In the Tracks of Western Marxism: The Adventures of a Concept from Schifrin to Anderson (and Beyond)

Abstract

Western Marxism, closely tied to the events of the twentieth century, played a significant theoretical role with far-reaching political implications, influencing contemporary critical theories beyond academia. This book revisits its complex, heterogeneous, and often contradictory legacy in order to evaluate its ongoing relevance and its capacity to connect Classical Marxism with what is now termed Global Marxism. It also offers a critical reappraisal of Perry Anderson’s work, reconstructing his theoretical and political trajectory. As Martin Jay observes in his foreword, Santiago M. Roggerone’s ‘masterful exercise in intellectual history’ recovers the ‘bifurcating, proliferating tracks of a tradition’ once considered exhausted, renewing the excitement surrounding an ‘unknown dimension’ of Marxist theory.