Whither Marxism? Global Crises in International Perspective

Description

London: Routledge, 1994. — 288 p. — ISBN-10 0415910439; ISBN-13: 978-0415910439.It is impossible to speak of where socialism may be going without a discussion of its recent history. The Soviet and Chinese "Communist" systems were certainly failures, but were they failures of Marxian theory? This book answers with a resounding no! The all-star cast of academics picks apart both right and left-wing myths on Marxian ideology; from the fictional depiction of Marx as a totalitarian, to demonstrating how the work of Foucault owes much to Marx's Labor Theory of Value. It is wrong to deify any political thinker, a mistake the authors are sure to avoid as they remain critical of Marx himself, but to abandon one of the most important critiques of modern society is a far worse offense. Much of Marx is outdated; it's not the 19th century anymore. However, this book gives readers a chance to discover the true Marx and the aspects of his thought that are more relevant today than ever.Editors' introductionThe obsolescence of marxismRefiguring values, power, knowledge or Foucault's disavowal of MarxMarxism: from scientific to utopianThe modern world and the individual: from the metamorphosis of Eastern European Marxism to Marx's errorsSupplementing marxismForward back capitalist restructuring, the state and the working class in Latin AmericaThe transition to market-guided economies: lessons for Russia and Eastern Europe from the Chinese experienceMarxism, the nationality question and Soviet leadership: a comparative discussion of western views and political reality