Marxism Beyond Marxism

These essays critically rethink Marxism in the light of the disintegration of communist regimes Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Containing essays from a group of internationally distinguished writers and intellectuals, this collection addresses Marxism as a cultural-political problematic. Contending that Marxism is deeply embedded in specific cultural practices, the contributors illuminate Marxism's contribution to discussions of labour in post-industrial capitalism, to controversies surrounding compulsory heterosexuality and queer theory, and to debates about the institutionalization and academicization of the "New" Left. In examining Marxism's relationship to cultural practices, the contributors make a case for Marxism's continued relevance. By combining a diversity of perspectives, these essays demonstrate that Marxism addresses urgent needs that are often forsaken by other political and ideological practices. They show how - now more than ever - Marxism's reaffirmation can serve as a sophisticated and cunning response to the latest global developments - and travesties.

Saree Makdisi is Assistant Professor in the Department of English at the University of Chicago. Cesare Casarino is Assistant Professor in the Department of English as the State University of New York at Albany. Rebecca E. Karl is a doctoral candidate in History at Duke University.

Introduction: Marxism, Communism, and History: A Reintroduction 1. Actually Existing Marxism 2. Marx After Marxism: History, Subalternity, and Difference 3. Workers of the World 4. Subject for a Feminist Standpoint 5. Mao Zedong and Chinese Marxism 6. Twenty Theses on Marx: Interpretation of the Class Situation Today 7. The Continued Relevance of Marxism as a Question: Some Propositions 8. Queer Theory, Left Politics 9. What Is to Be Done?: Marxism and Academia 10. A Resistance Role for Marxism in the Belly of the Beast 11. Notes on the General Intellect