Marx's Not-Capital

This book reconsiders Marx's critique of political economy through the concept of labour as "not-capital" to generate a critical social theory. Engaging with thinkers who have dealt with Marx's concept of "not-capital" and "anti-value," Tetler examines whether and how the concept of labour as not-capital and not-value can contribute significantly towards a renewal of the critique of political economy beyond the limits of traditional Marxism. In doing so he provides the first in depth interrogation of these concepts, both within Marx's work itself and within and across the various intellectuals who have put them to use in their attempts to address the faults of traditional Marxism. He argues that the theory of value that sits at the heart of Marx's critique of political economy requires a negative conception of labour. He concludes that the notions of labour as not-capital and not-value are shown to have formidable ramifications concerning the crisis-ridden nature of capitalist social relations and the struggles operative within and against them.