Category: Western Marxism
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‘A Companion to Marx’s Grundrisse’ by David Harvey
When leading scholar of Marx, Roman Rosdolsky, first encountered the virtually unknown text of Marx’s Grundrisse – his preparatory work for his masterpiece Das Capital – in the 1950s in New York Public Library, he recognized it as “a work of fundamental importance,” but declared “its unusual form” and “obscure manner of expression, made it far from…
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Politics and History: Montesquieu, Rousseau, Hegel and Marx
In the first two essays of this book, Louis Althusser analyses the work of two of the greatest thinkers of the Enlightenment – Montesquieu and Rousseau. He shows that although they made considerable advances towards establishing a science of politics, particularly in comparison with the theorists of natural law, they nevertheless remained the victims of…
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The Dunayevskaya-Marcuse-Fromm Correspondence, 1954-1978: Dialogues on Hegel, Marx, and Critical Theory
This book presents for the first time the correspondence during the years 1954 to 1978 between the Marxist-Humanist and feminist philosopher Raya Dunayevskaya (1910-87) and two other noted thinkers, the Hegelian Marxist philosopher and social theorist Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979) and the psychologist and social critic Erich Fromm (1900-80), both of the latter members of the…
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Hegel Short Course: A Primer for Marxists
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels are widely regarded as titans of philosophy, having influenced thinkers from every country, enemies and allies alike. Equally respected is Georg W. F. Hegel. The opposition between Hegel and Marx, however, is taken for granted. The logical development of Marxism out of Hegelian thought is underappreciated. Also underappreciated is the…
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Hegel, Marx and the Contemporary World
This book is the result of a three-day conference held in April 2014 at the University of Montreal, Canada, discussing the relevance of the work of Hegel and Marx in today’s world, particularly with regard to the ecological, economic, political and anthropological crisis facing humanity. Accordingly, the book an exploration of the specific nature of…
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Marx and Alienation: Essays on Hegelian Themes
The concepts of alienation and its overcoming are central to Marx’s thought. They underpin his critique of capitalism and his vision of future society. Marx’s ideas are explained in rigorous and clear terms. They are situated in the context of the Hegelian ideas that inspired them and put into dialogue with contemporary debates. DOWNLOAD: (.pdf…
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Marxism and History: A Critical Introduction
Marx’s theory of history is often regarded as the most enduring and fruitful aspect of his intellectual legacy. His “historical materialism” has been the inspiration for some of the best historical writing in the works of scholars such as Eric Hobsbawm, E.P.Thompson, Rodney Hilton and Robert Brenner. S.H. Rigby establishes Marx’s claims about social structure…
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Objective Fictions: Philosophy, Psychoanalysis, Marxism
This collection rethinks the relationship between objectivity and fiction through a series of ‘objective fictions’, such as fetishes, semblances, lies, rumours, sophistry, fantasies and conspiracy theories. It engages with modern and contemporary philosophical traditions and psychoanalytic theory, with all of these orientations being irreducible to either nominalist or realist approaches. The contributors are a mix…
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How to Read Marx’s Capital: Commentary and Explanations on the Beginning Chapters
With the recent revival of Karl Marx’s theory, a general interest in reading Capital has also increased. But Capital―Marx’s foundational nineteenth-century work on political economy―is by no means considered an easily understood text. Central concepts, such as abstract labor, the value-form, or the fetishism of commodities, can seem opaque to us as first-time readers, and the prospect of…
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In Marx’s Laboratory: Critical Interpretations of the Grundrisse
This book provides a critical analysis of the Grundrisse as a crucial stage in the development of Marx’s critique of political economy. Stressing both the achievements and limitations of this much-debated text, and drawing upon recent philological advances, this volume attempts to re-read Marx’s 1857-58 manuscripts against the background of Capital, as a ‘laboratory’ in…
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Circling Marx: Essays 1980-2020
Karl Marx circles us, and we him. This reflects the power of his legacy, but it also indicates the nature of the intellectual process. We move around objects of interest and insight, working by successive approximations. Peter Beilharz has been circling Marx for forty years. This volume of essays expands the metaphor by working through…
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Karl Marx and the Birth of Modern Society: The Life of Marx and the Development of His Work
For over a century, Karl Marx’s critique of capitalism has been a crucial resource for social movements. Now, recent economic crises have made it imperative for us to comprehend and actualize Marx’s ideas. But without a knowledge of Karl Marx’s life as he lived it, neither Marx nor his works can be fully understood. There…
Simon Gros 