Productive and Unproductive Labor and Marx's Theory of Class

Abstract

This paper attempts to clarify some of the confusion surrounding Marx's discussion of productive and un productive labor. It begins with a brief exposition of Marx's definitions of these concepts and then moves to a consideration of their more controversial aspects. Par ticular attention is paid to the problem of service workers and commercial wage-labor, and Mandel's and Poulant zas's writings on these subjects are reviewed and criticiz ed. Finally, an attempt is made to situate these concepts in Marx's overall theoretical framework. It is argued that Marx never intended them to be used as the basis for class analysis, and it is suggested that the crucial Marxist con cept for such an analysis is exploitation.