'Money or the Circulation of Commodities'

Following a fascinating session discussing the fetishism of commodites, the Reading Capital group asks...

What is money? Where does it come from? What makes certain commodities suitable as money? Could we live without it?

Joseph Choonara, former deputy-editor of International Socialism Journal (www.isj.org.uk) will introduce a discussion on

'Money or the Circulation of Commodities’.

Monday 23rd November '09 (Note Change of Date)
6pm F-WB Room 2.43
Waterloo Campus
King's College London

"It is not money that renders commodities commensurable. Just the contrary. It is because all commodities, as values, are realised human labour, and therefore commensurable, that their values can be measured by one and the same special commodity, and the latter be converted into the common measure of their values, i.e., into money. Money as a measure of value, is the phenomenal form that must of necessity be assumed by that measure of value which is immanent in commodities: labour-time.”

All welcome - whether you have been reading Capital or just want to drop in for the talk - we aim to be accessible to all.

(Those wishing to read in advance should make their way to Chapter 3!)

Photos of Alex Callinicos & Martin Wolf Debate

Alex Callinicos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6CZAQvAMaY

Martin Wolf:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXKqqgwAIeI

Questions & Answers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYpHLnlUrFg

'The Fetishism of the Commodity and its secret'

Bis Dasgupta, of the KCL Reading Capital Movement, will introduce a discussion on

'The Fetishism of the Commodity and its secret'

Tuesday 10th November
6pm
F-WB Room 2.43 Waterloo Campus KCL

"Economists have a singular method of procedure. There are only two kinds of institutions for them, artificial and natural. The institutions of feudalism are artificial institutions, those of capitalism are natural institutions. In this they resemble the theologians, who likewise establish two kinds of religion. Every religion which is not theirs is an invention of men, while their own is an emanation from God... Thus there has been history, but there is no longer any."

The Future of Capitalism: Debate

A Public Debate Hosted by KCL Capital Reading Group and KCL Business Society
Supported by the Centre for European Studies, King's College London

THE FUTURE OF CAPITALISM:
THE ROOTS OF THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS AND THE PROSPECTS FOR THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE

ALEX CALLINICOS, Professor of European Studies, King's College London, and author of The Revolutionary Ideas of Karl Marx
MARTIN WOLF, Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times, and author of Fixing Global Finance

6.30 P.M. MONDAY 2 NOVEMBER
GREAT HALL, KING'S COLLEGE LONDON, STRAND, LONDON WC2R 2LS (PLUS OVERFLOW IN EDMOND J. SAFRA LECTURE THEATRE)

for more information contact KCLreadingCapital@gmail.com

'Commodities & Values' - Tuesday 27th October 09

Thanks to all who attended our re-launch meeting with Ben Fine (apologies for those who had to sit on the floor and stand by the door!). There is an mp3 of the meeting for download along with older sessions to the right on the blog.

We hope that everyone found the meeting interesting and will consider reading Capital with us. Details of our first meeting are below:
- - -
'Commodities & Values'

The wealth of societies in which the capitalist mode of production prevails appears as an 'immense collection of commodities'.

Marx begins Capital by looking at the elementary building block of capitalism, the commodity.

Marx identifies in the commodity a dual aspect, use-value and exchange value. One gives the commodity its usefulness for the consumer, the other commensurability with other commodities.
- - -
Chris Harman, editor of International Socialism Journal (www.isj.org.uk), introduces a discussion on 'Commodities & Values'
Tuesday 27th October 2009
6pm
Room 2.42 F-WB
Waterloo Campus
King's College London
- - -
-N.B. We will be reading the first 3 sections of Chapter 1 in preparation.

Prof. Ben Fine on 'Why Read Capital?'

The Reading Capital group is re-launching this year with a talk by Prof. Ben Fine from SOAS (co-author of "Marx's 'Capital'") on:

Why read Capital? Marx in the 21st Century

Tuesday Oct. 13th 2009
6pm

Room 2.42
F-WB Building
Waterloo Campus
King's College London
- - -

KCL Reading Capital is a fortnightly seminar organised by students discussing the main issues & themes in Capital Volume I

Open to anyone with an interest in finding out more about Marx's great work.

Reading Group Returns in the Autumn

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Reading Group this year. We will be returning at the beginning of next term with a special event. We are also hoping to formally become part of KCLSU and start up a lending library as part of the group with various texts of interest, as well as copies of Capital for members to borrow.

So look out for us at the Welcome Fair, and make sure to join and sign up to the email list for further updates.

Enjoy your summer!
KCL Reading Capital