Short Abstract

This paper aims to answer a research question whether Karatani Kōjin’s Mode of Exchange theory outlined in "The Structure of World History" remains a non-contradictory attempt to broaden Karl Marx’s notion of a communist society.

Long Abstract

The paper aims to evaluate Karatani Kōjin’s Mode of Exchange framework outlined in "The Structure of World History" against the background of Karl Marx’s critique of political economy. By comparing key establishments of said authors, the study answers a research question whether Karatani’s theoretical input into broadening the practical level of Marx’s theory does not remain contradictory in regards to the source material such as "Capital". The reason behind such comparison is Karatani’s heavy reliance on Marxist tradition, as the theory of Modes of Exchange is not only a tool used for conceptualizing the history of social formations, but also a possible vision of a future beyond capitalism, referred to as the World Republic. Nevertheless, an overall shift from production to exchange which seems to be one of Karatani’s own contributions does not remain unambiguous. As Marx’s traditional base-superstructure metaphor seems to be referred to by Karatani as production-oriented, it becomes critical to ask what is the position of both production and exchange within capitalism as fundamentally put forward by Marx as well as Karatani. The main focus of the article is thus to expand the topic of a demarcation line between exchange and production when approached from a systemic perspective, by comparing two related yet differently conditioned notions. The paper is a follow up on two previous research projects conducted by the author, a case study of Japanese proto-capitalism from the perspective of Karatani’s theory, as well as a comparison of Karatani’s concept of World Republic with Immanuel Kant’s notion of Perpetual Peace, providing a broader historical and philosophical context into Karatani’s theory.