[This is not the final version. The definitive version will be published in Political Studies Review, Volume 12, Issue 3, September 2014]
Political Studies Review David Eden (2012) Autonomy: Capitalism, Class and Politics. Farnham: Ashgate. 283pp, £60.00 (h/b), ISBN 978 1 4094 1174 1 In this book, David Eden critically studies the concepts of operaismo (workerism) and autonomia (autonomy) through different groups of so-called ‘Autonomist Marxists’―represented by Antonio Negri and Paolo Virno, the Midnight Notes Collective (MNC), and John Holloway―in order to deal with questions about class, class struggles and emancipation. The author critically examines three categories of radical Marxism with the aim of constructing a better understanding of emancipatory politics in contemporary capitalism. His analysis of each theorist is split into three sets of chapter themes―beyond, outside, and against capital―through which he outlines and evaluates each theorist’s concepts of autonomy and workerism. The first theme, discussed in chapters 2 to 4, deals with the political theories of Negri and Virno, which he argues both go ‘beyond’ the traditional focus of class struggle through the concept of multitude. Chapters 5 to 7 are devoted to the theory of class struggle expounded by the MNC, which concentrates on the politics of ‘non-wage labour’ in factories, as seen in the reproductive labour of housework and prostitution, for example. Here, the author argues that emancipatory struggles of social groups can take place ‘outside’ the sphere of production. Lastly, in chapters 8 to 10, Eden focuses on the well-known Autonomist Marxist and prominent ‘Open Marxist’, John Holloway. In these final three chapters, he represents Holloway’s radical conception of class struggle as being ‘against’ capital, in the sense of representing a rebellious negation of capital’s social relations. David Eden’s book provides a very good contribution towards our understanding of the politics of emancipation. Through his discussion and analysis of the three groups of theorists, the author raises critical awareness about radical politics and urges the reader to re-think and re-read their conceptions of labour, class, class struggles and emancipation in contemporary politics. Although this work does not present itself as a theoretical textbook in Marxist and radical leftist literature, it draws together three different areas of radical literature and provides a valuable critique on each perspective. The most crucial element of political analysis in a Marxist position is to consider ‘theory and practice’ together, which this book achieves, as well as providing a grounded theoretical manual for the Left to pursue a genuine form of communism. In short, this book is highly recommended for the reader who is interested in Marxism and radical politics at all levels. WATCHARABON BUDDHARAKSA University of York