Asiatic mode of production

Professeur émérite au Collège de France, titulaire de la chaire « Histoire et civilisation du monde achéménide et de l'empire d' Alexandre » de 1999 à 2012, Pierre Briant analyse la réception du Despotisme oriental de Karl Wittfogel par certains historiens de l' Antiquité. Dès sa traduction en France en 1964, l'ouvrage fut critiqué par des marxistes et des marxologues, dont Pierre Vidal-Naquet. Depuis, les thèses de Wittfogel ont déserté l'historiographie de l'Empire achéménide, bouleversée par la révolution documentaire des dernières décennies, objet du dernier ouvrage du chercheur : Sur les traces de l'empire des Grands rois. Enquête d'historiographie (1931-2023), paru aux Belles Lettres en 2025.

Claims from Western radicals and leftists insisting that China is not a capitalist nation go hand in hand with broader claims that have gained traction since 2008 regarding capitalism itself. It is easy to believe that China isn’t a capitalist nation if capitalism was dealt a mortal blow by the mortgage crisis of 2008 and finally perished during the pandemic.

Alex Taek-Gwang Lee asks readers to think more clearly and reminds them of how the best critic of capitalism, Karl Marx, understood capitalism to be defined by a division of labor, global distribution, and most of all by the production of commodities by a newly emerging laboring class.

In “Made in Nowhere,” Lee argues that, far from being a leading light of socialism, the Chinese state has been capitalism’s savior since 2008. He tackles symptoms of contemporary global capitalism, ranging from critical theories of “supermodernity” and the multitude to cultural products such as Netflix and Squid Game.

This article is historiographical and aims to present how the study of the history of the Ancient East began in Georgia. The subject of our discussion is the first Georgian university  textbook on the history of the ancient East published by the authorship of the first head of the  Department of Ancient World History, Professor Aleksandre Tsereteli.  The textbook is the main historical source for the work, therefore, we have used research  methods typical for historiographical research. From a methodological point of view, the work is  based on the method of historical cognition, which gives an opportunity to follow the development  of the issue in dynamics. All the nuances of the guidelines are discussed in detail in the report. We  resorted to hermeneutic and discourse analysis to identify the cultural and historical background  against which the textbooks in question were written. We have used the methodology of  comparative research, which allowed us to compare the historiographical differences between the
textbooks.
We note that today the university textbook of the history of the ancient East, published by the  authorship of Aleksandre Tsereteli, has lost its practical value, although it has not lost its scientific  value, even because it represents the first attempt to create such literature in Georgian reality and is  a valuable source for studying the history of research on the history of the ancient east in Georgia.
The observation of the Tsereteli university textbooks of the Old East clearly revealed the  following circumstances: 1. Aleksandre Tsereteli is a supporter of examining history from a  sociological point of view, which is explained by his worldview position. he was a member of the  Socialist-Federalist Party, and later separated from the Federalists and together with the left anarchist members of the party founded "Revolutionary Syndicalist-Revolutionary Union of  Georgia". It is clear that Tsereteli's political beliefs also influenced his scientific thinking, that is  why Aleksandre Tsereteli is a supporter of sociological coverage of history, although he was not a  Marxist. 2. A complex study of the textbooks revealed that the textbook published in the 1920’s  were the most free from ideological dogmas. This can be explained by the fact that the Communist  Party, which did not yet have a strong foothold and there was constant tension within the party  itself, was still unable to fully control all areas of public life. There was, however, from the second  half of the 30’s, the situation changed dramatically. Alexander Tsereteli was forced to mention in  his textbook the views established in Soviet historiography and linguistics. Despite this, he was still  not a reliable person for the Soviet regime. In 1935, he was exiled to Central Asia, and his works
were also repressed.

The way Marx and Engels dealt with racism is highly controversial. Positions range from orthodox justifications to postmodern denunciations. Both typically take a one-dimensional approach, focusing on the opposition of ›races‹ shaped by colonialism. However, this is not connected with other forms of racism, such as antisemitism, anti-Slavism, or Orientalism. This is the first study to critically examine the attitudes of Marx and Engels toward the complex racisms of their time from a Marxist perspective, taking into account the diversity of contemporary forms of racism. Relevant statements are embedded within their social and intellectual historical context, analyzed in relation to Marxist social theory, and explored for potential starting points for a historical-materialist theory of racism.

una asignatura de carácter teórico-metodológico impartida a estudiantes de ambas carreras universitarias de grado y a la cual se le asignan 4,30 horas de clases semanales, las cuales suman un total de 72 horas al finalizar el cuatrimestre. De esa carga horaria, dos módulos semanales (de tres horas de duración) serán destinados a clases de carácter teórico y un módulo semanal (de una hora y media de duración) será dedicado a clases de Trabajos Prácticos. A ello hay que añadir las clases de consulta dedicadas a la atención de alumnos fuera del marco de las clases formales propiamente dichas. El equipo docente de cátedra se encuentra conformado por un Profesor Adjunto Regular, un Profesor Adjunto Interino (Contratado) y dos Auxiliares Docentes Regulares a cargo de los Trabajos Prácticos.

In Soviet period, the historical process was presented in the form of a linear unidirectional development of socio-economic formations. During the years of perestroika it was popular that the formation theory should be replaced by the theory of civilization. Subsequently, a compromise opinion spread about the “synthesis” between these two approaches. At present in social sciences and history there are not two (!), but four groups of theories that differently explain the basic laws of the origins and transition of human systems. In addition to various unilinear theories (Marxism, neoevolutionism, modernization theories, etc.) and the civilizational approach, there are multilinear evolution theories, as well as a world-system analysis that patterns the cycles of economic, social and cultural growth/decline of various centers and periphery. The purpose of this review is to show how the Orient was interpreted into different historical theories.

What is Turkey’s mode of production? Does Turkey’s social structure diverge from that of the West? Will workers or intellectuals be the vanguard of the socialist struggle in Turkey? These questions sparked significant debates among the Turkish left during the Cold War. These debates led to investigations into the historical sociology of the Ottoman Empire and gave rise to political theoretisation based on historical trajectory of Turkey from empire to republic. In this lecture, I will elucidate the debates conducted by leftists in Cold War Turkey regarding the historical sociology of the Ottoman Empire, contextualising these debates within the rivaling political agendas of various leftist factions.

(1818-1883) was a famous German economist and social philosopher of the 19th century.He was a brilliant agitator and polemicist ,a profound economist ,a great sociologist ,an incomparable Historians and a revolutionary who undertook a critical analysis of Capitalist society, propounded materialistic interpretation of History and showed the way for transition to communism. Marx and his close comrade Friedrich Engels ,the German socialist and become a revolutionary communist. Marxist school of thought is based on the philosophy of Karl Marx. Marxism is a worldview method of society analysis that focuses on class relations and society conflict,that uses a materialistic interpretation of historical development,and dialectical view of Social transformation. Marxist methodology uses economic and sociopolitical inquiry and applies that to the analysis and critiques of the development of capitalism and the role of class struggle in systematic economic change. According to Karl Marx all School, political, religion, legal system etc which emerged in the course of History are derived from material conditions of life. "To him change in economy means change in ever aspect of life." The "Marxist School" of thought offer a unique perspective on Indian History emphasizing role of class struggle, economic factors in shaping country's historical development. Marxist historiography is guided by several key principles that distinguishes it from other historical approaches.

Objective/Context: This interview discusses the expansion of the camel caravan trade between roughly the sixth and sixteenth centuries. Wheeled transportation-used in West Asia during the Roman and Sasanid periods-basically disappeared around 500 CE, when camel caravans took over the transport business. Since the domestication of camels in Southern Arabia, sometime between 4000 and 3000 bce, and its adaptation over centuries to carrying loads in the sparsely vegetated desert, the network of camel caravan activity gradually extended way beyond its original center. The caravan system increasingly expanded into many areas of West and Central Asia, North Africa, North India, NorthWest China, and, to some extent, even parts of "Islamicate" Europe (Andalusia and Sicily). Indeed, camel caravans became the most extensive network of overland transportation the world had seen before the rise of railroad transportation. Originality: In this interview, Richard W. Bulliet discusses how camel caravans replaced wheeled transport in the "Middle East" and how the caravan system restructured many facets of socioeconomic and political life in the Arid Zone between approximately 500 and 1500 ce. Conclusion: The depth of this restructuring, he argues, can be compared to changes in the mode of production commonly observed by economic historians elsewhere, including those associated with the rise of mercantile capitalism.

Resumo Este artigo analisa a obra O Despotismo Oriental de Karl A. Wittfogel, geógrafo e participante da Escola de Frankfurt. A análise do livro, suas influências intelectuais e do seu contexto social de produção demonstra que Wittfogel se utiliza do legado marxista para construir um argumento teórico de que as sociedades asiáticas são em essência despóticas e que o comunismo seria uma evolução do despotismo face ao fenômeno industrial. Wittfogel tenta, portanto, instituir um marxismo anticomunista, defendendo o mundo ocidental no contexto da guerra fria. Palavras-chave: Modo de produção asiático. K. A. Wittfogel. Despotismo Oriental. Anticomunismo. Teoria marxista.

Quest'opera, che gli autori dovettero abbandonare alla "rodente critica dei topi" (K. Marx, Vorwort, cit., p. 10; trad. it. cit., p. 6) per le difficoltà economiche e politiche che indussero l'editore tedesco a non rispettare il contratto, apparve solo postuma nel 1932. Molte sue parti, però, furono da loro utilizzate in altri lavori. 6 Per gli atti di quel dibattito-che concludeva precedenti discussioni svoltesi anche in altre città dell'Unione Sovietica tra il 1929 e il 1930-si veda Diskussia do aziatskom sposobe proizvodstva, Obshchestvo marksistov vostokovedov [Società degli orientalisti marxisti], Gosudarstvennoie sozial-ekonomičeskoie izdatelstvo, Moskva-Leningrad 1931. 7 Si veda D. Caroli, L'insegnamento della storia antica e medievale nelle scuole fasciste e sovietiche fra le due guerre mondiali: manuali di scuola elementare a confronto, in "Historia y Memoria de la Educación", Madrid 2015, n. 2, pp. 319-352. Vale la pena di ricordare che in quegli anni, per lo stesso motivo, in Unione Sovietica ebbe grande fortuna la figura di Spartaco, come attestano anche le traduzioni in tutte le sue lingue, con numerose riedizioni, del romanzo di Raffaello Giovagnoli a lui intitolato (apparso in Italia nel 1874, ma già tradotto in russo nel 1880), la denominazione di numerose associazioni sportive e di varie squadre di calcio (fra cui la più cara ai moscoviti) e persino di quella specie di Olimpiadi dei paesi dell'Est che furono le Spartachiadi. Marx aveva definito Spartaco "il personaggio più splendido [der famoseste Kerl] di tutta la storia antica" (lettera a Friedrich Engels

The book is a new, revised and updated edition of "Marx e il Terzo Mondo", which appeared in Italian in 1971 (C.S. Terzo Mondo, Milan) and 1972 (Il Saggiatore, Milan) ans was translated into Spanish ("Marx and the Third World", Amorrortu, Buenos Aires), English ("Marx and the Third World, Macmillan, London, and Humanities Press, Atlantic Highlands, 1977 and 1982) and Chinese (Academy of the Social Sciencesm, Peking). The book analyses the thought of Marx, with specific attention to the Asiatic mode of production; India, China and Russia; the revolution in the developing countries; the so-called "socialist" revolutions; as well as the later involution of these revolution and the formation in Russia and China of a form of "bureaucratic collectivism". The main part of the book presents an alternative scheme of historical development.

This paper traces developments in Marxist historiography resulting from the rediscovery of the concept of the Asiatic mode of production.  An earlier debate on the implications of this concept had been shut down by Stalin but Soviet and Western Marxist scholars reopened debate on it in the 1960s. The significance of the debate was to strengthen the view that history has a plurality of lines of development rather than being unilinear – making room for a multiplicity of forms of social organisation continuing into the future.

Levi-Strauss says sociologists of the nineteenth century was dealt with social institutions from a linear evolutionary perspective (Levi-Strauss, 2014). They accepted our societies as the most advanced civilizations. It's a result of social evolution. For example, Comte claimed that every society has similar developmental processes. These are theological, metaphysical, and positivist stages. The last stage means the scientific mind is prevalent in society. Actually, this emphasis is important, so all sociological traditions are based on the enlightenment philosophy from Comte to Weber. This tradition includes several concepts, such as progress, humanism, rationality, etc. However, there are many differences among these sociologists as a theoretical.

Resumen En este artículo se expondrá la vigencia de las proposiciones de Marx y Engels, con sus contradicciones y sus variaciones en el tiempo, respecto del modo de producción asiático. En particular, trataremos la conexión con el proceso histórico en el Antiguo Egipto, especialmente en relación con la organización estatal. Analizaremos, en parte también, cómo esas elaboraciones de los autores alemanes fueron recibidas y transformadas por la historiografía marxista más relevante. Abstract This article studies the validity of Marx and Engels' propositions-with their contradictions and variations through time-regarding the Asiatic Mode of Production. In particular, the relation to historical processes in Ancient Egypt, especially concerning the state organization, will be studied. The article will also analyze how these elaborations by the German scholars were received and transformed by the main exponents of Marxist historiography. Palabras clave modo de producción asiático Antiguo Egipto Estado Karl Marx Keywords Asiatic Mode of Production Ancient Egypt State Karl Marx * Versión traducida-con cierta bibliografía adaptada y actualizada-de "Asiatic Mode of Production: Considerations on Ancient Egypt" en: L. da Graca y A. Zingarelli (eds.), Studies on Pre-Capitalist Modes of Production. Brill, Leiden, 2015: 27-76.

Il presente contributo si propone di offrire uno sguardo di insieme sul modo in cui Marx guarda all’Oriente, più specificamente sulla sua posizione nei confronti dell’India e della Russia, al fine di cogliere una linea di sviluppo nel giudizio complessivo di Marx sull’Oriente.

Resumo: Pretende-se neste estudo apontar fontes e reflexões de Karl Marx sobre o oriente, que sustentaram a concepção de modo de produção asiático. Partindo de suas contribuições primevas, enfocamos principalmente as considerações presentes nos Grundisse, se verifica que o amadurecimento do pensamento de Marx significa o abandono de certos pontos de vistas hegelianos e a incorporação de perspectivas advindas dos estudos culturais e históricos de sua época. Palavras-chave: Marx; Ásia; Oriente; Modo de produção asiático

En Siria del segundo milenio la población aldeana formaba uno de los ejes de la
organización socioeconómica de la región. En el otro vértice se encontraba el palacio con su
organización estatal y las tierras que gestionaba. En el inicio de la Edad del Bronce Tardío,
cuando las potencias imperiales entraron en un sistema de equilibrio regional, los pequeños
propietarios de campos familiares se enfrentaron con una profunda crisis por endeudamiento
(Liverani, 1996: 388, 391). La servidumbre por deudas se agrava ya que los palacios hace
tiempo que no promulgan los edictos de remisión de deudas y la liberación de los esclavos
(Ibíd.: 329). Los hombres libres de las comunidades aldeanas se ven imposibilitados de
responder a las obligaciones de carácter público, conduciendo en muchos casos a la pérdida
de la tierra e incluso de la libertad personal. Las mujeres y los hijos a menudo son cedidos en
servidumbre, lo que lleva a la disgregación familiar. La huida pasa a ser una alternativa para no
caer en la esclavitud, ya sea como alternativa individual o sumándose a bandas fuera del
control palatino. Los esclavos fugitivos serán una preocupación de los palacios, siendo su
devolución un tema central en los tratados políticos de la época. Si bien la rebelión colectiva
está menos documentada, un síntoma de los conflictos será el asesinato de los representantes
del palacio, así lo atestiguan los documentos que aquí analizamos. El marco general de estos
conflictos fue retratado en las correspondencias encontradas en el archivo de la ciudad egipcia
de El-Amarna, contextualizadas durante la dominación egipcia sobre la región.

Over the past years, many researchers have shown an interest in “The Asiatic Mode of Production.” Debates on this concept have often focused on the Asiatic form in Grundrisse from the perspective of “the formulation of historical materialism”. However, a major issue that remains to be resolved is consensus on the intrinsic logic of the Asiatic form and its concrete definition. This paper examines “the Asiatic form” in Pre-Capitalist Economic Formations by examining the excerpt notebooks in MEGA’s fourth section and the manuscript Capital Volume Ⅲ. The first half of this paper describes the relationship between the Asiatic form and the London Excerpts from Jones by illuminating Marx’s acceptance of the sovereign landed property. Furthermore, this examination contributes to the understanding of the Asiatic form by focusing on the theoretical concepts in the Grundrisse (e.g., “original [ürsprünglich] property” and “reification [Versachlichung]”). The latter half of this paper highlights the growing importance of the concepts of “village community” and original property to Marx after 1857, when he deepened his critique of colonialism in Pre-Capitalist Economic Formations. In fact, Marx focused on self-sustaining production and reproduction system within village communities against reification (i.e., commodity or money), thus redefining so-called “Asiatic stagnation” as structurally at the furthest distance from capitalism. Moreover, in the manuscript Capital, Volume Ⅲ, the portrayals of Asiatic communities (especially Chinese communities) had been central to Marx’s critique of political economy because these self-supporting communities posed a very strong resistance to the capitalist production.

This is a brief introduction to how feudalism, as a mode of production situated itself in the Indian subcontinent. It elaborates the economic differences between the classical conception of feudalism in Europe and how fiefs in India remained trade-able assets for Samantas. It also compares the conditions of the peasants from the two realms while predicating their varying relation to the land they tilled.

Despite the valiant efforts of sociological patriarchs, comparative sociology remains a largely unexplored country. Yet, it is difficult to overstate the importance of a comparative perspective when studying social phenomena. It is even more difficult to overstate the need for comprehensive handbooks dealing with the essence of comparative research and sociology per se. In the framework of a brief review, it is not possible to do full justice to the many thought-provoking and illuminating strands, claims, and arguments to be found in the essays of this volume. The range of topics as well as the material and data presented is too large for a detailed examination in a single review. Thus, the length and depth of the comments to follow obviously cannot do justice to this ambitious and successful book; they are mere introductory observations with a sincere invitation to read the book. Let me begin this quick analysis by emphasizing three points. First, the Encyclopedia should be welcomed as a fundamental contribution to comparative sociology. This excellent collection is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the historical background and state of the discipline as well as those students interested in the future directions of comparative analysis and methodology. Second, the volume effectively advances sociological theory in important directions that received insufficient attention in the late 20th century; the Encyclopedia should help comparative researchers to win (deserved) recognition from mainstream sociology. It would be a shame if this Encyclopedia were ignored or underestimated by sociologists because the volume is prepared for everyone in the business of sociology, not just for those whose 'turf' is comparative analysis or methods. Third, this is a successful book about comparative sociology, though one that leaves much room for future discussions and studies. There can be no doubt that this volume will generate dialogue between proponents of understanding comparative sociology as a subfield in sociology and those who believe that comparative sociology equals comparative methods or those who see things differently. A brief glance at the name index confirms a basic statement of the Encyclopedia: the founding fathers of sociology were all comparative researchers. The most mentioned names in the index are canonical thinkers:

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http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/15691330-12341354

Rezaev, A.V. ; Zhikharevich, D.M. ; Lisitsyn, P.P. The Marxian Materialist Interpretation of History and Comparative Sociology Comparative Sociology, 2015, Vol.14(4), pp.452-477 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

Pierre Vidal-Naquet, Historien du passé et du présent organisée par Brigitte Le Guen, professeur d'Histoire grecque à Paris-8. (http://www.fabula.org/actualites/pierre-vidal-naquet-historien-du-passe-et-du-present_18612.php) Pierre Briant (Collège de France) Pierre Vidal-Naquet, Wittfogel et « le mode de production asiatique » 1 Comme l'écrivait Pierre Vidal-Naquet lui-même dans une quasi unique allusion ultérieure à son papier de 1964, dont je vais parler aujourd'hui, « la querelle qui déchirait alors le monde marxiste [autour du mode de production asiatique]… est aujourd'hui bien oubliée ». Écrite en 2000 2 , la phrase a évidemment conservé toute sa pertinence en 2007. Je ne serais donc pas surpris que, dans cette salle, il y ait des auditeurs qui n'ont pas la moindre idée de qui était Wittfogel et son livre, et ne savent rien des débats et polémiques de l'époque. A toutes celles et tous ceux qui sont ou seraient dans ce cas, je demande un peu de patience. Dans un premier temps, j'essaierai plutôt de situer mon propos dans un contexte à la fois personnel et intellectuel, y compris en évoquant des orientations de recherche de PVN, qui ne sont pas liées directement à la question envisagée. Dans une deuxième étape (la première sera courte), j'entrerai plus directement dans le vif du sujet.

Durante la Edad del Bronce Tardío (1500-1200 a.C.), la historia política de Siria-Palestina se encuentra mayormente jalonada por instancias de sujeción de las polities locales a los grandes poderes del período: el reino hitita en el Levante septentrional y Egipto en el Levante meridional, con una menor intervención del reino de Mitanni en Siria. Si bien los modos de dominación de Hatti y Egipto en la región diferían en su concreción administrativa—una relación de sujeción esencialmente personalizada en Siria septentrional; una relación de dominación burocrática en Siria meridional y en Palestina, respectivamente—, el tipo de verticalidad política imperante en el ámbito local favoreció, primeramente, la propuesta de modelos interpretativos de filón marxista (modo de producción asiático y feudalismo) y, más recientemente, de un modelo weberiano de patrimonialismo, para comprender la articulación política al interior de los pequeños reinos de la región pero también hacia su exterior, en interacción con los mencionados grandes poderes del período. A partir de la información textual que proveen los tratados políticos inter-polities y la epistolografía diplomática, intentamos en esta comunicación revisar la utilidad de los modelos mencionados y, a partir de allí, proponer un modelo interpretativo basado en lo que la antropología política registra como relaciones patrón-cliente, por tratarse este último de un concepto analítico mejor adecuado para dar cuenta de la dinámica política del período y la articulación del poder en Siria-Palestina, tanto en el ámbito interno de los reinos locales como hacia su exterior.

This paper attempts to unpack the concept of property rights in land in Qing China (1644-1912). Starting from the traditional anthropological approach which sees property rights as a 'bundle' of social relations, this paper addresses the question of how property in land was realized in Qing China. By using extensively historical material against recent anthropological analysis in the  study of law, this paper seeks to break up the social concept of property into two moments: (i) the generation of 'right' from context dependant modes of agricultural production and (ii) the negotiation of those 'rights' and obligations by local elites and institutional officials in light of their conflicting or convergent interests. This particular approach exposes the concept of property rights to a set of environmental, historical and political variables. At the same time, it suggests that our present interpretation of the arrangement of land property in Qing China is profoundly influenced by the theoretical debates in which the concept of property has been employed. Insofar as the 'economical' and 'institutional' approaches found in the literature employ historically 'thick' concept such as 'right', 'law' and 'value' without accounting for cultural and sociological variations, they fail to provide the basis for a context-sensitive explanation of the production of 'property relations'. To this end, this paper presents a patchwork narrative of the generation, negotiation, codification and interpretation of land rights during the Qing with the aim of understanding the critical moments in the production of property; of highlighting the interplay of different social actors in its realization; and, finally, of problematizing the academic debate on its content.