Welcome to our reading group on Karl Marx's *Capital*, Volume I! Over the coming meetings, we'll work through Marx's foundational critique of political economy together — exploring how capitalism actually functions, how value and labor are related, and why the system produces the crises and inequalities we're fighting against every day.
This course uses PolyluxMarx, a teaching resource developed by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, which was designed specifically to make *Capital* more accessible to study groups like ours. Two key materials will support our sessions: the PolyluxMarx workbook, which pairs annotated slides with explanatory texts, methodological notes, and reading guidance, and the slide presentations that I'll use to lead each meeting, walking us through the central arguments chapter by chapter.
Members are by no means required to complete readings beforehand, but if you want to read along participants are encouraged to acquire a copy of the Penguin Classics edition of *Capital*, Volume I, translated by Ben Fowkes — this is the edition the slides are indexed to, so having it on hand will let you follow along with page references directly during our discussions.
Whether you're brand new to Marx or returning to him with fresh eyes, this course is designed to give you the analytical tools to understand capitalism not just as an abstraction, but as the concrete social system we live and organize within—and against.
This course will be facilitated by Buffalo DSA member and UB Law professor Matthew Dimick. We hope to see you there!