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Social Scientist completed forty years of publication in the year
2012. To mark this occasion, it is planned to bring out a number of
volumes containing articles on specific themes from past issues of
the journal. The present book is a part of this series. It contains
a set of thirteen essays written by Professor Venkatesh Athreya
(under the pseudonym A.V. Balu) to provide readers with an
introduction to Marxian political economy, which were published in
issues of Social Scientist during the years 1976-78. They are
mainly concerned with Volume I of Karl Marx's Capital, with a focus
on the origin of surplus value which is the key to the anatomy of
capitalism. These essays had attracted wide attention at the time
they were published, and were used extensively in Marx study
circles all over the country. What distinguished them was the fact
that they were authored by an outstanding professional economist,
familiar with frontier research not only in Marxist economics but
in bourgeois economics as well, and with a rare mastery over
mathematical and statistical techniques. They were therefore
written with a panache and sureness of touch that one often finds
lacking in standard textbooks. Since the 1970s, when these essays
were written, there have been dramatic changes in the world
capitalist system which are of far- reaching economic, political
and ideological significance. However, they are being presented in
this book exactly as they were when first published. The central
reason for this is that they did not deal with capitalism as it
existed at the time they were written, except for passing
references. Instead, they are an exposition of Marx's ideas as
presented in Volume I of Capital, intended for lay readers and
students with an inclination to analytical thinking as well as
interest in progressive thought. The book does, however, include an
introduction by the author explaining the changed context.
There's really no escaping it: if you want to understand
capitalism, you simply have to read Karl Marx's "Capital". But this
is easier said than done. "Capital" is Marx's magnum opus -
consisting of more than 2,000 pages, over three volumes. It is a
masterpiece of analysis, of relentlessly methodical and logical
reasoning. So is "Capital" only for the expert? No. "Capital" can
be read - and understood - by beginners as well, provided they are
guided into it. Which is exactly what this volume does. Seven
leading Marxist scholars lay out the conceptual framework of
"Capital" as well as investigate its various themes in essays
written specially for this Reader. Moreover, each of the authors
has taken care to not limit him/herself to only preliminary
explication of concepts, and has also gone into matters of advanced
theory. The volume as a whole also has a broadly similar trajectory
- the first couple of essays lay the foundation, the middle four
essays graduate from basic concepts to theoretical discussion and
debates, and the last essay does not go into basic concepts at all,
but applies the method of "Capital" to theorise about contemporary
capitalism. This introductory Reader, then, does two things: it
equips new readers with the basic conceptual keys that could unlock
the vast treasure trove of Marx's analysis and insights, as well as
offering fresh insights into Marx's magnificent work to the
initiated.
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