CLASTRES, OR THE WAR BETWEEN THE DOMESTIC AND THE POLITICAL

Abstract

This article analyzes the relationship between the notions of war and State in Clastres through some of his debates, especially the connections and ruptures with Marx and Lévi-Strauss. I consider that these two authors are, albeit sometimes obliquely, critically implicated in a central point of Clastres’ argument: that the autarchic condition of primitive society requires the agency of a force that prevents an internal disjunction (such as “class”) and limits an external conjunction (such as “exchange group”). These two dimensions, internal and external, involve both Marx and Lévi-Strauss (and also Hobbes and Mauss), since State, war and classes were tied to Marshall Sahlins’ concept of the Domestic Mode of Production (DMP). Sahlins, in turn, established this concept in dialogue with those authors. Considering these points, I will revisit the problem of war and the emergence of the State in Clastres considering the political/domestic division, establishing this as a starting point for a possible critique.

Keywords:
War; State; Domestic; Political; Clastres