Commodity Relations Research Articles

The Work of Art in the Age of Automated Creativity: On the autonomy of AI art

This paper explores the evolving notion of aesthetic autonomy in the context of AI-generated art, proposing three central arguments. First, it revisits Nicholas Brown’s theory of artistic autonomy, suggesting that AI art can achieve a form of autonomy through the interaction of structured prompts and neural network processes, without necessitating direct human intention. Second, it introduces a framework viewing AI-generated artworks as “epistemic consumption objects,” whose unpredictability introduces new aesthetic dimensions that operate independently of conventional commodity relations. Third, the paper discusses a novel approach to collective interpretation of AI art, drawing comparisons with the Surrealist tradition and suggesting that AI may function as an “alien unconscious” fostering unique interpretative opportunities. Through analysis of works generated by DALL-E 2 and Midjourney, this study argues that AI art contributes to a renewed understanding of artistic intention and autonomy, encouraging a reassessment of these concepts within contemporary digital culture.

Clean Monday in Athens, 1800–1940

This article discusses the transformations of the Clean Monday festival and its multiple meanings in Athens over a century and a half in the context of the growth of the city, the advance of modernity, the deepening of commodity relations, and secularization. The first day of the Lenten fast for Orthodox Christians formed part of carnival in terms of revelries, obscenity, and "magical thinking." Moreover, Clean Monday in Athens was a major open-air festivity in which commensality and dance validated communal ties. Various changes occurred in the second half of the nineteenth century: the celebrations were dispersed into the space around the city and loosened their ties to the urban community and Athenian identity; and modernity brought individualization, a reduction of the sacred and ritual element in favor of leisure, commercialization, and ultimately the de-carnavalization of the festival. Clean Monday did not decline but was eventually enriched with new meanings. Its links with folk culture were strengthened, as it was appropriated by various communities of internal migrants. Its association with a boys’ culture of amusements was reinforced by the spread of kite flying. Finally, the character of Clean Monday as a day of contact between the city’s inhabitants and nature and as a welcome to spring became dominant in the twentieth century and has remained so to this day.

THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF TRADITIONAL KAZAKH SOCIETY

The article presents a comparative analysis of the views and research of scientists about traditional Kazakh society. The ideological content, political and social structure, and national values of traditional Kazakh society are also analyzed. The place and role of traditional society in the formation of the basis of historical consciousness and national culture are highlighted. Since the beginning of the 19th century, as a result of the radical colonization policy of Tsarist Russia in the Kazakh steppe, the destruction of the country's political independence, the strengthening of the social classification of society, adaptation from a nomadic economy to a settled economy, and the increasingly bold penetration of monetary and commodity relations have changed the socio-economic structure of society, aggravated social contradictions, and the tribalism of the Kazakh people led to a change in the tribal structure. It became possible to objectively study this topic only after our country gained independence. As a result of the methodological description of the formational and civilizational paths of social development, the features of the historical knowledge of nomads are shown. Documentary and historiographical issues of the oral tradition of storytelling and genealogical consciousness characteristic of the historical memory and social memory of nomadic peoples are formulated. In the process of describing the ethnosocial conditions of the formation and development of the political system in Kazakh society, an attempt was made to restore the social memory of the history of the Eurasian nomadic civilization. A historiographical analysis of research in this direction is carried out.

Из истории развития табаководства как важнейшей отрасли торгового земледелия в губер-ниях Южного Кавказа во второй половине XIX – начале XX века

The article focuses on the evolution of tobacco cultivation in the South Caucasus over the research period. The author investigates the spread of this technological culture throughout all provinces in the specified region. Information is provided on the quantity of land occupied for tobacco cultiva-tion, tobacco types, industrial firms and their owners, tobacco products produced, and tobacco sales locations. The author examines the many causes of the shift in demand for tobacco products over this historical time, as well as the unequal level of tobacco production. The essay discusses the excellent conditions for the growth of tobacco production in the South Caucasus, which eventually became commodities. The report also underlined the Russian government’s interest in spreading this crop, which was the primary raw material for the tobacco sector. The government, which contributed to the region’s colonial exploitation by the Russian and foreign bourgeoisie, benefited financially from the expansion of the cultivation of technologi-cal and precious crops. The author finds that the tobacco business in the South Caucasus evolved, improved, and gradually adopted the characteristics of commercial agriculture, which included commodity rela-tions. It is emphasized that the quick expansion of commercial agriculture is closely tied to the emergence of capitalist relationships in agriculture.

The decline and transformation of smallholders in Chinese agriculture: national trends

ABSTRACT Using data from official statistical sources and a nationally representative survey, we find that since 2001, China’s agricultural labor force has declined by over 50 percent—a loss of over 200 million smallholders, probably the largest in human history. This trend is the most pronounced in livestock sectors: from 2012 to 2021, 62.5 million smallholder units have disappeared. The 150 million remaining smallholders are mostly commodity producers, participating widely in commodity relations to access agrochemicals, machinery, rental land, and wage labor to produce for markets. The ageing smallholder population also face challenges in intergenerational reproduction, which will accelerate its decline.

Simplicity is Complicated: On the Effort of Creating and Maintaining Equality

A key point David Graeber and David Wengrow make in their mammoth work, The Dawn of Everything (2021), is that we humans are not by default redisposed to hierarchy or equality, but are first and foremost a socially creative species. In this essay, I take up Wengrow and Graeber’s notion that humans are ‘by default’ neither authoritarian nor egalitarian, but creative, noting that egalitarian forms of social organisation are complex, complicated, and require much work and effort. They are, in short, social and political achievements in their own right and manifestations of human social creativity. The work and effort that goes into an egalitarian social organisation is easily dismissed, and small-scale egalitarian societies, for example, are often referred to as ‘simple societies’ within popular discourse. In fact, during the launch of the Finnish translation of The Dawn of Everything in Helsinki on 23 March 2023, one of the panelists, a professor of global politics, insisted that societies have grown ‘more complex’ over time. This view has its parallel in the sphere of economics, such that commodity relations are viewed as the most sophisticated, elaborate, and complex forms of exchange, whilst modes such as sharing are viewed as the archaic baseline of exchange and, at worst, ‘simple’.

The essence and functions of money in the accounting and financial system of the industrial enterprise

Any enterprise cannot function effectively in modern conditions without effective management of itsfinancial resources. The article defines the term «money». It has been shown that the presence of cash inthe enterprise affects the efficiency of its operation and that money is a product of the evolutionary development of commodity relations. The risks of violation of the continuous system of settlements between legalentities have been reflected, the signs of money have been characterized. An analysis of the interpretation ofthe concept of «money» given in the economic literature was made. It has been studied how a decrease incash receipts reduces outgoing cash flows, one of the most controversial issues in the theory of money hasbeen considered - the question of the functions of money and its essence in accordance with the theoreticaland methodological developments of foreign and domestic economists. It has been proven that the correctness of decision-making management depends on the correct use of information on the movement of funds.The role of electronic money in the modern world has been reflected and it has been shown that electronicmoney is a very convenient means for making quick payments.

The essence and functions of money in the accounting and financial system of the industrial enterprise

Any enterprise cannot function effectively in modern conditions without effective management of itsfinancial resources. The article defines the term «money». It has been shown that the presence of cash inthe enterprise affects the efficiency of its operation and that money is a product of the evolutionary development of commodity relations. The risks of violation of the continuous system of settlements between legalentities have been reflected, the signs of money have been characterized. An analysis of the interpretation ofthe concept of «money» given in the economic literature was made. It has been studied how a decrease incash receipts reduces outgoing cash flows, one of the most controversial issues in the theory of money hasbeen considered - the question of the functions of money and its essence in accordance with the theoreticaland methodological developments of foreign and domestic economists. It has been proven that the correctness of decision-making management depends on the correct use of information on the movement of funds.The role of electronic money in the modern world has been reflected and it has been shown that electronicmoney is a very convenient means for making quick payments.

Socialisation vs the Market: The Peculiarities of Russian Capitalism

The author shows the changes that the system of commodity relations is undergoing in the early 21st century. These changes are seeing the market take on an all-encompassing character, and we are witnessing a comprehensive manipulation of market actors by corporate capital. The present-day market is limited and undermined not only by state regulation but also by a process of socialisation, which represents the totality of transitional relationships and institutions. Having characterised this new quality of the relations of the market, the author demonstrates the specific nature of these processes in contemporary Russia, where the most modern forms of market relations and the most archaic are being propagated simultaneously. The green shoots of socialisation are characterised by the contradiction between the retention of a number of the achievements of the preceding system, and the development of shadow state regulation and ‘manual control’.

Кредитная политика на Южном Урале в начале ХХ века

Relevance. The experience of state regulation of Russia's credit policy is of great practical importance for the modern economic and political development of the country. Currently, current forms of management are being devel-oped, which include credit cooperation. The purpose – analysis of the government's credit policy in the Southern Urals at the beginning of the XX century. Objectives: to determine the forms and main activities of credit cooperation; to study the regional aspects of credit policy in rural areas, to show the features of its implementation in the Southern Urals. Metodology. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism and objectivity. The methodo-logical basis of the research is a systematic approach. The chronological method and the method of comparative historical analysis are used. Results. At the beginning of the XX century, credit institutions – savings and loan partnerships, most of which functioned in rural areas, became widespread in the Southern Urals. In addition to the main purpose – lending to the small peasant, they were engaged in the sale of bread and other types of agricultural products. Restraining factors for the development of small-scale credit in rural areas were a low level of commodity-money relations on the one hand; legal and class isolation on the other, since there were restrictions on the disposal of peasant property, both allotment land and movable property. Conclusion. Credit policy was one of the results of the development of commodity relations, contributed to providing the most favorable conditions for the development of agriculture in general, had an important impact on the socio-economic development of the South Ural region in the early twentieth century.

The right to information as the basis of media activity in Ukraine

The article identifies some approaches to identifying the concepts of media and legal information. Some classifications of mass media and their immanent elements are considered. The concept of information and its qualifying legal features are defined. The main Laws of Ukraine concerning information are highlighted. Separate normative-legal laws of Ukraine on information and various forms of information are singled out. Categories of legal, public information and misinformation are considered. The key Law of Ukraine on information dated October 2, 1992 № 2657-XII has been determined. It is investigated, that the main source of legal information is the Constitution of Ukraine in accordance to the Law of Ukraine "On Information". It is proved, that information can exist in an ideal and material form and be the object of commodity relations. Attention is drawn to the Law of Ukraine "On Electronic Documents and Electronic Document Management". It is proved, that in the era of using information and communication technologies, the implementation of e-government makes it possible to operate in an information society. Sources for media information have been identified - state, confidential and anonymous. Attention is drawn to the access of the media to confidential information, to data that are not disclosed or published only by court decision. An example is given of the possibility of disseminating public or private information about a person. Attention is drawn to the need to verify anonymous information. In conclusion, it is emphasized, that the media in Ukraine are trying to follow in the footsteps of the latest information and communication technologies. The use of constitutional and legal acts is a vital necessary condition for building civil society, guaranteeing the constitutionality of democracy, freedom of access of the media to primary sources of information.

<em>The Serpent</em> (2021)

<em>The Serpent</em> (2021)

Роль науки та освіти в процесі становлення «економіки знань»

The article is aimed at analyzing the peculiarities of the formation of the «knowledge economy» and identifying the role of science and education in this process. The publication considers the processes of transformation of the system of commodity relations and the emergence of prerequisites for the formation of the «knowledge economy». The formation of a new type of social ties is associated with a change in the content of the essence of labor as an economic category. The growth of the share of intellectual, creative component in labor leads to the impossibility of reduction of the latter to the abstract labor, which forms a cost. The process of formation of a new type of relationship is formed on the basis of information and knowledge as the main conditions of modern production. This creates new requirements for the educational sphere in which changes should take place, adequate to the economic transformation of commodity relations, to the processes of becoming a «knowledge economy». These processes in the educational sphere were manifested in the occurrence of corporate universities and such a phenomenon as «academic capitalism». As result of the study, the main positive results are defined, along with possible negative consequences associated with the introduction of the principles of «academic capitalism» in the educational sphere. It is concluded that the process of forming a new type of relationship, which by its nature contradicts commodity relations, changes the nature of the functioning of all elements of society, including in the educational sphere, but this should not alter the essence of science and education by providing them with market characteristics. Prospects for further research in this direction, according to the author, may be the issues of finding a balance between the market context of the functioning of the educational sphere and its social mission, which corresponds to the peculiarities of the «knowledge economy».

Public land privatisation and commodification as a field of changing social relations: The making of the Albanian Riviera

The paper critically explores public land privatisation and commodification as a particularly significant field of changing social relations. It focuses on Albania’s southern coast as it changed from an area of rural communities with light vacation and recreation activities and re-oriented itself towards international migration networks, intensifying coastal tourism, and the gradual making of the Albanian Riviera. By providing empirical evidence from fieldwork in the area of Himara, along with a review of the legal framework, and through the theoretical lenses of neo-liberalism and post-socialism, the paper investigates two episodes of public land privatisation and commodification: first, the de-collectivisation of cooperative agricultural land in the 1990s, and second, the long-term leasing of public land for large-scale tourism development since the mid-2000s. Analysing these two episodes sheds light on how the state provided the respective legal frameworks so as to open up differentiated land markets, and on the close relationship between the making of the Albanian Riviera, the “restitution” of private ownership, and the unmaking of common and collective social relations and significations. In turn, the paper argues that public land privatisation and commodification have destabilised and qualitatively changed social relations centred on the land which had survived from the pre-socialist and the socialist eras, by turning them into primarily commodity relations. This has also heightened multiple social tensions and conflicts, leading to a multiply-contested rural space and the rise of new social stratifications, polarisations, and inequalities in the post-socialist era.

Використання сучасних концепцій логістики під час планування логістичного забезпечення застосування угрупувань Повітряних Сил Збройних Сил України

The article highlights the concept of logistics, which is becoming an integral part of operations. It was emphasized that inventory management is one of the main components of logistics support and is associated with significant computational complexity. When solving the problems of inventory management, it is necessary to use modern information technologies, develop models and methods for automated management of logistics processes taking into account specific tasks and features of operations. Comparative analysis of logistic concepts has been carried out, which allows on a unified methodological basis to determine the properties and characteristics of logistic processes and patterns of formation and development of commodity relations. Тhe experience of the US Armed Forces and leading NATO countries where approaches to the planning and management of defense resources were introduced, which are implemented in multifunctional systems of the ERP class, with refinement by suppliers of industrial software platforms to the level of industry solute.A number of problems of the activities of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in terms of logistics support during inventory management in multi–layered systems are presented. The analysis of the possibilities of transforming the existing logistics concepts for the needs of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is carried out and the importance of their applications substantiated. The kinds of storage systems and inventory management systems are examined, with the identification of possible management strategies that can be applied in a promising automated logistics management system of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in order to increase the efficiency of logistics support planning.

Core-port connectivity: Towards shaping a national hinterland in a West Asia country

The relationship between seaports and hinterlands play an important role in shaping the spatial structure of a country. The present article intends to explore the port-hinterland commodity relations in the last two decades in Iran by using a social network analysis method to analyze the intensity, direction, and concentration of commodity flows and to explain the spatial structure of port-hinterland relations. The results indicate that the southern ports of Iran have strengthened the centrality of the main inland city. Most selected indicators show that the three nodes including Tehran, Bandar Abbas, and Mahshahr Port have been the most interacting and exchanging commodity flows during the recent two decades. Thus, we can conclude that Tehran as the main core located at the national hinterland of Iran has a major role in the production, consumption, processing, and distribution of commodities. Other logistical nodes in regional and local hinterlands are mostly affiliated with the core in spite of their proximity to the ports. This pattern of commodity flow forms a different spatial structure that we introduce as a different phase of port - hinterland evolution: core-port connectivity.

The Role of the Ecological Worldview Position in Coping with Problems Caused by Global Environmental Change

The purpose of the study, conducted on the sample of 293 persons, was to identify the role of the ecological worldview position in choosing the ways of coping with problems caused by global environmental change. The ecological worldview position is determined by what exactly is perceived and considered by the person as the basics of his life support: the biosphere/ecological systems or the financial and economic system, represented through commodity and money relations. Using structural equation modeling methods, the influence of the ecological position on the choice of coping strategies as responses to environmental stress was confirmed, as well as its involvement in the regulation of pro-ecological everyday behavior. It was revealed that the ecological worldview position influences the choice of both problem-oriented and emotionally-oriented strategies that allow coping with stressful environmental conditions. The way in which the ecological position influences coping strategies depends on what meanings are decisive in the perception of ecological reality. The dominance of biocentric views promotes the pro-environmental orientation of behavior, while the predominance of monetary and economic meanings enhances non-problem coping. At the same time, the positive influence of the ecological position on problem-focused coping is largely carried out indirectly through the inhibition of deproblematization-focused coping – emotionally oriented coping strategies such as reducing problems and the denial of guilt. The decisive influence of the ecological position on pro-ecological everyday behavior is carried out indirectly – through the strategy of problem solving (positive influence), as well as the strategy of de-emphasizing the threat (negative influence). The direct influence of the ecological position on behavior, as well as an influence exerted indirectly through the denial of guilt is very weak. The negative impact of deproblematization-focused coping on everyday behavior is mediated by the suppression of problem coping.

Integrated commodities in the digital economy

At the heart of the digital economy is the willful imposition of a powerful combination of hardware and software, time and data, surveillance, prediction and behavourial control. This article argues that a central ambition of digital society has been the pursuit of an integrated commodity form. The novelty of this integrated commodity stems not only from the convergence of production and consumption but also from the subsumption of sociability itself. As a consequence, we are required to consider all social actions within digital society as being transactions enshrined within an economy of integrated markets. Our acceptance of these new commodity relations is paving the way for a ‘great integration’ of simultaneous transactions across different social domains. Borrowing from Karl Polanyi’s account of an earlier transformation, this article will propose that the prerequisites of digital society and the integrated commodity form have been established through the constitution of a series of ‘fictitious commodities’.

Peasant agency in Ghana's oil palm sector: The impact of multiple markets on food sovereignty

AbstractThis paper contributes to the debate on peasant differentiation and market integration in the food sovereignty literature by examining the smallholder‐oriented oil palm sector in Ghana's eastern region. Against the background of loosening entry barriers in global value chains, and through an analysis of farmers' different positions in palm oil's multiple markets, we witness peasant‐like patterning of production and strategic market participation among well‐situated non‐contract farmers. We propose that such interface settings where commodity relations are present, but do not penetrate fully offer valuable entry points for revisiting the role of global markets in peasant reproduction in the Global South. We consequently argue the need to replace the idealized category of “peasant” with an analytical category that can recognize social differentiation and reproduction through partial engagement with commodity markets.

Macromodelling of food and raw material links between large-scale specialized zones for the development of animal husbandry

One of the ways to improve the efficiency of production is the deepening of specialization and the development of interregional relations. The problems of rational specialization and optimal commodity flows have been troubling the scientific economists over the past two centuries. It is especially important to address the issues of territorial and sectoral division of labor for industries whose production efficiency differs significantly in different regions and is suitable for transportation. The article describes the methodological approaches to the improvement of interregional raw materials and food links in animal husbandry based on the formation of large-scale specialized commodity zones on the example of the Russian Federation. The first task of the study was to identify several large-value zones of specialization in the production of livestock products. As a result of solving the second task, two goals were achieved at the same time: (a) optimization of cattle breeding and (b) the interregional exchange of feed and meat and dairy products. To achieve the goals, we used a combination of statistical and economic-mathematical methods, a combination of several models of optimal linear programming. As a result of the research, five areas of specialization were identified, depending on the level of livestock production and the availability of the natural and economic potential for the development of the subsector, the placement of livestock in those zones has been optimized. In addition, a scheme has been developed for the interregional food exchange and the development of commodity relations. The presented methodological approaches can be used to solve similar problems both at the international level (CIS, EAEU, etc.), and for smaller territorial units, such as federal districts or individual regions.