《LAW SOCIETY AND POLITICAL ACTION》

1. Introduction1

Three Problem Areas1

Materialism and Political Action3

Explanation Without Abolition6

The Plan of the Book9

Notes10

2. Law and Society: the Precedence of Materiality12

Materiality in General12

Material Structures14

Economic-material Structures as Determining "In The Last Instance"16

The Precendence of the Material Structures18

Material structural change18

Change within material structures19

Law and Society: The Precedence of Materiality20

Empirical investigations21

Political practice62

The precedence of materiality: some conclusions71

Notes75

3. Law and Society: the Feedback Effect of the Law76

Introduction76

The Legal Superstructure77

The legal superstructure: objective feedback80

The legal superstructure: subjective feedback86

Legal Production111

Legal production: objective feedback effect112

Legal production: subjective feedback effect115

Legal Norms132

Legal norms: objective feedback effect133

Legal norms: subjective feedback effect140

Conclusions: Materiality and Ideology144

Notes146

4. Law and Society: Parts and Totality148

The Parts as a Whole: Reciprocal Necessity148

The Parts as Totality: Reciprocal Change150

Further Discussion on Reciprocal Change152

Still Further Discussion on Reciprocal Change154

The Parts in the Totality: A Dialectical Relationship?156

The parts of the whole: different systems of ideas at the same point in time158

The parts of the whole: the same system of ideas at different points in time160

The parts of the whole: different systems of ideas at different points in time165

Closing comment: on the 'superconstruction'179

Notes186

5. What Is To Be Done?190

A Platform190

The Political Situation in General Terms194

Politically relevant material conditions196

The political efficiency of the absorbent society: 'Defining In' and 'Defining Out'224

Political Strategy Under Late Capitalism: the Unfinished226

On contradiction227

On competition229

The competing contradiction: the unfinished231

More About the Unfinished237

More about crossing boundaries237

More about totality239

On Concrete Organizing250

Should the organizing process take place in a political party?250

The point of departure in concrete issues253

Disclosure as framework for the concrete issues254

The point of departure in delimited areas256

The pursuit of new structures257

The point of departure in work for abolition261

The follow-up to defensive work as framework for abolition264

The point of departure in demands which are ahead of public policy265

Following through of the demands as framework for demands which are ahead of official policy266

Between reformism and resignation267

By Way of Conclusion So Far: Individual and Collectivity270

Notes272

6. The Absorbent State277

Introduction277

The Economic Future278

The Political Future: The Development of the State283

The state which 'Defines in'284

The state which 'Defines Out'288

The Political Future: The Fate of Repression Abolishing Movements299

Notes302

References303

Subject Index309