Marginality in Latin America: A Critique of the Theory

A critical summary of principal contributions to the theory of marginality, focusing on their explanatory value. After a historical review of how the notion of marginality evolved in sociological scholarship, three principal postulates of the theory are presented & critiqued: (1) that the industrial reserve army is defined by its functionality within the capitalist system; (2) that low absorption of the LF is attributable to the deficient development of production forces, ie, the existence of pre- or noncapitalist sectors; & (3) that capitalist exploitation occurs only with salaried labor. Appendixes. S. Karganovic.