accumulation embeds itself in socio-ecological life. B. how accumulation by dispossession works presently.  C.  the law-like methods of capital accumulation in space and time.  D. political, social and class struggle in various geographies.  He wishes to develop a ‘unified field theory’ of uneven geographical development, but these notes do not cohere to this reader, as they fail to link clearly to the 4 views he is trying to unite.

The third essay is a delight – defining the keyword "space."  Harvey starts with three categories that define space – absolute, relative and relational.  He applies this to 9/11, to Henri Lefebvre’s 3 concepts of space (experienced, conceptualized and lived) and to Marx’s analysis of labor and how that also fits.  Ultimately he creates two 9 point matrixes combining his and Lefebvre’s concepts, applied to either space or labor.  Post-modernists dwell on the cultural/idealist part of the matrix, while simplistic Marxists live in the purely mechanistic and factual part of the matrix.  Harvey insists that events can be plotted dialectically as they move across the grid into all 9 spaces.  As such he does not ‘weight’ any one space, which places him in a multi-dimensional philosophic category, but certainly leaning towards materialism - much like Marx.  In this essay Harvey challenges both Lenin and Einstein.

Other reviews on this subject below – use blog search box, upper left:  “Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism,” “The Enigma of Capital and the Crisis of Capitalism,” “Rebel Cities – From the Right to the City to the Urban Revolution,” (all by Harvey); “Capital City – Gentrification and the Real Estate State,” “The Long Depression,” (Roberts) “J is for Junk Economics,” (Hudson) “Capital in the 21^st Century,” (Piketty) “Minneapolis 2040 Housing Plan,” “How to Kill a City," "Collapse. (Diamond)”

And I bought it at May Day Books!

Red Frog

August 24, 2019