An Analysis Of Antonio Negri's Immaterial Labor Theory

In Communist Manifesto Marx said that "A ghost, the ghost of communism, is wandering in Europe." But the Italian scholar, Antonio Negri, said that today the ghost is wandering not only in Europe, but also in the world. Capitalism is entering into the "Empire" stage, the capital has dominated the whole of mankind, and even deeped into all areas of social life and human consciousness and desire. In addition, we have to recognize that image of the ghost of communism has changed profoundly, the proletariat has experienced a transformation of the composition, they are no longer just the industrial workers, but all exploited and dominated by capital. This means that we again face the difficult task that we need to analyze and understand the new composition of the proletariat as a class. Negri has inherited the tradition that Marx find the revolutionary potential and the ideal of liberation from the field of labor, and hold that "We intend this shift of standpoint to function something like the moment in Capital when Marx invites us to leave the nosty sphere of exchange and descend into the hidden abode of production. The realm of production is where social inequalities are clearly revealed and, moreover, where the most effective resistances and alternatives to the power of Empire arise." So, "Our real strategy to understand the multitude(the new image of the proletariat) is that we examine the contemporary form and classification of labor. In many ways, labor define the existence and potential of multitude. Some scholars believe that our analysis focus on the immaterial labor, have no successful analysis on multitude. Here our most important analysis is that the immaterial labor occupy dominant place in contemporary economic life……not only from the productivity of the system, but also from the perspective of against the imperial power and finding alternative power, we can not imagine that we don't place the immaterial labor as the center of Empire." Immaterial Labor and its hegemony, is not only the driving force of global economic development, but also the main activities to construct the proletariat. Negri reappear the logic of Marx'Das Kapital that the development of capitalism itself is the condition of emancipation of the proletariat. In this sense, Negri's discusstion on immaterial labor, which not only has activated Marxism, but also is apt to understand the essence of contemporary capitalism, new forms of labor, and the contemporary situation of proletariat, have special significance.From four aspects, this paper would analyze the theory of Negri's immaterial labor.The first chapter is on the origin, status and significance of immaterial labor. With the social development, especially the development of high-tech and service industries, the form of labor has undergone tremendous changes, not only material labor is no longer the important source of wealth, but also not the standard as a measure of wealth. Many scholars try to grasp new form of labor, such as science labor, knowledge work, intellectual labor. Immaterial labor, as a concept to grasp new form of labor, was first proposed by the Italian Marxist scholars. As an important concept of Empire, with the discussion of Empire, immaterial labor has also been concerned and recognized by scholars. In diagnosing contemporary capitalism and grasping the new forms of labor this concept has some inspiration. Not only it continue Marxist critique of political economy in a sense, inherite the tradition that the development of capitalism itself is the condition of emancipation of the proletariat, mine the potential of liberation and construct the revolutionary subject from the field of labor; but also has special significance for the understanding of contemporary capitalism.The second chapter is on the content of immaterial labor theory, including the proposal of the concept, the content of definition, the framework of understanding and the relation with Marx'"labor" concept. Negri's reason for puting forword "immaterial labor" is that not only immaterial labor is the social ontology to build "Empire" and the basic tool to explain capitalism production, but also the basis to form "multitude" which is contemporary world proletariat. This gives "immaterial labor" the heart situation. Negri's immaterial labor is "creating immaterial products, such as knowledge, information, communication, relationship, or even emotional response labor". He put great emphasis on the emotional aspect of labor and think that science and technology labor, knowledge work, intellectual work and so on, they only reflect the intellectual aspect of labor, don't catch the emotional and communicative aspect of labor, which is the key to the reproduction of labor subject. As a Marxist in broad sense, but Negri said that he analyze "immaterial labor" not from the framework of Marx'value, but from the framework of biopolitic. This framework grasp the biopolitic dimension of labor, but has abstract inherent, so it lack real power, we must give it the dimension of production and try to link biopolitic with Marx's social production. Negri's immaterial labor shoud be reality development of Marx' concept of "productive labor". The immaterial production labor which was not dominant has became an important form of capitalist exploitation.The third chapter is the hegemony of immaterial labor and its impact. Negri not only put forward immaterial labor, but also give the hegemony of immaterial labor. This means that immaterial labor not only was incorporated into capitalist production process, but also had became the dominant form of labor. In the developed countries, highly developed service industry could reflect this. The hegemony of immaterial labor has tremendous impact on social life, the industrial structure and political subject. It not only transform the social life and promote comprehensive development of social relation and ability system, but also trigger a new round of industrial revolution. Most importantly, Negri believes that it create the political basis for political subject of proletariat. Although this has "willism" sense, the theoretical courage worth admired.The fourth chapter is the importance and contemporary significance of "immaterial labor". Although Negri's theory of "immaterial labor" focus on the construction of proletariat political subject, his analysis about new forms of labor and proletariat subject suggest that immaterial labor is not only the main driving force of global capitalism, but also help understanding capitalism changes, such as the financial of capitalism. However, Negri reject capitalism objectivism analysis, so his theory lack in-depth analysis about capitalist society and economy. This article attempt to analyze this aspect and compensate the shortcoming.Finally, we narrate the development background of Negri and Italian Marxism in the form of appendix, in order to better understand Negri's theory of immaterial labor.Therefore, Negri's theory of immaterial labor try to seize the new change of contemporary labor form in new historical condition for diagnosing today's capitalist society and constructing proletariat political subject, "multitude" is the time deduction and latest development of his political subject construction. For the Italian regional political movement, Negri's theory place emphasis on political significance and give us some inspiration. The main idea of this paper focus on positive aspect of social and economic developmen. First, the theory of immaterial labor could help understanding world economy and capitalism. Secondly, although immaterial labor is new form of capital exploitation, objectively promote the development of economic and social individual and create the material basis for the new world. Such as Marx'the second form of society that can form the general social and material transformation, the overall relationship, kinds of need and comprehensive ability system creat condition for a more advanced stage.