Problematic of Democracy in Late-capitalism: a Reflection on Mandel and Jameson

Ernest Mandel has distinguished three period in the history of capitalism: market capitalism, monopoly capitalism (imperialism) and late-capitalism (multi-national capitalism). Third period has particularities as so: dominance of multi-national corporation, globalization of markets and labor, mass consumption and expansion of space for multi-national and smooth flows of capital. Frederick Jameson based on this historico-periodical model has determined economic, cultural and aesthetic formulation of capitalism. There period of cultural transformation of capitalistic society is as so: realism, modernism, and post-modernism. Post-modernism is the culture of third age of machine or third industrial revolution in late-capitalism. Strong point of theory of economico-cultural rationality of historical formulations in Jameson's intellectual system is "globality" of his scale of analysis. However, specter of structuralism haunts his post-modern narrative of Marxism. Disability of Jameson in determining subject of resistance against destructive faces of late-capitalism, accompanies denying democratic possibilities and emancipatory dimensions of this new situation. Also in contrast with many Marxist traditions, this radical cultural politics cannot determine its relationship with problem of state and modern sovereign power.