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Circuits of Social Reproduction: Nature, Labor, and Capitalism

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  • Sirisha C. Naidu

Abstract

This article offers a reformulation of social reproduction theory’s (SRT’s) circuit of social reproduction that is suitable for the Global South. Drawing from existing literature, the article argues that wage labor is not always central to social reproduction and that there exist multiple labors of social reproduction associated with capitalist production, noncapitalist commodity production, and subsistence production. These stylized interrelated labor processes, which are coconstituted with nature, represent the circuits of social reproduction . The circuits clarify how working people engage in social reproduction even when the wage economy is inadequate for survival. They also offer a basis for interrogating crises of social reproduction when the totality of work time does not guarantee socially determined necessary consumption. These reworked circuits present opportunities for identifying both potential sites of exploitation and sites of resistance in the Global South. JEL Classification : B51, B54, Q56

Suggested Citation

  • Sirisha C. Naidu, 2023. "Circuits of Social Reproduction: Nature, Labor, and Capitalism," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 55(1), pages 93-111, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:reorpe:v:55:y:2023:i:1:p:93-111
    DOI: 10.1177/04866134221099316
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Prathiwi Widyatmi Putri, 2024. "The political: A view from Jakarta’s kampungs," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 56(3), pages 979-987, May.
    3. Srishti Yadav, 2025. "Capitalism, Competition and Class Conflicts: A Pedagogical Introduction to Marxist Political Economy," Review of Development and Change, , vol. 30(1_suppl), pages 103-118, May.
    4. Danish Khan & June Sanchez, 2025. "Threshold Concepts in Economics: A New Way to Teach the Role of Government in the Economy," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 57(3), pages 376-385, September.
    5. Clara Lemme Ribeiro, 2024. "Precarious labour and social reproduction in Bolivian immigrant sweatshops in São Paulo, Brazil," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 56(7), pages 1881-1896, October.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • B51 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Socialist; Marxian; Sraffian
    • B54 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Feminist Economics
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

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