This book is available as OPEN ACCESS through OAPEN.org

https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/41793

… this book approaches global themes from a Southern/ African standpoint and perspective that is not often recognised, yet is centrally valuable not only to critically evaluate Marxism but to understanding global dynamics.

— Thiven Reddy, University of Cape Town

Although Marx’s writings on social transformation figured prominently in the global Left imagination for more than 150 years, by the late twentieth century the relevance of Marxism was under question by both the Left (including Marxists) and Right. Its revival in the second decade of the twenty-first century is finding new sources of inspiration and creativity from movements that believe that ‘another world is possible’ through democratic, egalitarian and ecological alternatives to capitalism built by ordinary people. The Marxism of many of these movements is not dogmatic or prescriptive, but open, searching, utopian. It revolves around four primary factors: the importance of democracy for an emancipatory project; the ecological limits of capitalism; the crisis of global capitalism; and the learning of lessons from the failures of Marxist-inspired experiments.

This edited book introduces some contemporary approaches to Marxism. It shows how the twenty-first century has seen enormous creativity from movements that seek to overcome the weaknesses of the past by forging fundamentally new approaches to politics that draw inspiration from Marxism along with many other anti-capitalist traditions such as feminism, ecology, anarchism and indigenous traditions. Featuring leading thinkers from the Left, it offers provocative ideas on interpreting our current world and will serve as an excellent reference book to introduce a new way of thinking about Marxism to students and scholars in the field.

Also available as an ebook, with ISBN 978186814 7540.

Contents:

PART I: DEMOCRATISING AND GLOBALISING MARXISM
Michelle Williams: Marxism and Democracy: liberal, vanguard or direct?

Michael Burawoy: Marxism after Polyani

Vishwas Satgar: Transnationalising Gramscian Marxism

PART II: MARXISM AND LEFT POLITICS
Ahmed Veriava: Notes on critique

Jacklyn Cock and Meg Luxton: Marxism and Feminism: ‘Unhappy Marriage’ or creative partnership?

Devan Pillay: Marx and the eco-logic of fossil capitalism
PART III: CRISES OF MARXISM IN AFRICA AND POSSIBILITIES FOR THE FUTURE
Daryl Glaser: Retrospect: Seven theses about Africa’s Marxist regimes

John S Saul: Socialism and southern Africa

Patrick Bond, Ashwin Desai and Trevor Ngwane: Uneven and combined Marxism within South Africa’s urban social movements

Mazibuko Jara: Critical reflections on the crisis and limits of ANC ‘Marxism’

CONCLUSION Vishwas Satgar

… this book approaches global themes from a Southern/ African standpoint and perspective that is not often recognised, yet is centrally valuable not only to critically evaluate Marxism but to understanding global dynamics.

— Thiven Reddy, University of Cape Town