The “National-Social State” and Its Other: Racism from the Perspective of Materialist Theories of the State
This dissertation makes a theoretical contribution toward reconceptualizing racism from the perspective of materialist theories of the state. While seminal critical studies in theories of racism rarely integrate state-theoretical considerations, this project seeks to systematically apply materialist theories of the state developed since the 1960s to the question of racism. A state-theoretical approach makes it possible to relate the construction and exclusion of groups on the basis of essentialist biological or cultural constructs to political processes of citizenship formation and economic subordination. At the same time, the project aims to broaden materialist theories of the state by incorporating critical theories on racism, which have thus far played little role within this paradigm.
Lukas Egger studied Political Science at the University of Vienna and completed his Master’s degree in 2017 with a thesis on critical theories of racism in the German-speaking world. His thesis was awarded the Austrian Society of Political Science’s junior research prize. Since 2017 he has been a doctoral student in the Department of Political Science in Vienna and was also active as a freelance writer, speaker, and lecturer in the Department of Sociology in Vienna. His main research areas are Marxian critical theories of society; theories of racism, antisemitism, and the state; and philosophy of science.
„Ideologietheorie und Ideologiekritik als Grundlagen einer kritischen Rassismus-theorie“, in: Österreichische Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft, Bd.4 8, Nr. 3, 2019, S. 17–28; „Immanente Kritik oder Metakritik der Moral? Zu Normativität als Gegenstand und Grundlage der Marx‘schen Gesellschaftskritik“, in: Bohlender/Schönfelder/Spekker (Hg.): ‚Kritik im Handgemenge’. Die Marx’sche Gesellschaftskritik als politischer Einsatz, Bielefeld 2018, S. 221–245; „Der ‚schreckliche erste Abschnitt’. Zu Louis Althussers Kritik an der marxschen Werttheorie“, in: PROKLA. Zeitschrift für kritische Sozialwissenschaft 188, 2017, S. 435–453.
Obwohl er als wissenschaftliche Theorie längst widerlegt worden ist, erweist sich der Rassismus immer wieder als eine der beharrlichsten Ideologien der Moderne. Was ist aber der Grund für seine Persistenz? Einige machen dafür die Tradierung kolonialer Diskurse verantwortlich, andere die kapitalistische Ökonomie. Welche Rolle spielt aber der moderne Staat?