Contemporainity of Primitive Accumulation in Understanding Current Trends in Capitalism and Capitalist State

Year 2022, , 170 - 185, 31.12.2022

Melis Eroglu

https://doi.org/10.34232/pjess.1219358

Abstract

Today the social functions of the state and commons, which have been able to escape capital’s transformative effect so far, are under attack around the world. Discussions around the concept of primitive accumulation are attempts to understand the reasons, mechanisms and results of such attacks. Primitive accumulation in historical sense refers to a precapital separation of peasants from the means of production, which created the necessary conditions for capitalist development. On the other hand, many scholars since Luxemburg argue that primitive accumulation is a continuous process throughout capitalism’s history and it is intertwined with capitalist accumulation. Bringing primitive accumulation from precapital to contemporary era created theoretical problems. Since the state is traditionally the perpetrator of primitive accumulation, the proposed way to solve them is to revisit the capitalist state debate and scrutinize its role in contemporary developments, such as land, water and resource grabbing, simultaneously happening around the world.

Keywords

Primitive Accumulation, Capitalism, Accumulation by Dispossession, Capitalist State

Kapitalizmin Güncel Eğilimlerini ve Kapitalist Devleti Anlamada İlkel Birikimin Güncelliği

Abstract

Bugün dünyada, şu zamana kadar sermayenin dönüştürücü etkisinden kaçabilmiş devletin sosyal fonksiyonları ve müşterekler bir saldırı altındadır. İlkel birikim kavramı etrafındaki tartışmalar da bu olgunun nedenleri, mekanizmaları ve sonuçlarını anlama girişimlerinden biridir. İlkel birikim tarihsel olarak, sermaye öncesi köylünün üretim araçlarından kopartılmasıyla birlikte kapitalist gelişim için gerekli şartların oluşmasıdır. Öte yandan, Luxemburg’den beri akademisyenler ilkel birikimin kapitalizmin tarihi süresince devamlı bir süreç olduğunu ve kapitalist birikimle içiçe geçmiş olduğunu öne sürmektedirler. İlkel birikimi sermaye öncesi zamanlardan günümüze taşımak bazı teorik meseleleri ortaya çıkarmıştır. Devlet geleneksel olarak ilkel birikimin uygulayıcısı olarak görüldüğünden, bu çalışma, kapitalist devlet tartışmasını yeniden ele almayı ve devletin, dünyanın dört bir yanında aynı anda yaşanan toprak, su ve doğal kaynak gaspları gibi güncel olgulardaki rolünü dikkatli incelemeyi önermektedir.

Keywords

ilkel Birikim, Mülksüzleştirme Yoluyla Birikim, Kapitalizm, Kapitalist Devlet

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