Invisable Cities...
The day without immigrants asks an important question, but not the only one. ‘Immigrants’ represent only the imported bodies that capitalism exports work out to. The process of centralization of wealth encourages the export of menial labor at menial wages to social locations (separated by either ethnic, gendered, or physical differences). The primary role of investment, of capital separated from labor in a globalized labor pool creates the means for export of jobs to lower wage and underinvested areas (or populations).
So, the real issue: what about a day without outsourcing? A day without export economies in the global south, China, Mexico? What about a day without any ethnic underclass, immigrant or not?
The backlash against immigration primarily stems from this condition- the condition of a labor poor systemically alienated from their labor, and capital. Racism undergirds each of these arguments in a special way. For instance, the argument that high levels of illegal immigrants lowers average wages for Americans ends up as nothing more than an effort to maintain a centralization of capital in the hands of a few, who just happen to be primarily white Americans. The question of mobility determines how wages and power distribute across the globe. Limiting movement by labor creates isolates low wage areas in particular places across the globe, ensuring regular supplies of cheaper input costs. These situations often build on global development that prioritized the development of a global ‘core’ in Europe or America, the end result being freedom of movement only for particular sections of global society. This development model comes from the origins of modern capitalism in England/Europe, where the accumulation of capital and money provided a unique force for organization of technology and populations for full utilization of natural resources. As I wrote before, capital provides an ‘original movement’ to social organization to draw people into line with discipline and technological development. As these movements began in Europe (largely), they enabled faster and more violent ‘development’ of technology for that particular section of the globe. The subsequent distribution of power and wealth persists to today.
Visibility and spatial relationships also play a critical role. The protests for immigration reform play an important role in developing the face of the economic other. Asserting an equal role for all people, immigrant or not, forces confrontation of the underside of capital. The common spaces and shared experience maintained by a myth of socially-progressing uniform life elides the experience of immigrants and economic others; makes their face less visible to those given advantages by a particular distribution of power. Common space creates the feeling of common humanity, it makes people real (I wrote about this once, look for ‘Space Co-operation’ 3-27 and ‘Cause Celebre’ 1-31), and the use of borders to demarcate, differentiate (or at least hide) those who end up being nothing much more than input costs/resources to capitalism is the only way to create an acceptable situation for exploitation. Some sense of deserving or justice must be maintained, and borders/immigration law serves this purpose.
I can only justify this post as a May-day celebration. Please someone get Karl Marx out of my head.
So, the real issue: what about a day without outsourcing? A day without export economies in the global south, China, Mexico? What about a day without any ethnic underclass, immigrant or not?
The backlash against immigration primarily stems from this condition- the condition of a labor poor systemically alienated from their labor, and capital. Racism undergirds each of these arguments in a special way. For instance, the argument that high levels of illegal immigrants lowers average wages for Americans ends up as nothing more than an effort to maintain a centralization of capital in the hands of a few, who just happen to be primarily white Americans. The question of mobility determines how wages and power distribute across the globe. Limiting movement by labor creates isolates low wage areas in particular places across the globe, ensuring regular supplies of cheaper input costs. These situations often build on global development that prioritized the development of a global ‘core’ in Europe or America, the end result being freedom of movement only for particular sections of global society. This development model comes from the origins of modern capitalism in England/Europe, where the accumulation of capital and money provided a unique force for organization of technology and populations for full utilization of natural resources. As I wrote before, capital provides an ‘original movement’ to social organization to draw people into line with discipline and technological development. As these movements began in Europe (largely), they enabled faster and more violent ‘development’ of technology for that particular section of the globe. The subsequent distribution of power and wealth persists to today.
Visibility and spatial relationships also play a critical role. The protests for immigration reform play an important role in developing the face of the economic other. Asserting an equal role for all people, immigrant or not, forces confrontation of the underside of capital. The common spaces and shared experience maintained by a myth of socially-progressing uniform life elides the experience of immigrants and economic others; makes their face less visible to those given advantages by a particular distribution of power. Common space creates the feeling of common humanity, it makes people real (I wrote about this once, look for ‘Space Co-operation’ 3-27 and ‘Cause Celebre’ 1-31), and the use of borders to demarcate, differentiate (or at least hide) those who end up being nothing much more than input costs/resources to capitalism is the only way to create an acceptable situation for exploitation. Some sense of deserving or justice must be maintained, and borders/immigration law serves this purpose.
I can only justify this post as a May-day celebration. Please someone get Karl Marx out of my head.
posted by Duncan at 7:12 PM
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