The Dialectics of Global Justice: From Liberal to Postcapitalist Cosmopolitanism

282 Pages·2022·1.654 MB·English

by  Bryant William Sculos

The Dialectics of Global Justice
SUNY series in New Political Science
—————
Bradley J. Macdonald, editor
The Dialectics of Global Justice
From Liberal to Postcapitalist Cosmopolitanism
BRYANT WILLIAM SCULOS
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2022 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic,
magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior
permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Name: Sculos, Bryant William, author.
Title: The dialectics of global justice : from liberal to postcapitalist
cosmopolitanism / Bryant William Sculos.
Description: Albany : State University of New York Press, [2022] | Series:
SUNY series in New Political Science | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022005699 | ISBN 9781438489414 (hardcover : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781438489421 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Cosmopolitanism.
Classification: LCC JZ1308 .S382 2022 | DDC 306—dc23/eng/20220413
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022005699
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to all those struggling for a democratic, egalitarian
postcapitalist world—that is, for true global justice.
And also, to my mom for in so many ways inspiring the writing of
this book. I want to thank her for already knowing that this is the best
book ever written. She has never lacked faith that I could do this and
do it well (if she did ever lack faith, she thankfully never told me!).
But she inspired me in less intentional ways too, fighting to survive in
all those incomplete and contradictory ways that were often, for me,
the splinters in my eyes that became a magnifying glass.

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Preface xiii
Introduction
From Here to There 1
Chapter 1
Assuming the Status Quo: Cosmopolitanism Takes on Capitalism 25
Chapter 2
The Capitalistic Mentality: Between Base and Superstructure 69
Chapter 3
Cosmopolitanism and the Dialectical Intervention of the
Capitalistic Mentality 109
Chapter 4
Cosmopolitanism and Socialist Strategy: Class Struggle,
Radical Reform, and Postcapitalism 153
Conclusion 203
Toward a Postcapitalistic Mentality
Afterword 217
Notes 223
References 243
Index 259

Acknowledgments
This book began as an overly aggressive and stylistically rough doctoral
dissertation that went through many revisions to even get to that state.
Upon returning to it to construct this book, I was reminded of just how
much help I needed to get to where I am, wherever that is. It was not just
intellectual help to make the argument stronger and engage the right sources,
but it was about supporting the intellectual (and political) contribution
the dissertation, and now this book, might offer. I am beyond indebted to
my dissertation committee, including Harry Gould, Paul Warren, Richard
Beardsworth, Sean Noah Walsh, Ron Cox, and, my committee chair Clem
Fatovic. These latter two especially deserve enormous credit for pushing me
to make this the project I wanted it to be—only, you know, better. They
were and are tough but caring critics, and as an aspiring tough but caring
critic myself, I couldn’t have asked for better role models. It was never “sink
or swim.” It was always “let us help you figure out how to swim better, so
you not only don’t drown but actually enjoy the swim.” And I wasn’t always
a very good swimmer. They offered harsh but justified critique coupled
with deeply felt support and care. Insofar as this book, and my writing
and teaching more broadly, reflects any kind of balance between harsh but
justified critique and deeply felt support and care, it is in no small part
due to the mentorship of Clem and Ron.
I also benefited greatly from the opportunity to discuss some of the
ideas in this book as a Summer 2019 Fellow at The Institute for Critical
Social Inquiry at The New School for Social Research. Spending a week with
Etienne Balibar in a small seminar addressing the contemporary relevance of
the commons and communism was a thrill, and the pre- and postseminar
conversations over beers were a necessary counterweight that allowed me to
process some small shreds of Balibar’s insights. For those conversations, I’m
ix