Resurrecting Marxism

Abstract

Some claim that Marxism is dead and the list of potential killers is quite long, although possible collaboration between them is not denied. The collapse of communism, the triumph of capitalism, New Right ideology and postmodernism have all been credited with a hand in the quick death of Marxism. There is certainly no doubt that Marxism is in crisis to the extent that it is out of fashion; even university sociology degrees these days are likely to feature more courses drawing on postmodernist thought than on Marxism. At the same time, many intellectual Marxists have changed their position, again often embracing post modernism and pluralism. However, as Andrew Gamble emphasised in Chapter 1, such crises are not new. Marxism, like other theories, has always developed in this way, responding to intellectual challenges from sympathisers as well as critics and attempting to explain and understand changes in the social world which it is analysing. Nevertheless there are some important questions which this book has addressed. How well is Marxism responding to this challenge? Is it still a coherent position? Is it still a relevant position?