On The Subject Theory Of Negri And Hart

Antonio Negri(1933-)and Michael Hart(1960-)are the leading figures of Italian autonomy Marxism.They reconsidered the class struggle and class composition under the background of capital globalization based on the post Ford mode of production and the practice of workers’ struggle,established a philosophy of subject practice,and further deepened the theory of new social subject with reference to Spinoza’s concept of "multitude",Marx’s immanent materialism logic,Foucault and Deleuze’s life political thoughts and Deleuze and Guatari’s nomadic ideas.This paper makes a systematic study of Negri and Hart’s subject theory from three aspects.Firstly,it combs the historical background and ideological origin of Negri and Hart’s subject theory.Secondly,it sorts out the basic category of their subject theory construction.Their subject theory is not born out of thin air,but elaborated in accordance with the category of "immaterial labor-empire-multitude-common wealth ".Under the post-Ford form of production,immaterial labor has replaced material labor to achieve a qualitative hegemonic position.Thus,the capital subject,the empire,presents a new ruling form,and this ruling form contains the opportunity for the birth of the new revolutionary subject and the idea of leading to alternative communism.Thirdly,it analyzes the internal logic of their subject theory,and reveals that the self-value multiplication of the subject under the form of immaterial labor production has transformed the crisis form of capitalism from objectivity crisis to subjectivity crisis through the analysis of the transformation of labor paradigm.Through the exposition of the transformation of the social form of capital domination from "imperialism" to "empire",it points out the realistic dilemma faced by the subject.Through the analysis of the time and space dimension of the subject’s production and life,it points out the transformation of the form of the subject being exploited.Then it further discusses the possibility of the "multitude" as the theoretical subject and the "commoner" as the practical subject to understand alternative communism.Finally,on the basis of the detailed analysis of Negri and Hart’s subject theory,the author makes an objective evaluation of it.Although the subject theory of Negri and Hart still has certain limitations in the contemporary development,they have vigorously fought back the doubts of some western left-wing scholars on the existence of classes in the era of globalization or post-industrial age and their ability to undertake the task of revolution.When Marx’s subject theory was questioned,they raised Marx’s revolutionary subject thought as a revolutionary again,developed the core thought of revolutionary subject,and put forward the conception of alternative communist society.