Political Marxism (PM) is a strand of Marxist theory that places history at the centre of its analysis. It is also referred to as neo-Marxism.

History

The term ''political Marxism'' itself was coined during the Brenner debate of the late 1970s as a criticism of the work of Brenner by the French Marxist historian Guy Bois. Bois distinguished Brenner's "political Marxism" from "economic Marxism". As such, the label ''political Marxism'' has not always been accepted by the scholars to whom it has been applied.David McNally, "Ellen Meiksins Wood obituary" ''The Guardian''
The term is also distinguished from Marxism in the politically activist sense. According to

Arnold Hauser *Arnold Hauser (art historian) Arnold Hauser (8 May 1892 in Timișoara – 28 January 1978 in Budapest) was a Hungarian-German art historian and sociologist who was perhaps the leading Marxist in the field. He wrote on the influence of change in ...

, in this system of analysis, one can agree with Marxism as a philosophy of history and society without being a Marxist. Political Marxism was developed as a reaction against historical models of Marxist analysis in the debate on the origins of

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...

. The political Marxist critique brought social agency and class conflict to the centre of Marxism. In this context,

Robert Brenner Robert Paul Brenner (; born November 28, 1943) is a professor emeritus of history and director of the Center for Social Theory and Comparative History at UCLA, editor of the socialist journal ''Against the Current'', and editorial committee member ...

and Ellen Wood developed political Marxism as a distinct approach to rehistoricize and repoliticize the Marxist project. It was a movement away from structuralist and timeless accounts towards historical specificity as contested process and lived

praxis Praxis may refer to: Philosophy and religion * Praxis (process), the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practised, embodied, or realised * Praxis model, a way of doing theology * Praxis (Byzantine Rite), the practice of fai ...

. This research programme has since expanded across the

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...

to include the fields of

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

, political theory,

political economy Political economy is the study of how economic systems (e.g. markets and national economies) and political systems (e.g. law, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied phenomena within the discipline are systems such as labour ...

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

, and international political economy. Researchers linked with political Marxism today include

Benno Teschke Benno Teschke (born 1967 in Osnabrück, West Germany) is a German international relations theorist. He is professor of International Relations at the University of Sussex. Teschke's scholarship is a contribution to Marxist international relations ...

, Hannes Lacher, and George Comninel.See: Comninel, G. (2000
English Feudalism and the Origins of Capitalism
''The Journal of Peasant Studies'', 27 (4), pp. 1– 53
::Comninel, G (1990 987br>''Rethinking the French Revolution''
London and New York: Verso.

References

{{reflist

'The Agrarian Roots of European Capitalism' in Aston, T.H. and C.H.E. Philpin (eds.) ''The Brenner Debate: Agrarian Class Structure and Economic Development in Pre-Industrial Europe''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 213-327. Originally published (1982). ’The Agrarian Roots of European Capitalism’, Past & Present, 97, November, pp. 16-113. *By Ellen Meiksins Wood: :(1991
''The Pristine Culture of Capitalism: An Historical Essay on Old Regimes and Modern States''
London and New York: Verso. : (1995
''Democracy Against Capitalism: Renewing Historical Materialism.''
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. : (2002

999 999 or triple nine most often refers to: * 999 (emergency telephone number), a telephone number for the emergency services in several countries * 999 (number), an integer * AD 999, a year * 999 BC, a year Books * ''999'' (anthology) or ''999: T ...

'' The Origin of Capitalism: A Longer View''. London and New York: Verso. : (2008
''Citizens to Lords. A Social History of Western Political Thought From Antiquity to the Middle Ages''
London and New York: Verso.

External links

''Political Marxism and the Social Sciences''
a platform for research on political Marxism at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

The Limits of 'Political Marxism'
By

Alex Callinicos Alexander Theodore Callinicos (born 24 July 1950) is a Rhodesian-born British political theorist and activist. An adherent of Trotskyism, he is a member of the Central Committee of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and serves as its Internati ...

''New Left Review''
I/184, November–December 1990. Eponymous political ideologies Marxist theory

History

References

Further reading

External links