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QuoteAnalysis#1 FromPolanyisTheGreatTransformation

SheenaKennedy PADM6112 February7,2012 Prof.PhilRyan

Sheena Kennedy PADM6112 Noteconomicexploitation,asisoftenassumed,butthedisintegrationofthecultural environmentofthevictimisthenthecauseofthedegradation.Theeconomicprocess may,naturally,supplythevehicleofthedestruction...buttheimmediatecauseofhis undoingisnotforthatreasoneconomic;itliesinthelethalinjurytotheinstitutionsin whichhissocialexistenceisembodied.Theresultislossofselfrespectandstandards, whethertheunitisapeopleoraclass,whethertheprocessspringsfromsocalled culturalconNlictorfromachangeinthepositionofaclasswithintheconNinesofa society.1

Polanyisassessmentoftheintrinsicsimilaritiesbetweencataclysmiceventsinthe

historyofclassesandculturecontactbetweenpeoplesofvariousracesisbothinsightfuland instructive.Insightfulbecauseitexposestherootcauseofthedegradationanddestructionthat resultsfromarguablythetwomostin?luential(andoftenrelated)forcesofchangeinthehistoryof humanexistencecolonialismandeconomicliberalism;andinstructivebecauseitallowsfora culturallysituatedreadingofpoliticaleconomythatcreatesspaceforanintersectionalanalysisof theimpactsofcolonialism.And(andthisisimportant)itisareadingthatleavesroomforagency.If thereistobeonecritiqueoftheselectedpassage,itisthepotentialdangerintheclaimPolanyi makesaboutculturaldisintegrationandthisclaimwillbethemainfocusofthisshortpiece. FirstafewcommentsaboutthevalueofPolanyisinsightsinthispassage.Asmentioned,

Polanyisanalysisofcolonialism?itswellwithinthebroaderframeworklaidoutintheTheGreat Transformationand,infact,Polanyiuseshistoricalcasestudiesofprecolonialsocietiesto illustratepartofhisthesisthateconomicsystemsaresociallyandculturallyconstructed;andwecan extendhisanalysistosaythatthereareotherwaysoforganizingsocietiesandeconomiesthatare sociallyandculturallyconstructivewaysthatreinforcestrengthinhumanrelationshipsaswellas balanceintherelationshipbetweenthehumanandphysicalenvironment.Thisisusefulboth becauseitallowsfordiversityandalsobecauseitallowsdynamicchange.Thereisnot,then,one pathtowardswhichallsocietiesmustmove.Thischallenges,ofcoursethenotionthatthereisone universalorganizingprincipleofsociety. Itisapowerfulstatementthatthedegradationoftheculturalenvironmentofapeoples

resultsinthelossofselfrespectandstandardsonethatneedsconsiderablymoreunpackingthan
1KarlPolanyi.2001.TheGreatTransformation:ThePoliticalandEconomicOriginsofOurTime.Boston:BeaconPress,164.

Sheena Kennedy PADM6112

Polanyigivesus.Thisassertioncouldbeinterpreted,asthesekindsofstatementsoftenhavebeen, asajusti?icationofthemoraldegradationofcolonizedpeoples,whichhasmadeitparticularly easytodisregardwholegroupsorsocietiesofpeopleortorendertheminvisiblebywritingthem offaslazydrunks,forexample.Whatfollowsfromthisdismissalhasoftenbeenaromanticizationof thenoblesavage.Thereisaninherentdangerinprofessingthataculturehasdisintegratedoris lost.Inordertomakesuchaclaimlegitimately(ifitisindeedeverpossibletodoso),itrequires thattheprofessoractuallyfullyunderstandandappreciatetheculturethats/hehaspronounced lostordead.Andindeeditiswellknownthathistorically,thishasnotbeenthecase. RatherthandisintegrationIproposethatdislocation,whichPolanyiuseselsewhereto

describetheeffectsoftheIndustrialRevolutioninEnglandinthe19thcentury,betterdescribesthe impactsofcolonialism,whichismostoftenbothaclashofcultureandofclass.Dislocationsuggests somethingdynamicwhereasdisintegrationhasanalarminganddisempowering?inalityintone. Whileitistruethatsomesocietieshavebeenentirelywipedoutbycolonialism,inmostcases colonizedpeoplessurviveandadapt.True,theyarenolongerexactlyastheywerethenoble savagedoesnotreappearbutthereisacountermovement:amovementtorestorebalanceandto integrateoldandneworganizingprinciplesofsociety. Thiscountermovementisnotalwaysimmediatelyvisiblebecauseittakesplacewithinthe

socioculturalfacetsofsocietyandthesetakelongertoadaptthanthemorevisibleeconomic activitiesandinteractions,whichpermitsurvival(inthemostphysicalsense)onadaytodaybasis. Itisherethatwecanseewhydislocationratherthandisintegrationsuitsmuchbetter.Astateof dislocationistemporary.Alossofselfrespectandstandardsinthiscontextcanberead,then,as thetemporarylossofabilitytosituateoneselfwithinonesenvironment;anenvironmentinwhich thesocioculturalandeconomicaredisembeddedbyexogenousforces. Inwhatwouldotherwisebeagrimassessmentofourabilitytorespondtothesemonolithic

forces,Polanyidoesofferaglimmerofhopebyleavingthedooropentoagencyandthepotentialfor whathelatercallssocialrestoration2Thissmallsliveroflightthroughacrackinthedoorhinges
2Ibid,168.

Sheena Kennedy PADM6112

ononewordlethal.HadPolanyichosen,instead,towritethattheimmediatecauseof[mans] undoing...liesinthefatal3injurytotheinstitutionsinwhichhissocialexistenceisembodied,we wouldbeinserioustroubleindeed.Lethal4impliesthatthereisachanceforsurvivalorrestoration. Andweknowthattheculturalandsocioeconomicinstitutionsofcolonizedpeoplesdosurvive. InuitinCanadasArctic,forexample,developedthemixedeconomyaninnovative

economicinventioninresponsetotheimpositionofawagebased,capitalisteconomyandthey didsoinarelativelyshortperiodoftime.Themixedeconomyisaninstitutionthatrepresentsthe fusionofsocalledtraditionalsocioeconomicactivitiesandthereciprocityandrelationshipsthat formthebaseofthatsystem,withmodernwagebasedeconomicactivities.Thisisnottosay,of course,thatconsiderableharmhasnotresultedfromcolonialismintheNorthorthatall communitiesarethrivingwithoutchallenges.Therearerealandimportantproblemsfacingmost InuitcommunitiesinNunavutbutitisnottruethatInuitculturehasdisintegratedasaresultof colonialismandneitherisittruethatInuit,writlarge,havelosttheirselfrespectandstandards. ThisisimportantbecausewhenwetakeanapproachasPolanyidoesinTheGreat

Transformationtotraceeconomichistoryoverlong,complexperiodsoftime,thereisatemptation or,perhapsatendency,tobereductive.Wecannotafteralldiscusseverythingandthereare importantlessonstobedrawnbylookingforpatterns,orperhapseventruths,acrosstimeand space.Butthereisalsoadangerinthis,exempli?iedbythepassagequotedattheoutset:iftheroot ofthedamageofclassandculturalcon?lictisthesame;andthatdamageisthelossofselfrespect andstandardsofwholesocietiesandgroupsofpeople,whatareweleftwith?Agencyisessential butsotooistherecognitionbyscholarsandtheauthorsofsuchhistoricalaccountsthatlanguage, too,isaforceofitsown.Inwritingandanalyzinghistory,wemusttakeparticularcarebecauseone wordhereandtherereallycanmakeallthedifference.

3Fatal:causingdeathCambridgeDictionariesOnline.Availableat:http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/

fatal?q=fatal 4Lethal:abletocausedeath.CambridgeDictionariesOnline.Lethal.Availableat:http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ dictionary/british/lethal?q=lethal.

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