Eco-socialism as Politics (eBook)

Eco-socialism as Politics 2
Qingzhi Huan 4
List of Contributors 8
Chapter 1 12
Eco-socialism in an Era of Capitalist Globalisation: Bridging the West and the East 12
References 21
Chapter 2 23
Marxism and Ecology: Marx’s Theory of Labour Process Revisited 23
The Definition of ‘Labour Process’ 24
‘Realisation of Purpose’ and ‘Domination of Nature’ 26
What is ‘Domination of Nature’ 26
Marx and ‘Mastery over Nature’ 28
‘Material Metabolism’ and ‘the Root-Source of Nature’ 32
Material Metabolism in the Sense of Natural Science 33
Labour Process as Material Metabolism 34
Skepticism for the Material Metabolism Theory 35
Conclusion: For a Perspective of Materialist Dialectics 37
References 39
Chapter 3 40
On Contemporary Eco-socialism 40
Principles of Eco-socialism 40
Where Eco-socialism Is Today 42
Practical Eco-socialism – Alternative, Eco-socialistic Forms of Organisation 44
Examples 45
Critique: Are These Transitional Forms? 48
References 50
Chapter 4 52
Socialism and Technology: A Sectoral Overview1 52
Introduction 52
Agriculture/Forests/Fisheries 55
Industry/Transport/Energy 57
Information/Communication/Education 59
Surveillance/Repression/Military 63
Public Health and Healthcare Services 66
A Socialist Technology? 67
References 67
Chapter 5 69
Local Community of Eco-politics: Its Potentials and Limitations 69
Hierarchical Structure of Socio political Relationship: The Diagnosis of Eco-politics 70
Local Community: The Prescription of Eco-politics 73
Irresponsible and Partial Groups: The Dilemma of Local Community 74
Conclusion: Towards Eco-Marxism as a Globalist Project 77
References 78
Chapter 6 81
On Consumerism and the ‘Logic of Capital’ 81
The Logic of Capital and the Evolution of Modern Society 82
The Capitalist Triplicity of Consumerism, Economism and Materialism and Its Criticism 95
Transcending the Logic of Capital: A Progressive Revolution 101
References 105
Chapter 7 107
The De-growth Utopia: The Incompatibility of De-growth within an Internationalised Market Economy1 107
The Emergence of the De-growth Project 107
De-growth and Inclusive Democracy 110
The Imaginary of Development and the Two Types of Growth Economy 112
Is De-growth a Matter of Ideology, Values and Imaginary Significations? 117
Could We Transcend the Growth Economy through Reforms? 120
Postscript: De-growth and the Present Global Economic Crisis 123
References 124
Chapter 8 126
Bookchin’s Social Ecology and Its Contributions to the Red-Green Movement1 126
Social Ecology 127
Radical Democracy in the Anti-nuclear Movement 130
Social Ecology and Green Politics 133
Movement Debates and Directions 134
Social Ecology and the Future 137
References 140
Chapter 9 143
How the Ecological Footprint Is Sex-GenderedImplications of Eco-feminism for an Eco-socialist Theory and Praxis 143
References 149
Chapter 10 151
Evaluating Japanese Agricultural Policy from an Eco-socialist Perspective 151
Introduction 151
Eco-socialism on Agricultural Protection 152
Benton: Labour Process of ‘Eco-regulation’ 153
Mies: Subsistence Perspective 154
Agricultural Policy Reform in Japan 156
Agricultural Environmental Policy in Other Advanced Capitalist Countries 157
Some Reflections from the Eco-socialist Perspective 158
Conclusions 161
References 161
Chapter 11 163
Alternative Development: Beyond Ecological Communities and Associations 163
Introduction 163
Evaluation of the Sustainability of the Korean Development Model 165
Discourses on Alternative Development: Two Paradigms 166
Industrial Paradigm 166
Ecological Paradigm 169
Constitution of Alternative Models 173
Alternative Development Strategies 176
Conclusions 179
References 179
Chapter 12 181
Conceptualising the Environmentalism in India: Between Social Justice and Deep Ecology1 181
Origin and Development 182
Claims and Ideological Orientations 183
Policy Issues and Positions 185
Main Characteristics 187
Concluding Remarks 188
References 189
Chapter 13 191
Growth Economy and Its Ecological Impacts upon China: An Eco-socialist Analysis1 191
The Nature of China’s Economy of Today and Its Ecological Outcomes 192
Major Political Ecologies Responding to Environmental Problems 195
Environmental Protection National Policy (1978–1991) 196
Sustainable Development Strategy (1992–2001) 197
Scientific Concept of Development/Ecological Modernisation (2002–) 198
Building Socialist Ecological Civilisation: A More Radical or Greener Alternative? 199
References 202
Chapter 14 205
Prospects for Eco-socialism 205
The Present-Day Crises 206
The State of the Productive Forces 208
The Central Source of Prosperity 212
The New Tasks 214
Prospects for Eco-socialism 215
References 220