Destruction Of Capital Research Articles

Imagining Architecture II: "Treasure Storehouses" and Constructions of Asante Regional Hegemony

British colonial destruction of the Asante capital of Kumasi, Ghana—including the Asantehene's palace, rebuilt as a military fort on the site of a ceremonial gathering ground—profoundly altered the city's spatial organization, as well as the Asante social and political order. In the century that followed the colonial occupation of Kumasi, however, the reconfiguration of the fort as a museum of military and cultural history, and the transformation of other structures within the architectural order of the redesigned capital, shifted the city's architectural focus from colonial authority to the Asante legacy of regional hegemony. This article situates the Kumasi Fort Museum and the "treasure storehouses" of the Ghana National Cultural Center and Manhiya Palace Museum within the architectural history of Kumasi, and examines how the capital displays distinctive constructions of Asante imperial hierarchy.

To market, to market: Imperial capitalism's destruction of social capital and the family

The market, far from being the sine qua non for modem society in general, and the family in particular, has eroded the social fiber that gives shape and resilience to the experiences of individuals, families, and ultimately, the market itself. Reviewing both historical and feminist analysis of the family in a capitalist market society, it is clear that the modem market is imperial. Not only does it transform every human interaction into a transient market exchange, it undermines the basis for social reproduction through the family. Using the concept of social capital as a primary analytical tool, this paper argues that the distinction between home and market labor has been unnecessarily polarized, limiting policy options. Thus, society's ability to produce and maintain long-standing social networks is put at risk, paradoxically reducing the market's ability to perform efficiently.

Reproduction of the 'State Nobility' in Eastern Europe: Past patterns and new practices

This article discusses old and new, emerging patterns of elite production in Eastern Europe following the conceptual framework developed by Bourdieu for the French case. It is argued that one of the fundamental characteristics of the Soviet pattern of elite production was the systematic destruction of cultural capital. More recently, it took the form of affirmative action providing privileged access to higher education—primarily professional schools in engineering—to students with collective farm, industrial and military backgrounds. It is argued that the lack of legitimate means to accumulate various forms of capital, including cultural and symbolic, has been one of the reasons for current corruption and the development of double moral standards in the post state-socialist countries. The privatization of the State assets after 1989 is seen as the climax of this process. The new elite, consisting largely of former second-rank party bureaucracy legitimized through the privatization, is now looking for means of capital accumulation, including training their children in a closed higher education sector. The large number of fee-charging programs, particularly in law and business, established in Eastern Europe during recent years is considered a response to this demand. This has, however, fragmented the formerly unified higher education systems and questioned the role of the State as the provider of higher education and guarantor of its quality. A solution to this is often sought beyond the borders of the nation-state. Whether this supports the widely spread globalization discourse is yet to be studied .

Are All Associations Alike?

Associational memberships have become the indicator of choice for examining the formation and destruction of social capital. Memberships in associations are believed to create generalized interpersonal trust, which can be used as a lubricant that makes possible a variety of forms of social interaction and cooperation. Clearly, not all types of associations will be equally effective in their relative capacity to create generalized, or public, social capital. Each indicator of social capital that we examine is positively related to associational membership. However, some association memberships, particularly in cultural groups, are correlated with a wide range of forms of social capital. The diversity of an association also has an effect on the connection between social capital and association memberships. Homogeneous associations are less likely to inculcate high levels of generalized trust and community reciprocity among their members. These results indicate the need for further specification of the social capital theory.

?A drama that should be studied?

I am not an expert on Marx, though I have read a lot of his works. It has been mentioned here that Marx was a scholar, and this is the main thing. There is one thing that disturbs me in this regard: Marx as a scholar proved that capitalism was something objectively inevitable. Hence, both the capitalists and the workers were absolutely inevitable, and it was not the fault of the capitalists as human beings that they were capitalists. Then as a scholar, but not only as a scholar, he called for the destruction of capitalism. This is the human aspect that disturbs me, viz., the absence of the scholarly understanding that they could not help being capitalists, it was their fate. It was fortuitous that they were capitalists. They could not help existing under capitalism. At least, a part of the population couldn't help being capitalists. The fact that just these rather than other people were capitalists was a matter of destiny and chance. Marx immediately sided with the proletariat, not the truth. And here he was no longer a scholar in his perception and justification of the proletariat's hatred for the rich. As a scholar, he should have explained to the proletariat that it was not their fault that the others were capitalists; he should have explained what in particular had to be changed in society (I will not say what) without affecting those people. Even if it had been impossible during a revolution, Marx as a scholar should not have sided with partial truths. This can have very important consequences. I have recently been shown a booklet published in Cuba. It was one of the latest speeches by Fidel Castro, entitled Socialism or Death. Of course, when a person faces a choice between socialism and death, it is clear that he prefers socialism. Perhaps, this slogan could be slightly altered: Marxism or death. I understand I am being crude. But it is still hard to say whether the Marxists distorted Marx or Marxism distorted the Marxists. Both

Fishing and Selling

CONSUMERS are a lot like fish, out there waiting to be hooked. Like most images, this one is a caricature of reality. The choice and search effort of consumers is suppressed in order to explore the implications of selling activity by manufacturers and retailers. In particular, the fishing analogy suggests that there is a tendency toward excessive selling activity if sellers do not take into account the effects of their activity on the costs of their rivals. However, sellers, like fishermen, have an incentive to arrange their affairs to mitigate the dissipation of rents. This argument is developed in Section I. The conclusion that sellers might overspend on selling activity appears inconsistent with the observation that increased advertising frequently results in lower consumer prices; however, it is not. The apparent paradox is resolved in Section II. In Section III, some speculations on the relationship between marketing and the destruction of social capital are put forth.

Realization of Lenin's Ideas on Vocational and Technical Education

There is no area of social life in which the organizing and inspiring force of the brilliant teaching of V. I. Lenin has not been manifested. The sphere of preparation of worthy replacements for the working class provides a vivid example. Viewing the working class as the most progressive and revolutionary social class, whose historic mission is the destruction of capitalism and the construction of communist society, Lenin devoted much attention to its organizational solidarity, to raising its role in all spheres of political, economic, and cultural life, and to its political education and vocational training. From the first days of the Soviet state, the Communist Party and Lenin were constantly concerned with the training of skilled workers. The decree of the Council of People's Commissars On Measures for Disseminating Vocational and Technical Knowledge (1919), signed by Lenin, set forth the idea of the universal, continuous vocational training of the working people. It emphasized that raising the produ...

Political economy and class unconsciousness

Late capitalism is never late enough; or so it appears in a period of retrenchment. In the Marxist lexicon, capitalism is always digging its own grave. Every phenomenon is the last one. The end is always here or a moment away. Lenin dubbed imperialism the highest and last state of capitalism. Fascism was analyzed as a decrepit and decaying form of capitalism. Post-World War II capitalism was labeled "late." The left periodically forecasts the imminent destruction of capitalism; the reality is more the reverse: capitalism periodically destroys the left. Only two propositions seem certain: capitalism will not collapse tomorrow, nor will it last forever.

The Destruction of Capitalism in Germany

The Destruction of Capitalism in Germany