Political Marxism (PM) is a strand of

Marxist theory Marxist philosophy or Marxist theory are works in philosophy that are strongly influenced by Karl Marx's materialist approach to theory, or works written by Marxists. Marxist philosophy may be broadly divided into Western Marxism, which drew f ...

that places history at the centre of its analysis. It is also referred to as a form of

neo-Marxism Neo-Marxism is a collection of Marxist schools of thought originating from 20th-century approaches to amend or extend Marxism and Marxist theory, typically by incorporating elements from other intellectual traditions such as critical theory, psy ...

Western Marxism Western Marxism is a current of Marxist theory that arose from Western and Central Europe in the aftermath of the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the ascent of Leninism. The term denotes a loose collection of theorists who advanced an i ...

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, 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 Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

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 use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

. The political Marxist critique brought social agency and

class conflict In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...

to the centre of Marxism. In this context, Robert Brenner 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. This research programme has since expanded across the

social sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

to include the fields of

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

political theory Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and legitimacy of political institutions, such as states. This field investigates different forms of government, ranging from d ...

political economy Political or comparative economy is a branch of political science and economics studying economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and national economies) and their governance by political systems (e.g. law, institutions, and government). Wi ...

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

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

'', I/104. pp. 25-92. :(1995 982 '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 '' 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 The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

The Limits of 'Political Marxism'
By Alex Callinicos
''New Left Review''
I/184, November–December 1990. Eponymous political ideologies Marxist theory

History

References

Further reading

External links