Neocleous - Staging Power - Marx, Hobbes and the Personification of Capital

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1、MARKNEOCLEOUSSTAGINGPOWER:MARX,HOBBESANDTHEPERSONIFICATIONOFCAPITALABSTRACT.Thisarticleraisesquestionsaboutthenatureandstatusofthepersonabehindwhichcontemporarycapitaloperates.ItdoessobydevelopingMarxscommentsonpersonificationinaverydifferentdirectiontothatintendedbyhim,takingthem,viaHobbes,in

2、tothedeeperrecessesofcompanylaw.Theargumentthatdevelopsisthatmodernlawhasfacilitatedthemechanismbywhichcapitaldominatescivilsociety,anargumentillustratedthroughtheveilofthecorporatepersonawornbycapital.Therhetoricaltropearoundwhichtheargumentisorganizedisthestageofpower;thebarely-mentionedbac

3、kdropisthepossibilityofrealresistancetocorporatepower;thebroaderintentionistohelpdeveloptheMarxisttheoryoflaw.KEYWORDS:companylaw,corporatepower,corporation,Hobbes,Marx,person,personificationINTRODUCTIONIncapitalistsocietyindividualsarerelateddirectlytoeachotherviasocialrelationsfoundedoncommo

4、dity-production.Theyrelatetoeachothernotasmembersofsocietybutasownersofdeterminedthings,thatis,associalrepresentativesofthedifferentfactorsofproduction.Marxdescribesthisastheprocessofpersonification.HemakesapointofstatinginthePrefacetothefirsteditionofCapitalthatindividualsaredealtwithhereonlyi

5、nsofarastheyarethepersonificationsofeconomiccategories,thebearers[Träger]ofparticularclass-relationsandinterests.1Thesamepointismadeagainandagainthroughoutthethreevolumes:thecapitalistsimplypersonifiesindustrialcapital;2he[thecapitalist]representscapitalonlyasfunctioningcapital...[he]isitsperso

6、nificationinsofarasitfunctions.31K.Marx,Capital,Vol.1(1867),BenFowkes,trans.(Harmondsworth:PenguinBooks,1976),92;also254,342,739,10531054.2K.Marx,Capital,Vol.2,DavidFernbach,trans.(Harmondsworth:PenguinBooks,1978),197;also207.3K.Marx,Capital,Vol.3,DavidFernbach,trans.(Harmondsworth:PenguinBook

7、s,1981),496;also397,403,958,963,969,10191020.LawandCritique14:147165,2003.©2003KluwerAcademicPublishers.PrintedintheNetherlands.148MARKNEOCLEOUSWiththisnotionofpersonificationMarxunderstandstheprocessthroughwhichtheexistenceofathingwithapredet