This article juxtaposes Marx’s critique of capitalism with recent developments in affect theory. My central argument is that a critique of the tension of capitalist affect is fundamental to a Marxian account of capital: on the one hand, capitalism amplifies the potential affective capacity of bodies through its development and organization of productive forces; on the other, it captures this increase to enrich the bourgeoisie, immiserate the proletariat, and reproduce capitalism. I also sketch the ways that an affective interpretation can provide insight into anti-capitalism resistance and post-capitalist life within Marx’s theoretical and philosophical project. Ultimately, reading Marx’s critique of capitalism for its resonances with Deleuzean-Spinozan affect theory not only generates a newfound apprehension of the affective register of that critique, but also adds to the critical repertoire of affect theory.
Articles by John McMahon
John McMahon is Assistant Professor of Political Science at SUNY Plattsburgh, and was previously Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Beloit College. His research interests include modern and contemporary political theory, emotion and affect, feminist theory, black political thought, political theories of work and labor, and legal discourses of race. He teaches courses in political theory, law, and American politics. Previous publications include "'The Enigma of Biopolitics': Antiblackness, Modernity, and Roberto Esposito’s Biopolitics" in Political Theory, and "Emotional Orientations: Simone de Beauvoir and Sara Ahmed on Subjectivity and the Emotional Phenomenology of Gender" in philoSOPHIA. He is also one of the hosts of the Always Already Podcast, a critical theory podcast.