This unique anthology brings together readings from the works of the most significant post-Leninist Marxist thinkers. The selections reflect the diversity and high intellectual accomplishment of twentieth-century Marxism and show how these theorists have transformed traditional Marxism's general philosophical orientation, interpretation of historical materialism, models of socialist political practice, and conception of human liberation. The writings reveal the evolution of a sophisticated and democratic Marxism with a theoretical emphasis on class consciousness and subjectivity, a resistance to all forms of domination--including sexism--and a belief in the political power of consciousness-raising.
The selections include the work of forerunners Karl Korsch, George Lukacs, and Antonio Gramsci; figures from the 1930s, including Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, and Wilhelm Reich; post-war and New Left thinkers Jean-Paul Sartre, Andre Gorz, Herbert Marcuse, and Jurgen Habermas; and contemporary socialist-feminists Sheila Rowbotham, Juliet Mitchell, Barbara Ehrenreich, Heidi Hartmann, and Ann Ferguson. Gottlieb places the readings in historical and theoretical context, providing a clear and insightful account of the intellectual problems and historical events that gave rise to the Western Marxism, and describing how it both anticipated and influenced contemporary radical movements. Each selection is prefaced by a biographical sketch and the book concludes with a bibliography suggesting further research.
Industry Reviews
"An excellent text to supplement a study of Karl Marx and current political thought. The inclusion of feminist thought makes it doubly useful."--Susan Hunter, West Virginia University
"Provides a concise yet comprehensive selection of crucial Western Marxist writings. The theoretical breadth of the anthology is particularly notable, in its avoidance of eulogizing the Frankfurt School, and its emphasis upon socialist-feminist texts."--Robin R. Walz, University of California, Davis
"An extremely useful survey of the interface between law and society."--David P. Adams, Columbus State Community College
"A fine collection of recent Marxist writings."--David J. Detmer, Valparaiso University
"A very good collection....Includes selections from many different contemporary aspects of the modern left."--Stephen Joseph, Framingham State College
"Very good selection of papers in a handsome format and affordable to students."--David B. Boersema, Pacific University
"The best of its kind, with the key authors and key essays!"--George V. Zito, Syracuse University
"A very good introduction to the high points of Western Marxism. The texts are the central texts in that tradition...[and] these selections are quite the best. I am not aware of any comparable book now available. Gottlieb's Introduction is nothing short of impressive. He is obviously intimately acquainted with the large body of Marxian and post-Marxian literature, as well as with the political movements that were, to varying extents, inspired by
the writings of Karl Marx. He manages to provide a very complex account of the intellectual debates and the responses to historical events that gave rise to the tradition known as 'Western Marxism.' He does
this in a way that the undergraduate will find intelligible and interesting. I consider Gottlieb's Introduction a first-rate piece of scholarly writing."--Richard Schmitt, Brown University
"Just very good."--Jean Belkhir, University of Wisconsin, Superior
