Marx And Other Four-letter Words

by Blakeley, Georgina; Bryson, Valerie

• ISBN13: 9780745322537
• ISBN10: 0745322530
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-04-20
• Publisher: Pluto Press

Summary

Karl Marx's classic definitions of class and society under capitalism are still widely used today. Ideas such as class, revolution, production and oppression are employed across a broad range of academic subjects, reaching beyond politics, economics and sociology. Yet these concepts, within a specifically Marxist framework, are not always easy to understand. This book is an ideal student introduction that explains, in clear and concise chapters, the precise meaning and implications of each of Marx's key concepts. Furthermore, the contributors show how these ideas continue to be relevant, and how they relate to modern society. The contributors include leading academics in the field of politicial science. Outlining clearly what each concept means, they move on to situate it within cutting-edge contemporary political theory. Concepts include historical materialism, capitalism, class, the state, imperialism, the division of labour, oppression, production and reproduction, revolution, working class internationalism, equality and democracy.

Author Biography

Georgina Blakeley is Head of Politics at the University of Huddersfield. Her main publications are on Spanish politics and democratisation. / Valerie Bryson is Professor of Politics at the University of Huddersfield. She teaches and researches on feminist theory, and women and politics. Her publications include Feminist Political Theory: An Introduction (Macmillan, 1992) and Feminist Debates: Issues of Theory and Political Practice (Macmillan, 1999). / Blakely and Bryson are the co-editors of Contemporary Political Concepts: A Critical Introduction (2002).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	vii
Introduction	1	(11)
Georgina Blakeley
Valerie Bryson
Historical Materialism	12	(16)
Philip Wood
Capitalism	28	(18)
Keith Faulks
Class	46	(15)
Peter McLaverty
The State	61	(20)
Andrew Taylor
Imperialism	81	(15)
Graham Harrison
The Division of Labour	96	(15)
Renzo Llorente
Oppression	111	(16)
Mary Davis
Production and Reproduction	127	(16)
Valerie Bryson
Revolution	143	(17)
Paul Blackledge
Working-Class Internationalism	160	(16)
Mark O'Brien
Equality	176	(16)
Brendan Evans
Democracy	192	(17)
Georgina Blakeley
Notes on Contributors	209	(3)
Index	212