The Social Foundation of Abstract Labour in the Theory of Value

This paper deals with Marx's analysis of the category of abstract labour, showing the contradictions it contains and the difficulties it entails for a cor-rect understanding of the theory of value. Particularly problematic in this respect are the interpretations that assume a naturalistic foundation of ab-stract labour, as they prevent an understanding of the processes of mediation that make social reproduction possible under capitalism. Against this form of interpretation, we will show that only by reconstructing Marx's theory of value on the basis of a social foundation of abstract labour is it possible to understand the way in which the socialisation of labour takes place in capitalist society