Showing posts with label historical materialism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historical materialism. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Andrew Collier, Marx: A Beginner's Guide


Andrew Collier, Marx: A Beginner's Guide

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Breathing new life into the achievements of Karl Marx, this accessible and jargon-free introduction is a timely reminder of his undiminished influence. Andrew Collier's engaging text not only introduces the reader to Marx the revolutionary, but also redefines him as one of the first truly democratic thinkers. In a concise yet searching manner, Collier covers all the elements of marxist thought, from the early writings to such major texts as 'Capital' and the key themes of labour and society. Punctuating his study with a wide range of examples, from Aristotelian thought to Thatcherite policy, he explores the traditional notion of Marx the activist, while probing the apparent inconsistencies in his work and reclaiming his place as a philosopher and political theorist. Concluding with a thought-provoking assessment of Marx's pervasive influence on the political landscape of the twenty-first century. Collier's study highlights our own global inequalities and will be warmly welcomed by students, scholars and activists from a variety of backgrounds.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Paul Blackledge, Graeme Kirkpatrick, Historical Materialism and Social Evolution



Paul Blackledge, Graeme Kirkpatrick, Historical Materialism and Social Evolution

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Historical Materialism and Social Evolution brings together a collection of essays which investigate the relationship between Marxist thought and Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Each of the contributors emphasize the idea that the distinctive character of progressive social thought is derived from creative ideas drawn from the study of natural evolutionary processes.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

D.D. Kosambi, Ancient India: A History of Its Culture and Civilization

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 A modern Marxist historian of South Asia presents a digest of ancient Indian history.

D.D. Kosambi, An Introduction to the Study of Indian History

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Neutral Observer reviews Kosambi's book "An Introduction to the Study of Indian History."
Kosambi is a master of all he surveys in this book - his dexterity, scholarship and decisive judgments reminded me of Eric Hobsbawm. The book is fascinating in many respects - the choice of photographs, the detailed endnotes, the insistence on deducing historical information from observing ritual and practice among the various castes and tribes in India, the obvious comfort with the ancient history of Iran and the near east, the deep knowledge of Sanskrit and Sanskrit literature, Kosambi's scientific studies of coin hoards etc. His contempt for poor scholarship is expressed without reservation and with caustic precision. His writing is terse and elegant. It often rises to the eminently quotable.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Peter Singer, Marx: A Very Short Introduction


Peter Singer, Marx: A Very Short Introduction

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Peter Singer identifies the central vision that unifies Marx's thought, enabling us to grasp Marx's views as a whole. He sees him as a philosopher primarily concerned with human freedom, rather than as an economist or a social scientist. In plain English, he explains alienation, historical materialism, the economic theory of Capital, and Marx's ideas of communism, and concludes with an assessment of Marx's legacy.