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¿Qué significa estado? Reflexiones acerca de la teoría del estado capitalista

2005; UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO PARANÁ; Issue: 24 Linguagem: Espanhol

10.1590/s0104-44782005000100011

1678-9873

Joachim Hirsch,

Social and Economic Solidarity

O presente artigo propoe uma teoria abstrata do Estado capitalista, sem se referir a nenhuma formacao historica em particular, no que se convencionou chamar “teoria derivacionista do Estado”. Considera-se aqui o Estado como uma formacao socio-politica especifica da sociedade capitalista, responsavel pela manutencao e pelas condicoes de reproducao do capital. A base social do capitalismo e a separacao (contraditoria) entre o capital e o trabalho; para realizar essa separacao, o capitalismo mantem, por meio do Estado, uma separacao entre a sociedade e a economia, de modo que seja possivel aos capitalistas expropriar a forca de trabalho dos trabalhadores (e a riqueza dai resultante) sem exercer ela mesma a forca (a violencia) necessaria para tanto. Essa separacao e o que funda, contraditoriamente, as relacoes necessarias ao projeto burgues de liberdade e igualdade cidadas. Em termos teoricos e historicos, nao se subordina a politica a economia, como se o Estado fosse mera e simplesmente uma superestrutura do capital; alem disso, outras contradicoes sociais nao sao criadas pelo capitalismo (entre generos ou racas, por exemplo), mas o Estado capitalista impoe condicoes especificas a elas, conformando-as. WHAT DOES STATE MEAN? REFLECTIONS ON THE THEORY OF THE CAPITALIST STATE Abstract The present article proposes an abstract theory of the capitalist State, with no reference to any particular historical formation, within what has come to be called “the derivationist theory of the State”. The State is considered here as a specific socio-political formation of capitalist society, responsible for capitalism´s maintenance and conditions of reproduction. The social basis of capitalism is the (contradictory) separation of capital and labor; in order to carry out this separation, capitalism, by means of the State, effects a separation between society and economy, in such a way as to enable capitalists to expropriate workers labor power (and the wealth produced by it) without using the force (violence) that would be required to do so. It is this separation that acts as the contradictory basis on which the relationships for the bourgeois project of the freedom and equality of citizenship are founded. In theoretical and historical terms, politics are not subordinate to economics, as if the State were a mere and simple super-structure of capital; furthermore, there are other social contradictions that have not been created by capitalism (such as those of gender and race) yet the capitalist State does impose specific conditions on them and thus acts in their configuration. C’EST QUOI, L’ETAT? REFLEXIONS SUR LA THEORIE DE L’ETAT CAPITALISTE Resume Cet article propose une theorie abstraite de l’Etat capitaliste, sans se reporter a aucune formation historique particuliere et qu’on a convenu de nommer « theorie derivationiste d’Etat ». Ici on considere l’etat comme une formation sociopolitique particuliere de la societe capitaliste, responsable du maintien et des conditions de reproduction du capital. La base sociale du capitalisme est la separation (contradictoire) du capital et du travail. A cet effet, le capitalisme garde par l’intermediaire de l’etat un ecart entre la societe et l’economie si bien qu’il soit possible aux capitalistes d’exproprier la force du travail aux ouvriers (et la richesse qui en decoule) sans pour autant avoir besoin d’exercer la force (la violence) necessaire. Cet ecartement fonde contradictoirement les relations necessaires au projet bourgeois de liberte et egalite citoyennes. En termes theoriques et historiques, la politique ne peut etre soumise a l’economie, comme si l’Etat etait tout simplement une superstructure du capital. En outre, d’autres contradictions sociales sont creees par le capitalisme (entre genre ou races, par exemple), mais l’Etat capitaliste leur impose des conditions specifiques et les constituent.