''Krisis'' is an anti-political German
political magazine and discussion group (Krisis-Gruppe, or Crisis Group) formed in 1986 as a "theoretical forum for a radical critique of
capitalist society." Its members (before split) includes
Robert Kurz
Robert Kurz (24 December 1943 – 18 July 2012) was a German Marxist philosopher, social critic, journalist and editor of the journal ''Exit!'' He was one of Germany's most prominent theorists of value criticism. , Roswitha Scholz, Nobert Trenkle, Ernst Lohoff, Achim Bellgart and Franz Schandl.
History
The Krisis Group was founded in 1986 in
Nuremberg, by German left-wing radical intellectuals and activists influenced by the work of
Karl Marx and
Theodor Adorno. Its leading members included
Robert Kurz
Robert Kurz (24 December 1943 – 18 July 2012) was a German Marxist philosopher, social critic, journalist and editor of the journal ''Exit!'' He was one of Germany's most prominent theorists of value criticism. , Roswitha Scholz, Ernst Lohoff, Norbert Trenkle and Claus-Peter Ortlieb. The group published the theoretical journal ''Krisis : Contribution to a Critique of Commodity Society'', and the review ''Marxist Critique''. The Krisis Group also organized seminars and debates, and published articles in different European and South American reviews.
Theory and ideology
In its magazine,
the group proposes a critique of contemporary capitalist society based on a fundamental reinterpretation of
Marx's analysis of
labor, the
commodity
In economics, a commodity is an economic good, usually a resource, that has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who produced them.
The price of a comm ...
,
value, and
money in ''
Das Kapital''.
''Krisis'' argues that a distinction exists between an « exoteric » and « esoteric » analysis of capitalism in Marx’s writings. Marx’s "exoteric" analysis (associated with his early works) is a critique of capitalism from the point of view of labor or the working-class, a point of view which leads inevitably to an emphasis on the struggle between capitalists and workers, and redistribution of wealth, as the aim of class struggle. Marx’s "esoteric" analysis of capitalism, on the other hand, is a critique of the historically specific ''form'' that work and wealth assume in capitalism – abstract labor and value. Moreover, it identifies domination in capitalism with these historically determinant forms, rather than with the classes or individuals who appropriate surplus labor and wealth from the laboring classes.
In the ''
Manifesto Against Work'' (translated to english as manifesto against labour due to the original german only using the word arbeit), The manifesto argues against the notion of
class struggle
Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor.
The forms ...
as the motor of history. According to ''Krisis'', there is no class-subject, and the struggle between the
proletariat
The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose only possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian. Marxist philo ...
and the
bourgeoisie
The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...
is not a struggle between a revolutionary class and its oppressor, but rather a struggle between two opposed interests that are integral to contemporary society, and form a single "work camp". Contrary to the given notion in modernity, Krisis, then asserts that the struggle against capital is not the struggle for the liberation ''of'' work, but rather a struggle for liberation ''from'' work.
Krisis division
In 2004 the Krisis Group split, and the members
Robert Kurz
Robert Kurz (24 December 1943 – 18 July 2012) was a German Marxist philosopher, social critic, journalist and editor of the journal ''Exit!'' He was one of Germany's most prominent theorists of value criticism. and Roswitha Scholz together with several members of the editorial staff formed the
Exit!
EXIT! (or alternatively: ''Exit!'') is a German journal of social criticism, and discussion group formed in 2004. The journal is published by the publishing house ''Zu Klampen Verlag''. The journal has a Value criticism, value-critical(German'':We ...
group. According to them, the split was the result of a
putsch by a minority of the editorial staff of ''Krisis''.
Regarding the Krisis Group Division
- a statement by three members of the old editorial staff.
See also
* Commodity fetishism
*EXIT!
EXIT! (or alternatively: ''Exit!'') is a German journal of social criticism, and discussion group formed in 2004. The journal is published by the publishing house ''Zu Klampen Verlag''. The journal has a Value criticism, value-critical(German'':We ...
* Moishe Postone
*Value criticism
Value criticism (in German ''Wertkritik'') is a social theory which draws its foundation from the Marxian tradition and criticizes the contemporary mode of production. Value criticism was developed partly by critical readings of the traditions ...
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://www.krisis.org
Krisis articles in English
''Principia Dialectica''
(UK based magazine and blog influenced by ''Krisis'' and Exit)
EXIT! articles in English
1986 establishments in West Germany
German-language magazines
Magazines established in 1986
Marxist magazines
Mass media in Nuremberg
Political magazines published in Germany
Socialist magazines