“The Working Day” chapter of Capital makes sense today as an illustration of collective struggle over the sale of labor power by the hour. The historical materials in the chapter are instructive if read under the tutelage of Gertrud Kugelmann, considering the advice Karl Marx offers to her on where to start. A reassessment of Marx’s writing process is possible via his various plans in letters, his comments on method, the various sources used, and evaluating the role they have in Capital volume 1. Several scholars read Marx on commodities that “speak” but may sometimes miss idioms in English translation. Reading the German text can help us when searching for theoretical and political strategies for contemporary emancipation. With implications for replies to critics of Marx on slavery, my case is that the staging in Capital offers diagnostic potential where attention to the Parliamentary Blue Books might generate new research agendas, addressing current problems of time, social reproduction, climate, and class struggle.
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