Toward a Theory of Global Proletarian Fractions

Globalization provides the material basis for the existence of a global proletariat. However, the worldwide working class is not homogeneous. The global proletariat is fractionated on the basis of workers' physical mobility relative to nation-states and regions, as well as the geographic scope of workers' labor-power expenditure relative to the circuits of production in which they are engaged. On that basis, three transnational fractions of the global working class are observed: the dynamic-global, the static-global, and the diasporic-global; and three local fractions of the global working class are observed, including the dynamic-local, the static-local, and the diasporic-local. In order to theoretically locate this fractionated perspective on the global working class this paper reviews Marxian class theory, class and contemporary perspectives on globalization, global social formations and the global proletariat, as well as labor-capital relation and the global proletariat as it relates to Marx's concept of simple reproduction. After a discussion of the fractions and directions for future research a typology is provided.