Far-left political ideologies and movements Books

Book SynopsisRobert Service is the author of the highly acclaimed Lenin: A Biography, A History of Twentieth-Century Russia, Russia: Experiment with a People and Stalin: A Biography, as well as many other books on Russia's past and present. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and of St Antony's College, Oxford. He is married with four children.

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Book SynopsisThis landmark text by Paul Baran and Paul Sweezy is a classic of twentieth-century radical thought, a hugely influential book that continues to shape our understanding of modern capitalism.

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Book SynopsisAlthough one of the most influential thinkers of the last millennium, Karl Marx was relatively unheralded during most of his lifetime. Famous for predicting the inevitable demise of capitalism, it was only after his death that his immortal clarion call reached a wide audience: "Workers of the world unite – you have nothing to lose but your chains." Andrew Collier breathes new life into the achievements of Karl Marx, arguing that his work is still of vital relevance in today’s global climate of inequality. Covering all the elements of Marxist thought from his early writings to his masterpiece, Das Kapital, Collier probes the apparent inconsistencies in Marx’s work and reclaims him as a philosopher and political theorist. This jargon-free introduction is a timely reminder of his undiminished influence, and will fascinate students, activists and interested readers alike.Trade Review"A superb new introduction to Marx's thought. Andrew Collier draws readers into this discussion with the relaxed grace and wit of a valued conversation partner, and demonstrates why Marxian thought continues to find an audience in the twenty-first century." Mark Rupert, Professor of Political Science, Syracuse University and author of Ideologies of Globalization"Collier has written a first-rate introduction to Karl Marx. He surveys the full range of Marx's writings with lucidity and intelligence." Warren Breckman, Associate Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania, and author of Marx, the Young Hegelians, and the Origins of Radical Social Theory

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Book SynopsisWritten during the winter of 1857-8, the Grundrisse was considered by Marx to be the first scientific elaboration of communist theory. A collection of seven notebooks on capital and money, it both develops the arguments outlined in the Communist Manifesto (1848) and explores the themes and theses that were to dominate his great later work Capital. Here, for the first time, Marx set out his own version of Hegel''s dialectics and developed his mature views on labour, surplus value and profit, offering many fresh insights into alienation, automation and the dangers of capitalist society. Yet while the theories in Grundrisse make it a vital precursor to Capital, it also provides invaluable descriptions of Marx''s wider-ranging philosophy, making it a unique insight into his beliefs and hopes for the foundation of a communist state.Table of ContentsIntroduction (Notebook M)1. Production in general2. General relation between production, distribution, exchange and consumption3. The method of political economy4. Means (forces) of production and relations of production, relations of production and relations of circulationThe Chapter on Money (Notebooks I and II, pp. 1-7)Darimon's theory of crisesGold export and crisesConvertibility and note circulationValue and priceTransformation of the commodity into exchange value; moneyContradictions in the money relation:(1) Contradiction between commodity as product and commodity as exchange value(2) Contradiction between purchase and sale(3) Contradiction between exchange for the sake of exchange and exchange for the sake of commodities(4) Contradiction between money as particular commodity and money as general commodity (The Economist and the Morning Star on money)Attempts to overcome the contradictions by the issue of time-chitsExchange value as mediation of private interestsExchange value (money) as social bondSocial relations which create an undeveloped system of exchangeThe product becomes a commodity; the commodity becomes exchange value; the exchange value of the commodity becomes moneyMoney as measureMoney as objectification of general labour time (Incidental remark on gold and silver)Distinction between particular labor time and general labour timeDistinction between planned distribution of labour time and measurement of exchange values by labour time (Strabo on money among the Albanians)The precious metals as subjects of the money relation:(a) Gold and silver in relation to the other metals(b) Fluctuations in the value-relations between the different metals(c) and (d) (headings only): Sources of gold and silver; money as coinCirculation of money and opposite circulation of commoditiesGeneral concept of circulation:(a) Circulation circulates exchange values in the form of prices (Distinction between real money and accounting money)(b) Money as the medium of exchange (What determines the quantity of money required for circulation) (Comment on (a))Commodity circulation requires appropriation through alienationCirculation as an endlessly repeated processThe price as external to and independent of the commodity: Creation of general medium of exchange; exchange as a special businessDouble motion of circulation: C-M; M-C, and M-C; C-MThree contradictory functions of money:(1) Money as general material of contracts, as measuring unit of exchange values(2) Money as medium of exchange and realizer of prices(Money, as representative of price, allows commodities to be exchanged at equivalent prices)(An example of confusion between the contradictory functions of money)(Money as particular commodity and money as general commodity)(3) Money as money: as material representative of wealth (accumulation of money)(Dissolution of ancient communities through money)(Money, unlike coin, has a universal character)(Money in its third function is the negation #negative unity# of its character as medium of circulation and measure)(Money in its metallic being; accumulation of gold and silver)(Headings on money, to be elaborated later)The Chapter on Capital (Notebooks II pp. 8-28, III, IV, V, VI and VII)The Chapter on Money as Capital:Difficulty in grasping money in its fully developed character as moneySimple exchange: relations between the exchangers (Critique of socialists and harmonizers: Bastiat, Proudhon)Section One: The Production Process of CapitalNothing is expressed when capital is characterized merely as a sum of valuesLanded property and capitalCapital comes from circulation; its content is exchange value; merchant capital, money capital, and money interestCirculation presupposes another process; motion between presupposed extremesTransition from circulation to capitalist production "Capital is accumulated labour (etc.)""Capital is a sum of values used for the production of values"Circulation, and exchange value deriving from circulation, the presupposition of capitalExchange value emerging from circulation, a presupposition of ciruclation, preserving and multiplying itself in it by means of labourProduct and capital. Value and capital. ProudhonCapital and labour. Exchange value and use value for exchange valueMoney and its use value (labour) in this relation capital: Self-multiplication of value is its only movementCapital, as regards substance, objectified labour. Its antithesis, living, productive labourProductive labour and labour as performance of a serviceProductive and unproductive labour. A. Smith etc.The two different processes in the exchange of capital with labourCapital and modern landed propertyThe marketExchange between capital and labour. Piecework wagesValue of labour powerShare of the wage labourer in general wealth determined only quantitativelyMoney is the worker's equivalent; he thus confronts capital as an equalBut the aim of his exchange is satisfaction of his need. Money for him is only medium of circulationSavings, self-denial as means of the worker's enrichmentValuelessness and devaluation of the worker a condition of capital(Labour power as capital!)Wages not productiveThe exchange between capital and labour belongs within simple circulation, does not enrich the workerSeparation of labour and property the precondition of this exchangeLabour as object absolute poverty, labour as subject general possibility of wealthLabour without particular specificity confronts capitalLabour process absorbed into capital(Capital and capitalist)Production process as content of capitalThe worker relates to his labour as exchange value, the capitalist as use valueThe worker divests himself of labour as the wealth-producing power; capital appropriates it as suchTranformation of labour into capitalRealization process(Costs of production)Mere self-preservation, non-multiplication of value contradicts the essence of capitalCapital enters the cost of production as capital. Interest bearing capital (Parentheses on: original accumulation of capital, historic presuppositions of capital, production in general)Surplus value. Surplus labour timeValue of labour. How it is determinedConditions for the self-realization of capitalCapital is productive as creator of surplus labourBut this is only a historical and transitory phenomenonTheories of surplus value (Ricardo; the Physiocrats; Adam Smith; Ricardo again)Surplus value and productive force. Relation when these increaseResult: in proportion as necessary labour is already diminished, the realization of capital becomes more difficultConcerning increases in the value of capitalLabour does not reproduce the value of material and instrument, but rather preserves it by relating to them in the labour process as to their objective conditionsAbsolute surplus labour time. RelativeIt is not the quantity of living labour, but rather its quality as labour which preserves the labour time already contained in the materialThe change of form and substance in the direct production processIt is inherent in the simple production process that the previous stage of production is preserved through the subsequent onePreservation of the old use value by new labourThe quantity of objectified labour is preserved because contact with living labour preserves its quality as use value for new labourIn the real production process, the separation of labour from its objective moments of existence is suspended. But in this process labour is already incorporated in capitalThe capitalist obtains surplus labour free of charge together with the maintenance of the value of material and instrumentThrough the appropriation of present labour, capital already possesses a claim to the appropriation of future labourConfusion of profit and surplus value. Carey's erroneous calculationThe capitalist, who does not pay the worker for the preservation of the old value, then demands remuneration for giving the worker permission to preserve the old capitalSurplus Value and ProfitDifference between consumption of the instrument and of wages. The former consumed in the production process, the latter outside itIncrease of surplus value and decrease in rate of profitMultiplication of simultaneous working daysMachineryGrowth of the constant part of capital in relation to the variable part spent on wages=growth of the productivity of labourProportion in which capital has to increase in order to employ the same number of workers if productivity risesPercentage of total capital can express very different relationsCapital (like property in general) rests on the productivity of labourIncrease of surplus labour time. Increase of simultaneous working days. (Population)(Population can increase in proportion as necessary labour time becomes smaller)Transition from the process of the production of capital into the process of circulationSection Two: The Circulation Process of CapitalDevaluation of capital itself owing to increase of productive forces(Competition)Capital as unity and contradiction of the production process and the realization processCapital as limit to production. OverproductionDemand by the workers themselvesBarriers to capitalist productionOVerproduction; ProudhonPrice of the commodity and labour timeThe capitalist does not sell too dear; but still above what the thing costs himPrice can fall below value without damage to capitalNumber and unit (measure) important in the multiplication of pricesSpecific accumulation of capital. (Transformation of surplus labour into capital)The determination of value and of pricesThe general rate of profitIf the capitalist merely sells at his own cost of production, then it is a transfer to another capitalist. The worker gains almost nothing therebyBarrier of capitalist production. Relation of surplus labour to necessary labour. Proportion of the surplus consumed by capital to that transformed into capitalDevaluation during crisesCapital coming out of the production process becomes money again(Parenthesis on capital in general)Surplus Labour or Surplus Value Becomes Surplus CapitalAll the determinants of capitalist production now appear as the result of (wage) labour itselfThe realization process of labour at the same time its de-realization processFormation of surplus capital ISurplus capital IIInversion of the law of appropriationChief result of the production and realization processOriginal accumulation of capitalOnce developed historically, capital itself creates the conditions of its existence(Performance of personal services, as opposed to wage labour)(Parenthesis on inversion of the law of property, real alien relation of the worker to his product, division of labour, machinery)Forms which precede capitalist production. (Concerning the process which precedes the formation of the capital relation or of original accumulation)Exchange of labour for labour rests on the worker's propertylessnessCirculation of capital and circulation of moneyProduction process and circulation process moments of production. The productivity of the different capitals (branches of industry) determines that of the individual capitalCirculation period. Velocity of circulation substitutes for volume of capital. Mutual dependence of capitals in the velocity of their circulationThe four moments in the turnover of capitalMoment II to be considered here: transformation of the product into money; duration of this operation. Transport costs. Circulation costs. Means of communication and transportDivision of the branches of labourConcentration of many workers; productive force of this concentrationGeneral as distinct from particular conditions of productionTransport to market (spatial condition of circulation) belongs in the production processCredit, the temporal moment of circulationCapital is circulating capitalInfluence of circulation on the determination of value; circulation time=time of devaluationDifference between the capitalist mode of production and all earlier ones (universality, propagandistic nature)(Capital itself is the contradiction)Circulation and creation of valueCapital not a source of value-creationContinuity of production presupposes suspension of circulation timeTheories of Surplus ValueRamsay's view that capital is its own source of profitNo surplus value according to Ricardo's lawRicardo's theory of value. Wages and profitQuinceyRicardoWakefield. Conditions of capitalist production in coloniesSurplus value and profit. Example (Malthus)Difference between labour and labour capacityCarey's theory of the cheapening of capital for the workerCarey's theory of the decline of the rate of profitWakefield on the contradiction between Ricardo's theories of wage labour and of valueBailey on dormant capital and increase of production without previous increase of capitalWade's explanation of capital. Capital, collective force. Capital, civilization.Rossi. What is capital? Is raw material capital? Are wages necessary for it?Malthus. Theory of value and of wagesAim of capitalist production value (money), not commodity, use value etc. ChalmersDifference in return. Interruption of the production process. Total duration of the production process. Unequal periods of productionThe concept of the free labourer contains the pauper. Population and overpopulationNecessary labour. Surplus labour. Surplus population. Surplus capitalAdam Smith: work as sacrificeAdam Smith: the origin of profitSurplus labour. Profit. WagesImmovable capital. Return of capital. Fixed capital. John Stuart MillTurnover of capital. Circulation process. Production process. Circulation costs. Circulation timeCapital's change of form and of substance; different forms of capital; circulation capital as general character of capitalFixed (tied down) capital and circulating capitalConstant and variable capitalCompetitionSurplus value. Production time. Circulation time. Turnover timeCompetition (continued)Part of capital in production time, part in circulation timeSurplus value and production phase. Number of reproductions of capital = number of turnoversChange of form and of matter in the circulation of capital. C-M-C. M-C-MDifference between production time and labour timeFormation of a mercantile estate; creditSmall-scale circulation. The process of exchange between capital and labour capacity generallyThreefold character, or mode, of circulationFixed capital and circulating capitalInfluence of fixed capital on the total turnover time of capitalFixed capital. Means of labour. MachineTransposition of powers of labour into powers of capital both in fixed and in circulatin capitalTo what extent fixed capital (machine) creates valueFixed capital and continuity of the production process. Machinery and living labour.Contradiction between the foundation of bourgeois production (value as measure) and its developmentSignificance of the development of fixed capital (for the development of capital generally)The chief role of capital is to create disposable time; contradictory form of this in capitalDurability of fixed capitalReal saving (economy)=saving of labour time=development of productive forceTrue conception of the process of social productionOwen's historical conception of industrial (capitalist) productionCapital and value of natural agenciesScope of fixed capital indicates the level of capitalist productionIs money fixed capital or circulating capital?Turnover time of capital consisting of fixed capital and circulating capital. Reproduction time of fixed capitalThe same commodity sometimes circulating capital, sometimes fixed capitalEvery moment which is a presupposition of production is at the same time its result, in that it reproductes its own conditionsThe counter-value of circulating capital must be produced within the year. Not so for fixed capital. It engages the production of subsequent yearsMaintanence costs of fixed capitalRevenue of fixed capital and circulating capitalFree labour=latent pauperism. EdenThe smaller the value of fixed capital in relation to its product, the more usefulMovable and immovable, fixed and circulatingConnection of circulation and reproductionSection Three: Capital as Fructiferous. Tranformation of Surplus Value into ProfitRate of profit. Fall of the rate of profitSurplus value as profit always expresses a lesser proportionWakefield, Carey and Bastiat on the rate of profitCapital and revenue (profit). Production and distribution. SismondiTransformation of surplus value into profitLaws of this and transformationSurplus value=relation of surplus labour to necessary labourValue of fixed capital and its productive powerMachinery and surplus labour. Recapitulation of the doctrine of surplus value generallyRelation between the objective conditions of production. Change in the proportion of the component parts of capitalMiscellaneousMoney and fixed capital: presupposes a certain amount of wealth. Relation of fixed capital and circulating capital (Economist)Slavery and wage labour; profit upon alienation (Steuart)Steuart, Montanari and Gouge on moneyThe wool industry in England since Elizabeth; silk-manufacture; iron; cottonOrigin of free wage labour. Vagabondage. (Tuckett)Blake on accumulation and rate of profit; dormant capitalDomestic agriculture at the beginning of the sixteenth century. (Tuckett)Profit. Interest. Influence of machinery on the wage fund. (Westminster Review)Money as measure of values and yardstick of prices. Critique of theories of the standard measure of moneyTransformation of the medium of circulation into money. Formation of treasures. Means of payment. Prices of commodities and quantity of circulating money. Value of moneyCapital, not labour, determines the value of money (Torrens)The minimum of wagesCotton machinery and working men in 1826. (Hodgskin)How the machine creates raw material. (Economist)Machinery and surplus labourCapital and profit. Relation of the worker to the conditions of labour in capitalist production. All parts of capital bring a profitTendency of the machine to prolong labourCotton factories in England. Example for machinery and surplus labourExamples from Glasgow for the rate of profitAlienation of the conditions of labour with the development of capital. InversionMerivale. Natural dependence of the worker in colonies to be replaced by artificial restrictionsHow the machine saves material. Bread. Dureau de la MalleDevelopment of money and interestProductive consumpion. Newman. Transformations of capital. Economic cycleDr. Price. Innate power of capitalProudhon. Capital and simple exchange. SurplusNecessity of the worker's propertylessnessGalianiTheory of savings. StorchMacCulloch. Surplus. ProfitArnd. Natural interestInterest and profit. CareyHow merchant takes the place of masterMerchant wealthCommerce with equivalents impossible. OpdykePrincipal and interestDouble standardOn moneyJames Mill's false theory of pricesRicardo on currencyOn moneyTheory of foreign trade. Two nations may exchange according to the law of profit in such a way that both gain, but one is always defraudedMoney in its third role, as money(I) Value (This section to be brought forward)Bastiat and CareyBastiat's economic harmoniesBastiat on wages

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Book SynopsisThe first decade of the twenty-first century marked the demise of the current world order. Despite widespread acknowledgement of these disruptive crises, the proposed response from the mainstream remains the same. Against the confines of this increasingly limited politics, a new paradigm has emerged. Fully Automated Luxury Communism claims that new technologies will liberate us from work, providing the opportunity to build a society beyond both capitalism and scarcity. Automation, rather than undermining an economy built on full employment, is instead the path to a world of liberty, luxury and happiness. For everyone.In his first book, radical political commentator Aaron Bastani conjures a new politics: a vision of a world of unimaginable hope, highlighting how we move to energy abundance, feed a world of nine billion, overcome work, transcend the limits of biology and build meaningful freedom for everyone. Rather than a final destination, such a society heralds the beginning of history.Fully Automated Luxury Communism promises a radically new left future for everyone.Trade ReviewIn 100 years' time many of the ideas in this book will be mainstream, while kindergarten students laugh at our mainstream economic textbooks. Bastani's genius is to see the future with crisp clarity, unafraid of the consequences of being right. -- Paul Mason, author of PostcapitalismOne of the most important books to come out of the British left in recent years. Incredibly ambitious and wide-ranging, but also well-written and readable, it provides a fascinating glimpse into a future beyond scarcity and beyond capitalism. Not simply a set of predictions about an unknowable future, it is a call to action to those seeking to bring an entirely new world into being. -- Grace Blakeley, New StatesmanThe debate is no longer about tinkering with our current broken social order, but replacing it: this fascinating book is an absolutely critical contribution, and a must-read for all those who aspire to build a new society. -- Owen Johns, author of The EstablishmentAt a time when our horizons have shrunk, when instead of striving for a better world we look backward to old comforts, Aaron Bastani calls us to dream and struggle for the type of society finally fit for humanity to live as humans should.' -- Bhaskar Sunkara, author of The Socialist ManifestoA startlingly sunny and audacious manifesto that reads the extremity of current political, economic, and environmental crises as a sign of the scale of opportunity for radical change...[Bastani] gamely reclaims the stuff of dystopia for a more buoyant vision . . . Bastani's arguments rest on the conviction that the major problems that face citizens are political in nature-and thus that their only possible solutions will be political, too -- Lidija Haas * Harpers *Angry and lyrical, uncompromising and vivid, Imperial Intimacies is a daughter's reckoning with the bitter legacies of slavery and colonialism as they come to shape the lives of families and individuals, their dreams and desires. A deeply searching and often moving book, it made me think again about the writing of family history and about what it means to be British. -- Alison Light, author of Common PeopleBastani writes with pace, economy and infectious enthusiasm ... There are more ideas crammed in here than in a whole shelf of standard politics books. And in today's fraught world, the time to read whole shelves of politics books may have passed. -- Andy Beckett * Guardian *Fully Automated Luxury Communism offers a hopeful vision of a possible future, one that, with its blend of utopian energy and careful argumentation, is worth taking seriously. * Vector *Attempts to take the word back to Marx's post-work, post-scarcity future. -- Sarah Jaffe * Bookforum *A startlingly sunny and audacious manifesto that reads the extremity of current political, economic, and environmental crises as a sign of the scale of opportunity for radical change...[Bastani] gamely reclaims the stuff of dystopia for a more buoyant vision. -- Lidja Haas * Harpers *A rising young leftwing provocateur . . .There are more ideas crammed in here than in a whole shelf of standard politics books -- Andy Beckett * Guardian *[Fully Automated Luxury Communism] is a provocative ... reckoning with the end of market capitalism, and what might follow ... in outlining the benefits of decarbonised economies, worker-owned businesses, people's banks, planet taxes and universal basic services, Bastani is starting to put flesh on the spectre that might one day haunt Europe again. -- Gavin Jacobson * New Statesman *In outlining the benefits of decarbonised economies, worker-owned businesses, people's banks, planet taxes and universal basic services, Bastani is starting to put flesh on the spectre that might one day haunt Europe again -- Gavin Williamson * New Statesman *Jeremy Corbyn's new left ... do not wish only to manage capitalism. They want something more. They are something more. And this book is an attempt to explain what that more is. * Times *[Bastani's] limpid prose, fuelled by an infectious revolutionary elan, adroitly synthesises ... big ideas for lay readers and deftly elucidates the continued relevance of Marx's writings... [Fully Automated Luxury Communism] serves as a vital broadening of our political horizons * Morning Star *A feisty manifesto . . . proposes a blueprint for a new society; one in which advanced technology will free humanity from the necessity to work * New Internationalist *An entertaining ... romp through some of the most profound innovations and developments that could, if managed under the aegis of socialism, transform the way in which we live our lives. * Quietus *A stimulating intervention ... fascinating on the dazzling possibilities of the present * New Humanist *A knowingly provocative ... utopian manifesto ... a refreshing departure from the the usual forecasts of machine-led jobpocalypse. * Times Literary Supplement *It's a manifesto that imagines life in a post-capitalist world where automation has replaced manual labour, and it applies the theories of Marx to show how this could save us from dystopia. Its a pretty audacious book.' -- Gruff Rhys * Observer *

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Book SynopsisFeaturing the works from Marx's enormous corpus, this title covers Marx's development from the Hegelian idealism of his youth to the mature socialism of his later works. It includes writings from Marx's early philosophical works, and the central writings on historical materialism.Trade ReviewThe Introductions are solid, accurate, readable, authoritative. The editor is well informed, and the selections provide a balanced introduction to Marx's central thoughts. --Daniel Little, Colgate University

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Book SynopsisJodi Dean unshackles the communist ideal from the failures of the Soviet Union. In the new capitalism of networked information technologies, our very ability to communicate is exploited, but revolution is still possible if we organise on the basis of our common and collective desires. Examining the experience of the Occupy movement, Dean argues that such spontaneity can't develop into a revolution and it needs to constitute itself as a party. An innovative work of pressing relevance, The Communist Horizon offers nothing less than a manifesto for a new collective politics.Trade ReviewThis is what everyone engaged in today's struggles for emancipation needs: a unique combination of theoretical stringency and a realistic assessment of our predicament. To anyone who continues to dwell in illusions about liberal democracy, one should simply say: read Jodi Dean's new book! -- Slavoj ZizekJodi's sharp analysis of the impasses of the left is also a kind of requiem for much of the 2.0 bluster of the last decade. -- Mark Fisher, author of Capitalist RealismOne of the most significant books in recent critical theory to theorize a powerful leftist politics. Its spirit and argument are energizing,and Dean's analysis is likely to intensify desires for transnational solidarity toward ending exploitation. The book's message is especially important in the present moment, when so many people despair over their political and economic powerlessness. * Political Theory *

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Book SynopsisRising prosperity was supposed to bring democracy to China, yet the Communist Party’s political monopoly endures. How? Minxin Pei looks to the surveillance state. Though renowned for high-tech repression, China’s surveillance system is above all a labor-intensive project. Pei delves into the human sources of coercion at the foundation of CCP power.Trade ReviewAn authoritative study of China’s surveillance system and its ability to strangle any possible dissent…Pei reveals the vast machinery of surveillance and repression in China, fueled by leaders’ fear, distrust, and paranoia. * Kirkus Reviews *Pei ably untangles and demystifies the Chinese surveillance system: for all its obscure and sinister aura, he paints it as the work of harried bureaucrats who struggle with glitchy equipment and unproductive employees…It adds up to a clear-eyed account of China’s surveillance crusade. * Publishers Weekly *An instant classic, offering a peerless and encompassing explanation for a great puzzle of the twenty-first century: How did China’s autocratic regime outlast its peers? Through painstaking research, Minxin Pei has reverse-engineered the hidden system of preventive repression, exposing a world that is essential to understanding China’s past and, indeed, its future. -- Evan Osnos, author of the National Book Award–winning Wildland: The Making of America’s FuryA brilliantly researched and eye-opening masterpiece on modern China’s subtle power dynamics. Shining a light on the masterful strategy of ‘preventive repression,’ Pei offers a riveting exploration of China’s covert surveillance mechanisms. -- Yuhua Wang, author of The Rise and Fall of Imperial China: The Social Origins of State DevelopmentA timely, important book on a subject that has received little attention in Western literature. Pei offers both an illuminating analysis of the surveillance state’s historical evolution and a broad overview of its operations across different sectors in contemporary China. Theoretically informed and empirically rich, this is a welcome contribution. -- Lynette Ong, author of Outsourcing Repression: Everyday State Power in Contemporary ChinaChina’s development of high-tech surveillance is crucial to understanding Beijing’s domestic aims and international goals, yet it is still poorly understood. Pei brings together sharp and cogent analysis with deep research to illuminate one of the most important issues of today. -- Rana Mitter, author of China’s Good War: How World War II Is Shaping a New NationalismAn incisive analysis of a remarkably durable system of state power. Pei argues that China’s already formidable apparatus of political control, augmented with new resources and cutting-edge technologies, has become the most effective surveillance state in history. -- Andrew G. Walder, author of Agents of Disorder: Inside China’s Cultural Revolution

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisDrawing on newly-declassified government documents and international archives in Spain and beyond, this book explores the many ways in which Scots responded to the Spanish Civil War (1936-9).

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Book SynopsisMy Uncle Zhou Enlai paints a candid and heartwarming picture of one of China’s most beloved leaders and its first premier, Zhou Enlai (1898-1976). Written by his nephew, Zhou Erliu, who found himself at the heart of the political turmoil of the 20th century, this deeply moving and personal account is at once a touching family portrait of the Zhou clan and a comprehensive overview of China’s modern political history.Through personal anecdotes, letters, poems, photographs and other relics from the premier’s epoch-making life, the reader gets up close and personal with Zhou Enlai as never before and gets an intimate peek at life in China during these turbulent times.This book interweaves the fascinating life story of its author, from his childhood in Shanghai’s French concession through his involvement with the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the years of war and revolution up to the present day, and the story of his ‘Qi Ba’, the prominent CPC leader who was at the forefront of major events such as the founding of the PRC, the Cultural Revolution, the Nanchang Uprising, the Chinese Civil War and US president Richard Nixon’s visit to China in 1971, yet always found time to advise his beloved nephew about work, life, love and politics.My Uncle Zhou Enlai aims to set straight the historical facts and to convey the great impact Zhou Enlai had on Chinese and international politics, which paved the way for China’s re-entry into the international community. Always honest, wise, humble and kind, Zhou Enlai is warmly remembered by millions of people today both within and outside China, and this book serves as a testament by a close relative to the many Chinese and foreign lives he touched. A must-read for anyone interested in China’s history and cultural landscape, its gradual opening-up to the rest of the world, and its notable leaders and key figures.

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Book Synopsis''Masterfully opens up a little explored realm: how the quest for religion and spirituality drives hundreds of millions of Chinese'' Pankaj Mishra''A fascinating odyssey ... a nuanced group portrait of Chinese citizens striving for non-material answers in an era of frenetic materialism'' Julia Lovell, Guardian ''The reappearance and flourishing of religion is perhaps the most surprising aspect of the dramatic changes in China in recent decades...this is a beautiful, moving and insightful book'' Michael SzonyiIn no society on Earth was there such a ferocious attempt to eradicate all trace of religion as in modern China. But now, following a century of violent antireligious campaigns, China is awash with new temples, churches, and mosques - as well as cults, sects, and politicians trying to harness religion for their own ends. Driving this explosion of faith is uncertainty - over what it means to be Chinese, and how to live aTrade ReviewIan Johnson has long been a resourceful and bracing guide to the biggest national transformation of modern history. In The Souls of China he masterfully opens up a little explored realm: how the quest for religion and spirituality drives hundreds of millions of Chinese -- Pankaj MishraJohnson succeeds in having produced a nuanced group portrait of Chinese citizens striving for non-material answers in an era of frenetic materialism. -- Julia Lovell * Guardian *Extraordinarily rich and intimate... This vividly written, deeply researched book will be the primary work about religious faith in China for years to come. -- Leslie T. ChangThis entrancing and engaging book challenges the modern assumption that religion is a thing of the past -- Karen ArmstrongIan Johnson breaks new ground with a brilliant approach, mixing theoretical explorations with real life vignettes from a convincing insider-outsider-combined perspective, making them commenting each other, illuminating in the same way as through the traditional Chinese criticism paradigm of 'I commentate the six classics which commentate me.' The Souls of China is a must read for an understanding of China -- Qiu Xiaolong * author of The Inspector Chen Novels *The great Chinese writer Lu Xun once wrote that when many men pass along the same way, a new road is made. The Souls of China shows us how the Chinese people, some with heroic steps and others with hesitant ones, are making a new road for Chinese religion in the twenty-first century. The reappearance and flourishing of religion is perhaps the most surprising aspect of the dramatic changes in China in recent decades. With great sensitivity Ian Johnson guides us on a tour of the rituals, festivals, and above all some of the remarkable characters who make up this new Chinese religious world. This is a beautiful, moving and insightful book -- Michael Szonyi * author of Cold War Island *The Souls of China is a rich, informative, and timely book, which explores a major aspect of Chinese life. Ian Johnson carries erudition lightly and describes the people and events with deep insights and personal involvement. Section by section, the writing shows long-term dedication and meticulous research. At heart this is also a personal book, full of feelings and exuberance. It's a tremendous accomplishment -- Ha JinHis tripartite masterpiece Wild Grass and his newest book, The Souls of China, are the most remarkable works to come from a western author in the past two decades. -- Liao Yiwu * exiled Chinese author of God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China *Through interviews conducted with a wide variety of practitioners, Johnson paints a vivid picture of the diversity of Chinese religious life....He provides a fascinating account of how traditional activities recovered after enduring severe repression during China's Cultural Revolution (1966-76). An excellent work that is highly recommended for readers interested in Chinese culture or religion * Library Journal *

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Book SynopsisAfter three decades of "reform and opening up," China is closing its doors, clamping down on Western influence in the economy, media, and civil society. At the same time, President Xi Jinping has emerged as a champion of globalization, projecting Chinese power abroad and seeking to reshape the global order. Herein lies The Third Revolution.Trade ReviewThe Third Revolution is an excellent example of high-quality academic research on China * Tian He, Pacific Affairs *One of Iolitico's "Ten Names That Matter on China Policy"How should observers, especially those in Washington, assess Xi's China? In The Third Revolution, Elizabeth Economy offers a nuanced, persuasive answer: while China's heft in world affairs is growing rapidly, so too are the contradictions inherent in the attempt of an authoritarian country to shape what remains a predominantly liberal world order. * Global Asia *Economy . . . offers an engaging look at how areas such as internet regulation, reform of state-owned enterprises, and foreign policy are evolving under Xi's leadership. * Reuters Breakingviews *To understand and navigate China in the coming years, this is the book to read. At the heart of doing business in this opaque and contradictory country is understanding Xi Jinping, a masterful and complex politician. Elizabeth Economy's exceptionally clear account gives you the tools to do just that. * Fred P. Hochberg, Former Chairman and President, Export-Import Bank of the United States *The Third Revolution is enormously valuable for anyone seeking to understand the ways in which China is changing (and not changing) under Xi's leadership, and how the U.S. should best approach its relationship with China. Essential. * Robert E. Rubin, Former Secretary of the Treasury *The one book that tells you all you need to know about how China has changed under Xi Jinping. A clear-eyed, richly researched, and engaging account by one of America's most knowledgeable China experts. * Susan L. Shirk, University of California, San Diego *Timely and sobering analysis of the profound * and disturbingpolitical change that has occurred since the rise of Xi Jinping. This is by far the most insightful and illuminating study of China's new political landscape, and should be required reading for those concerned with China's future under strongman rule.Minxin Pei, Author, China's Crony Capitalism *Leading China expert Elizabeth Economy provides a clear-eyed net assessment of China under Xi Jinping: its global ambitions, domestic limitations, and the paradox of its external hubris and internal insecurities. Thoroughly researched and engagingly written, The Third Revolution should become staple reading for all who want to understand China today and where it is headed in the future. The findings are both illuminating and disturbing." * David Shambaugh, George Washington University and author of China Goes Global *Americans are slowly realizing that they live in a bipolar world with China, a nation that is incontrovertibly rising despite the destabilizing effects of serial self-reinvention. The advent of the latest progenitor of rejuvenation, Xi Jinping, has raised a host of vexing questions, but Economy's wonderfully lucid and well-researched book fills in many of the blanks regarding Xi's strengths and weaknesses. * Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director, Asia Society Center on U.S.-China Relations *For the first time in modern history, we have a communist country poised to be the biggest and most important driver of the global free market. That's astonishing. And we still don't know what makes China's political leadership and Xi Jinping in particular tick. If that freaks you out (and it should), Liz Economy's book is the place to start. * Ian Bremmer, President and Founder, Eurasia Group *The timing of The Third Revolution is impeccable. Economy convincingly demonstrates how Beijing has used its heft to influence technological and political standards." - The Financial TimesA work of cool-headed analysis." - Foreign Affairs14/01/2019Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Heart of Darkness Chapter 3: Chinanet Chapter 4: The Not-So-New Normal Chapter 5: Innovation Nation Chapter 6: War on Pollution Chapter 7: The Lion Awakens Chapter 8: The Road Forward

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Book SynopsisThe end of the Cold War makes it possible, for the first time, to begin writing its history from a truly international perspective, one reflecting Soviet, East European, and Chinese as well as American and West European viewpoints. In a major departure from his earlier scholarship, John Lewis Gaddis, the pre-eminent American authority on the United States and the Cold War, has written a comprehensive comparative history of that conflict from its origins through to its most dangerous moment, the Cuban missile crisis. We Now Know is packed with new information drawn from previously unavailable sources; it also reflects the findings of a new generation of Cold War historians. It contains striking new insights into the role of ideology, democracy, economics, alliances, and nuclear weapons, as well as major reinterpretations of Stalin, Truman, Khrushchev, Mao, Eisenhower, and Kennedy. It suggests solutions to long-standing puzzles: Did the Soviet Union want world revolution? Why was GermanyTrade Review'A masterly review of the early phases of the conflict between the United States, Russia, China and their respective allies...it is clear, thorough and judicious; in short, magnificent.' * The Economist Review *'A new narrative of the first half of the Cold War up to the Cuban missile crisis...We Know Now is an important book. It deserves a wide readership.' * Taylor Downing, The Observer *Table of Contents1. Dividing the World ; 2. Cold War Empires: Europe ; 3. Cold War Empires: Asia ; 4. Nuclear Weapons and the Early Cold War ; 5. The German Question ; 6. The Third World ; 7. Economics, Ideology, and Alliance Solidarity ; 8. Nuclear Weapons and the Escalation of the Cold War ; 9. The Cuban Missile Crisis ; 10. The New Cold War History: First Impressions ; Notes, Bibliography, Index

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Book SynopsisBetween the winter of 1936 and the autumn of 1938, approximately three quarters of a million Soviet citizens were subject to summary execution. More than a million others were sentenced to lengthy terms in labour camps. Commonly known as ''Stalin''s Great Terror'', it is also among the most misunderstood moments in the history of the twentieth century. The Terror gutted the ranks of factory directors and engineers after three years in which all major plan targets were met. It raged through the armed forces on the eve of the Nazi invasion. The wholesale slaughter of party and state officials was in danger of making the Soviet state ungovernable. The majority of these victims of state repression in this period were accused of participating in counter-revolutionary conspiracies. Almost without exception, there was no substance to the claims and no material evidence to support them. By the time the terror was brought to a close, most of its victims were ordinary Soviet citizens for whom ''Trade ReviewHarris does an admirable job of bringing the major fears and concerns of the Soviet leadership into focus, from the rise of Nazi Germany to Japan's incursions deep into China to resentment of the regime among peasants. * Robert W. Thurston, Journal of Modern History *One can only applaud him [Harris] for tackling the most vexing and morally charged issues in Soviet history, and for doing so in a crisply, succinctly written volume ... A brief review such as this cannot do justice to Harris's nuanced argument and careful use of sources. The volume is not only a valuable contribution to the literature but also a book that, because of its coverage and readability, will work well in undergraduate classes. * William J. Chase, The Russian Review *[a] well-researched and tightly argued study ... [Harris] has produced the most important book we have on the origins of the great purges. But in the process he has done more than that. The chapters tracing the story up to the perfect storm of 1937 are in themselves a very attractive general survey of the first two decades of Soviet history. This clearly written book will be required reading for specialists in the field; general readers will find it useful as a compact survey of the state of the field. * Arch Getty, History *The Great Fear presents a nuanced reading of history drawing on a number of primary sources; its strength is to see the Great Terror in the context of world and Russian events which contribute to the structure of society and mindset of the people in power, rather than as the result of one's man's paranoia or capriciousness ... for those with a keen interest in Soviet history, this excellent book is a must for the light it throws on a dramatic and appalling period of the regime's history. * Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings blog *sparkles with learning * Andre van Loon, The Australian *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Fear and Violence 2: Peace and Insecurity 3: The Uncertain Dictatorship 4: The Great Break 5: Relaxation? 6: Tensions Mount 7: The Perfect Storm Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisHow did one man''s critique of capitalism guide the course of modern history?When he died in 1883, Karl Marx left behind an intellectual legacy of formidable proportions and revolutionary potential, yet one that exerted limited actual political, social, or economic influence. The full force of his ideas did not come into play for another generation, and only after they had been appropriated and applied by some of Marxism''s earliest proponents. The history of Marxism, in other words, is the story of those who brought Marx''s ideas into play, transforming a sweeping but fractious and occasionally abstruse view of historical and social forces into a coherent plan of action. Christina Morina''s illuminating book focuses on the first generation of Marxists who turned the work and ideas of one social theorist, one among many, into one of the most powerful transnational political movements in modern history.The Invention Of Marxism is therefore a group portrait, featuring such figures as Rosa Luxemburg, Max Adler, Jean Jaurès, Eduard Bernstein, Karl Kautsky, and Vladimir Lenin German, French, Russian, Czech whose lives became dedicated to interpreting and applying Marxist thought. They were the vehicles by which his ideas were read, debated, and gradually adopted in socialist movements across Europe. Morina''s fascinating book therefore reconstructs the beginnings of Marxism through the individual politicization of a group of intellectuals who made it their purpose in life to solve the ''social question'', exploring the nexus between their intellectual constructs and social and political reality. The Invention of Marxism shows how what started as a theory of capitalism grew into a fully-fledged political philosophy and platform, one that shaped the century that followed Marx''s death. In short, it reveals how an idea first conquered these individuals and then the world.Trade ReviewMorinas pen-portraits - fine-grained, deftly interlinked - are superb. Forgotten figures, such as Adler and Struve, are coaxed back into the sunlight, famous ones - Lenin, Kautsky, Luxemburg - reimagined * Madoc Cairns, Times Literary Supplement *Morina's pen-portraits - fine-grained, deftly interlinked are superb. * Madoc Cairns, Editor at Plough Quarterly , TLS *The Invention of Marxism provides rich biographical portraits of the first generation of Marx's most ardent followers. * Choice *Table of ContentsPROLOGUE: Marxism as a Generational Project I SOCIALIZATION Born in the Nineteenth Century: Family Influences Adolescence and Its Discontents: Emerging Worldviews Beating the Drum: Literary Influences II POLITICIZATION Paths to Marxism I: London, Paris, Zurich, Vienna (1878-1888) Translating Marxism: Guesde and Jaurès Star Students: Bernstein and Kautsky Theory and Practice: Adler's Belated Marxism Paths to Marxism II: Geneva, Warsaw, St. Petersburg (1885-1903) The Social Question as a Political Question: Plekhanov's Turn toward Marx The Social Question as a Question of Power: Struve and Lenin Engagement as Science: Luxemburg III ENGAGEMENT On Misery, or the First Commandment: The Radical Study of Reality Miserable Living: Depicting Proletarians and Peasants Miserable Labor: The Proletarian World of Work On Revolution, or the Second Commandment: Philosophy as Practice Revolutionary Expectations Revolution at Last? Dress Rehearsal in St. Petersburg, 1905/06 CONCLUSION: From Marx to Marxism: Fieldworkers, Bookworms, and Adventurers

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Book SynopsisThe text provides an introduction to the intricate web of contemporary Chinese politics - and China's changing place in the global system. It discusses China and democracy, human rights issues, and the move to integrate China into the international economy.Trade ReviewReading this excellent work by Andrew Nathan on the potential for a Chinese transition to democracy compels one to probe one's own unexamined presuppositions and unconscious cultural prejudices. -- Edward Friedman, University of Wisconsin-Madison Philosophy East & West Such rich, thoughtful, and rigorous analysis makes China's Transition an important book in the study of contemporary Chinese politics. It represents a remarkable methodological achievement that should be the envy of all students of Chinese politics. -- Minxin Pei, Princeton University Political Science Quarterly [A] deeply perceptive and eloquent collection of essays... What distinguishes Nathan's approach is that he takes up the political question of how to negotiate with Beijing about human rights. New York Review of Books Glitters with refreshing analyses on a wide range of literary, political, and ideological issues in recent PRC history... Packed with great insights and excellent analyses, it should be considered indispensable reading for any serious student of contemporary Chinese politics. Journal of Oriental StudiesTable of Contents1. China Bites Back 2. A History of Cruelty 3. Mao and His Court 4. Maoist Institutions and Post-Mao Reform 5. Chinese Democracy: The Lessons of Failure 6. The Democratic Vision 7. The Decision for Reform in Taiwan 8. Electing Taiwan's Legislature (written with with Helena V.S. Ho) 9. The Struggle for Hong Kong's Future 10. Is Chinese Culture Distinctive? 11. Cultural Requisites for Democracy in China (written with Tianjian Shi) 12. Left and Right in Deng's China (written with Tianjian Shi) 13. The Place of Values in Cross-Cultural Studies 14. The Chinese Volcano 15. The Constitutionalist Option 16. Human Rights and American China Policy

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Book Synopsis* Brilliant and incisive, HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD leaves us in no doubt that Karl Marx is as much a thinker for our century as he was for the preceding two

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Book SynopsisSociologist Robert Wuthnow notes remarkable similarities in the social conditions surrounding three of the greatest challenges to the status quo in the development of modern societyâthe Protestant Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the rise of Marxist socialism.

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Book SynopsisOn the centennial of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, Tony Saich offers the definitive history of the CCP’s rise and rule. The party has suffered self-inflicted wounds yet thrived thanks to its flexibility. Looking ahead, Saich assesses how the CCP is adapting to global leadership and the expectations of China’s growing middle class.Trade ReviewThere is arguably no organization in the world today that is more important to understand than the CCP…Saich’s [book] provides a comprehensive narrative of the CCP from its inception to this day…He is meticulous in his research and descriptions. -- Martin Laflamme * Los Angeles Review of Books *One of the best and clearest treatments of the subject to date…Tony Saich walks us through the myriad transformations the Party and its members have been through: from rebels to survivalists, revolutionaries to crushers of rebellion, and finally to socialist capitalists. With clarity and attention to detail…this is a truly authoritative text on one of the most successful political parties in history. -- Alec Ash * The Wire China *An extremely lucid, insightful history of the Chinese Communist Party. Saich’s readable narrative takes the CCP from its origins as a tiny group of revolutionaries in Shanghai a century ago to the powerful, repressive rulers of a world power today. From Rebel to Ruler should stand as an authoritative account of the party’s development. -- James Mann, author of The China FantasyThe Chinese Communist Party is one of the most important, yet least understood, political organizations in the world today. Saich has produced a superb interpretation of the party for its hundredth anniversary. From Rebel to Ruler is both deep and nuanced in the account of its history, and incisive on the unique combination in the party under Xi Jinping of ideology, pragmatism, and sheer brute force. -- Rana Mitter, author of China’s Good WarThe definitive, candid, and absorbing history of a political organization that counts 90 million members and indisputably rules as America’s most powerful rival. Drawing on priceless contacts made in China over decades, Saich describes how ideological underpinnings, ruthless campaigns, and the ‘coercing of conformity’ pushed the CCP through revolutionary zeal to its current all-powerful position. A vital account, based on magnificent research, that shows the party as a colossal, relentless, and enduring machine. -- Jane Perlez, former Beijing Bureau Chief, New York TimesAn unpretentious, humane, and deeply informed history of the Chinese Communist Party. Saich, whose considerable time in China adds depth and understanding to this excellent book, offers a clear narrative that does justice to the earlier history as well as present concerns. This will be our most reliable account of the history of the CCP for a generation. -- Timothy Cheek, author of The Intellectual in Modern Chinese HistorySaich is a surehanded and deeply knowledgeable guide in this highly accessible tour of the entire sweep of the Chinese Communist Party’s century-long history. While the party now projects a self-image of unity, competence, and strength, Saich recounts a narrative replete with internal strife, uncertainty, and deep-seated insecurity. His reflections on the future of the party, and China, are sobering. -- Andrew G. Walder, author of China Under MaoA sweeping history of the Chinese Communist Party, from its fledgling urban beginnings in 1921 Shanghai to today…Offers key insights into how the party survived the collapse of communism in Russia and Eastern Europe and the steep challenges facing current leader Xi Jinping. This exhaustive, well-informed chronicle sheds light on one of the world’s most consequential political institutions. * Publishers Weekly *Gives a broad overview of the main characters, movements, and ideologies that have shaped the CCP… Saich provides a different angle by focusing on the inner workings, strategy, and personalities of the Chinese Communist Party…Presents the Party, in all its complexity, on its own terms. Saich is not simply offering commentary from an outside point of view, he is attempting to give readers the tools to access the CCP as they see themselves. * ChinaSource *If you were to travel back in time to 1921 and predict that the Communist Party of China would rule over the world’s second-largest economy 100 years later, no one would believe you. In this definitive primer, Tony Saich explains how the impossible came true. -- Yuen Yuen Ang * Project Syndicate *

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Book SynopsisA primer for how to be an anti-capitalist in the 21st centuryTrade Review'David Harvey is an inspiration for me, and for people who desperately want a just world order. One of the most perceptive and intelligent thinkers the progressive movement has' -- Owen Jones'David Harvey provoked a revolution in his field and has inspired a generation of radical intellectuals' -- Naomi KleinTable of ContentsPreface - Jordan T. Camp Editors’ Note - Jordan T. Camp and Chris Caruso Author’s Note - David Harvey Acknowledgements 1. Global Unrest 2. A Brief History of Neoliberalism 3. Contradictions of Neoliberalism 4. The Financialization of Power 5. The Authoritarian Turn 6. Socialism and Freedom 7. The Significance of China in the World Economy 8. The Geopolitics of Capitalism 9. The Growth Syndrome 10. The Erosion of Consumer Choices 11. Primitive or Original Accumulation 12. Accumulation by Dispossession 13. Production and Realization 14. Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Climate Change 15. Rate versus Mass of Surplus Value 16. Alienation 17. Alienation at Work: The Politics of a Plant Closure 18. Anti-Capitalist Politics in the Time of COVID-19 19. The Collective Response to a Collective Dilemma Discussion Questions and Further Readings Index

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Book SynopsisA popular history of the emergence of football in early twentieth century RussiaTrade Review'Football is an excellent way in to understanding any country, and if there's one country we need to understand better now, it's Russia. An extremely timely book.' -- Simon Kuper, co-author of 'Soccernomics''A fascinating, thorough and at times revealing investigation into the origins of football in the USSR.' -- Jonathan Wilson, author of 'Inverting the Pyramid''A fascinating, brilliantly researched insight into the patchwork origins of the ruthless powerhouse that Soviet football would become.' -- Robert O'Connor, author of 'Blood and Circuses'Table of ContentsIntroduction Part One. Infancy Part Two. Adolescence Part Three. Youth Epilogue Bibliography Acronyms

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Book SynopsisThe book that immerses the Cold War in the warm bath of nostalgia.Q: Why, despite all the shortages, was the toilet paper in East Germany always 2-ply?A: Because they had to send a copy of everything they did to Moscow.Communist jokes are the strangest, funniest, most enchanting and meaningful legacy of the 80 years of political experimentation in Russia and Eastern Europe, known as Communism. The valiant and sardonic citizens of the former Communist countries - surrounded by an invisible network of secret police, threatened with arrest, imprisonment and forced labour, confronted by an economic system that left shops empty, and bombarded with ludicrous state propaganda - turned joke-telling into an art form. They used jokes as a coded way of speaking the truth.HAMMER AND TICKLE takes us on a unique journey through the Communist era (1917-1989), and tells its real history through subversive jokes and joke-tellers, many of whom ended up in the gulagsTrade ReviewBen Lewis's book celebrates the brilliance with which jokes exposed the gulf between the Soviet ideal and its brutal reality. * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *There is a laugh on every page -- John Suchet * S MAGAZINE, SUNDAY EXPRESS *

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Book SynopsisA Jew, Pole, daughter, mother, wife, Communist, migrant, Holocaust survivor, and refugee driven to fight for a better world. Ordinary or anything but? In Tonia Lechtman's life, the lofty and the quotidian intertwined, making everything she did both monumental and mundane. Who was she?Trade Review“A thoroughly researched, nuanced, and deeply moving book, rich with intimate details that do not take away from the broader relevance of Tonia Lechtman’s seemingly ordinary life.” -- Natalia Aleksiun, Harry Rich Professor of Holocaust Studies, University of Florida“An Ordinary Life? is an extraordinary story. As a historian, Anna Müller is both fearless and enormously sensitive. Her research is exhaustive; Tonia Lechtman’s story is both enthralling and wrenching. Müller’s biography discloses, with painful intimacy, the modern condition of homelessness. Tonia could be the iconic tragic heroine of the twentieth century, a century now revealed through a drama of motherhood.” -- Marci Shore, author of The Taste of Ashes: The Afterlife of Totalitarianism in Eastern Europe“In beautifully evocative prose, Anna Müller uncovers the remarkable biography of Tonia Lechtman, whose journeys through Poland, Palestine, France, and Switzerland reflect the challenges of her generation. It is a profoundly intimate portrait that explores Lechtman’s multiple identities … with delicacy, empathy, and historical perspective. Through the life story of one woman, Müller sheds new light on the universal predicament of the twentieth-century.” -- Jeffrey Veidlinger, Joseph Brodsky Collegiate Professor of History and Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan and author of In the Midst of Civilized Europe: The Pogroms of 1918-1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust“In her biography of Tonia Lechtman, Anna Müller . . . ponders the limits of individual agency in times of social upheavals and catastrophes. What happened to this Jewish woman from Poland and what did she do? What is the price one pays for being overtaken by history? An absorbing book, a heartbreaking life story.” -- Irena Grudzińska Gross, author of Czeslaw Milosz and Joseph Brodsky: Fellowship of Poets“A fascinating study…. The book is a story of one person and it is a history of the twentieth century, with all its conflicts, hopes, experiments, and persecution. It is this world that Tonia Lechtman lived through, and it is a world that she also helped shape. Anna Müller succeeds in explaining the intersections of gender, class, and ethnicity, especially for Polish Jewish women’s lives. This book will engage you and make you want to know more about the last century and about how we understand the past and the present.” -- John C. Swanson, author of Tangible Belonging: Negotiating Germanness in Twentieth-Century Hungary“A Jew, a Communist, a mother, a refugee, a political idealist, a victim of postwar Stalinism in Poland: the life of Tonia Lechman through conflicting identities and the horrors of the twentieth century, brilliantly told by an academic.” -- Ruth Fivaz-Silbermann, author of La fuite en Suisse: Les Juifs à la frontière franco-suisse durant les années de la "Solution finale"

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Book SynopsisPart of a definitive English-language edition, prepared in collaboration with the Institute of Marxism-Leninism in Moscow, which contains all the works of Marx and Engels, whether published in their lifetimes or since. The series includes their complete correspondence and newly discovered works.

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Book SynopsisIn Beyond Capital, the internationally esteemed Marxist philosopher Istvan Meszaros provides a major contribution to the task of reassessing the socialist alternative and the conditions for its realization in the light of twentieth-century developments and disappointments.Trade ReviewNot only profound in its analysis, but also so passionately inspired by sympathy for the downtrodden and their struggle for liberation. — Daniel Singer, The Nation // For me, István Mészáros is one of the few people who has made essential contributions to the body of Marxist thought. Like Marx, he is not easy to read, but he is definitely worth the effort. — Michael A. Lebowitz, author, The Socialist Alternative and Build It Now

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Book SynopsisProvides the first detailed examination of rank-and-file communist party activism as an element of governance in the Soviet system, offering an empirical account of the bottom level of the apparatus of the Soviet Communist Party in its formative years.

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Book SynopsisFacing global climate crisis, Karl Marx''s ecological critique of capitalism more clearly demonstrates its importance than ever. This book explains why Marx''s ecology had to be marginalized and even suppressed by Marxists after his death throughout the twentieth century. Marx''s ecological critique of capitalism, however, revives in the Anthropocene against dominant productivism and monism. Investigating new materials published in the complete works of Marx and Engels (Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe), Saito offers a wholly novel idea of Marx''s alternative to capitalism that should be adequately characterized as degrowth communism. This provocative interpretation of the late Marx sheds new lights on the recent debates on the relationship between society and nature and invites readers to envision a post-capitalist society without repeating the failure of the actually existing socialism of the twentieth century.Trade Review'Marx in the Anthropocene is a deeply restorative project, both analytically and politically. Through a detailed examination of Marx's notebooks on the natural sciences, Kohei Saito reminds us why Marx insisted that the relationship between nature and capitalism was fundamentally unsustainable. The book restores to us a forgotten Marx, one who is eager to learn from precapitalist societies, one who is beginning to see destruction in development. Taking his lead from this longneglected Marx, Saito then builds a powerful argument for degrowth communism, a theoretical approach that aims to reorganize the very notion of abundance to fit the common weal, rather than fit an abstract notion of luxury communism. Marx in the Anthropocene reminds us, again, why anticapitalism is the nutrient that must be urgently added to nature'' Tithi Bhattacharya, author of Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto'A masterpiece. This is the book we have been waiting for. Saito draws on Marx to deliver a thrilling synthesis of degrowth and ecosocialism. Herein lies the secret to post-capitalist transition. A must-read for every socialist and every environmentalist -it will change both forever' Jason Hickel, author of Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World'After his brilliant essay on Marx's ecology, Kohei Saito shows in his new pathbreaking book how different Marxist thinkers tried to deal with the environmental, challenges, from an anti-capitalist perspective. As in his previous essay, Saito is able to grasp Marxism as thought in movement, and not as a closed system. His courageous appeal for a 'degrowth communism' is a decisive contribution for an ecological Marxism of our times, a communism for the Anthropocene' Michael Löwy, author of Ecosocialism: A Radical Alternative to Capitalist Catastrophe'the way Saito mobilises Marxist theory to make a plea for 'the abundance of wealth in degrowth communism' … is as precise as it is gripping' Timothée Parrique, The Conversation'In this refreshing and highly significant work, Kohei Saito draws on only recently published writings from Marx's later notebooks on science and nature which reveal a less Promethean Marx … essential reading for all serious Marxists.' John Green, Morning StarTable of ContentsDedication; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; Introduction; Part I. Marx's Ecological Critique of Capitalism and its Oblivion: 1. Marx's theory of metabolism in the age of global ecological crisis; 2. The intellectual relationship of Marx and Engels revisited from an ecological perspective; 3. Lukács's theory of metabolism as the foundation of ecosocialist realism; Part II. A Critique of Productive Forces in the Anthropocene; 4. Monism and the non-identity of nature; 5. The revival of utopian socialism and the productive forces of capital; Part III. Towards Degrowth Communism: 6. Marx as a degrowth communist; 7. The abundance of wealth in degrowth communism; Conclusion; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisAn excellent and entertaining essayist, Laski's volume deals with the issues of politics and law in Europe and American during the 1920s and 30s. It is unified by the concpetion of democracy as a society of equals sharing in a common good.  Table of Contents1. The Danger of Being a Gentleman: Reflections on the Ruling Class in England (1932) 2. On the Study of Politics (1926) 3. Law and Justice in Soviet Russia (1935) 4. The Judicial Function (1936) 5. The English Constitution and French Public Opinion, 1789-1794 (1938) 6. The Committee System n English Local Government (1936) 7. Nationalism and the Future of Civilization (1932) 8. Mr. Justice Holmes: For his Eighty-Ninth Birthday (1930)

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Book SynopsisIn 1940, Daily Telegraph correspondent Henry Buckley published his eyewitness account of his experiences reporting form the Spanish Civil War. The copies of the book, stored in a warehouse in London, were destroyed during the Blitz and only a handful of copies of his unique chronicle were saved. Now, eighty years after its first publication, this exceptional eyewitness account of the war is republished with a new introduction by acclaimed scholar Paul Preston.The Life and Death of the Spanish Republic is a unique account of Spanish politics throughout the Second Republic, from its foundation of 14 April 1931 to its defeat at the end of March 1939. It combines personal recollections of meetings with the great politicians of the day and intimate accounts of dramatic events with a deep understanding of Spain its people, politics and culture. Providing a fascinating portrait of a crucial decade of contemporary Spanish history and based on an abundance of the witneTable of ContentsIntroduction. The Humane Observer: Henry Buckley, Paul Preston (London School of Economics, UK) Foreword 1. The Spain I Found 2. Death of a Dictator 3. Jaca: A Successful Failure 4. Curtain to a Régime 5. A Republic is Born 6. The King’s Record 7. Trouble in the Republic 8. Words – not Deeds 9. A Middle-Class Republic 10. August Fireworks 11. Bad Days for the Republic 12. Vatican Policy in Spain 13. Lerroux in Charge 14. Semana Santa 15. Juan March 16. The Storm-Clouds Gather 17. To Save the Republic 18. No Dictatorship 19. The Republic Marks Times 20. Azaña has the Answer 21. Victory 22. Adrift After Victory 23. Personal Reactions 24. The Explosion 25. Off to the Front 26. Moors in Castile 27. Franco Advances from the South 28. Toledo in Peace and War 29. The Telephone Building 30. Madrid is Saved 31. A Count in Gaol 32. Attempts to Surround Madrid 33. The Battle of Guadalajara 34. New Tactics 35. Coronation Interlude 36. Admiral Raeder Shells Almeria 37. In Caux-sur-Montreux 38. Prieto as War Minister 39. Teruel for the Republic 40. Franco wins the Battle of Aragon 41. Enrique Lister 42. On Valencia, Journalism and Other Matters 43. The Toll of Human Suffering 44. Dr Juan Negrin 45. A Closed Frontier and a Crumbling Front 46. Parliament in a Dungeon 47. The End of a Republic Index

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Book SynopsisThe astonishing drama of Cold War nuclear poker that divided humanity - reissued with a new preface to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the wall.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR 'DRESDEN' 'In narrative power and persuasion, he has paralleled in Dresden what Antony Beevor achieved in Stalingrad' Independent on Sunday 'Well-researched and unpretentious fascinating Taylor skilfully interweaves various personal accounts of the impact of the raids' Michael Burleigh, Guardian 'Impressive Taylor weaves a chilling narrative from eyewitness accounts and painstaking documentary research, particularly with German sources. He explains the conceptual and strategic background with admirable clarity. His account of the air operation itself is quite superb' The Times

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Book SynopsisKarl Marx was the first theorist of global capitalism and remains perhaps its most trenchant critic. This clear and innovative book, from one of the leading contemporary experts on Marx's thought, gives us a fresh overview of his ideas by framing them within concepts that remain topical and alive today, from class struggle and progress to democracy and exploitation. Taking Marx's work in his pamphleteering, journalism, speeches, correspondence and published books as central to a renewed understanding of the man and his politics, this book brings both his life experience and our contemporary political engagements vividly to life. It shows us the many ways that a nineteenth-century thinker has been made into the 'Marx' we know today, beginning with his own self-presentations before moving on to the successive different "Marxes" that were later constructed: an icon of communist revolution, a demonic figure in the Cold War, a 'humanist' philosopher, and a spectre haunting Occupy Wall Street. Carver's accessible and lively book unpacks the historical, intellectual and political difficulties that make Marx sometimes difficult to read and understand, while also highlighting the distinct areas where his challenging writings speak directly to the twenty-first-century world. It will be essential reading for students and scholars throughout the social sciences and anyone interested in the contemporary legacy of his revolutionary ideas.Trade Review"Terrell Carver has done something new, surprising, and very rewarding. By concentrating on Marx the political activist, rather than Marx the grand figure of intellectual history, Carver allows us to understand the many ways in which Marx's ideas resonate through contemporary political debates. Marx emerges as a 'punchy writer, formidable thinker and economics-minded gadfly.'"—Jonathan Wolff, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford "Full of insight and enthusiasm, Terrell Carver's provocative new book gives us a welcome portrait of Marx as very much our contemporary - a political activist grappling with issues that still concern us, in ways we can still learn from."—David Leopold, University of OxfordTable of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Abbreviations Timeline Introduction: Another Marx Chapter One: Making Marx 'Marx' Chapter Two: Class Struggle and Class Compromise Chapter Three: History and Progress Chapter Four: Democracy and Communism/Socialism Chapter Five: Capitalism and Revolution Chapter Six: Exploitation and Alienation Afterword A Note on Complete Works and Canon-formation Bibliography Endnotes Index

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Book SynopsisWe have entered the gateway to the apocalypse. This theological concept is the best metaphor to describe the world in which we are already living. Chaos is all around us: political folly, economical delirium, ecological catastrophe, intellectual cynicism, technological simulation of life. This is what Franco ‘Bifo’ Berardi suggests in this wry, dark, disconcerting but also brilliant and invigorating journey through the main events that we have witnessed in recent years. One century after the Communist revolution, the very idea that the world could be changed for the better seems dead once and for all. Every time that a new change occurs nowadays, it seems to be a change for the worse. But the fact that nothing can save us any more shouldn’t be seen as a form of fatality or a reason for surrender. On the contrary, if our world is dead, then the space is open for another to appear – a world where apocalypse can shake us out of our zombie-like contemporary existence. The second coming of Communism will have nothing to do with 1917. Apocalypse has to be conceived of as a metaphor, and Communism is a metaphor too: the metaphor of the possible deployment of the potentials of the mind.Table of Contents0. How to How to deal with chaos Not action but interpretation Black out 1. In retrospect Fifty years after sixty-eight A hundred years after the Soviet revolutionIs fascism back? 2. Apocalypse The expanding sphere of nothingness The Empire of Chaos and the Embedded Order Guns, opioids and reason Trumping truth in the empire of fake Auschwitz on the beach 3. Is there life after the apocalypse?

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Book SynopsisThe struggle in projects, ideas and symbols between the strongest Communist Party in the West and an anti-communist and pro-Western government coalition was the most peculiar founding element of Italian democratic political system after World War II. Communism and anti-Communism in early Cold War Italy enlightens new aspects of and players of the anti-Communist ‘front’. It takes into account the role of cultural associations, newspapers and the popular press in the selection and diffusion of critical judgements and images of Communism, highlighting a dimension that explains the force and the diffusion of anti-communist opinions in Italy after 1989 and the crisis of traditional parties. The author also places the case of Italian cold-war anti-communism in an international context for the first time.Table of ContentsIntroduction1. Systems and methods for political communication in post-war Italy2. Religious and moral values3. Freedom and democracy4. The fatherland, the Italian nation and its role in the world5. Towards a legitimation of prosperity?Index

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Book SynopsisIn Marxism and America, an accomplished group of scholars reconsiders the relationship of the United States to the theoretical tradition derived from Karl Marx.In brand new essays that cover the period from the nineteenth century, when Marx wrote for American newspapers, to the present, when a millennial socialism has emerged inspired by the presidential campaigns of Bernie Sanders, the contributors take up topics ranging from memory of the Civil War to feminist debates over sexuality and pornography. Along the way, they clarify the relationship of race and democracy, the promise and perils of the American political tradition and the prospects for class politics today.Marxism and America sheds new light on old questions, helping to explain why socialism has been so difficult to establish in the United States even as it has exerted a notable influence in American thought.Trade Review'Full of spirited and cogent arguments, prodigiously researched and vivaciously told, Marxism and America is tailor-made for activists and scholars of the present moment.' Alan Wald, University of Michigan'At last, a collection on Marxism in the United States that pays serious attention to women, sexuality and feminism.' Nancy Holmstrom, Rutgers University 'A talented group of writers. Anyone interested in understanding the past and present of the left in the United States — from Eugene Debs to W. E. B. Du Bois through AOC and Bernie Sanders — should read this book!' Bhaskar Sunkara, editor, Jacobin ‘This insightful, compelling collection shines fresh light on the vital importance of the American experience to understanding Marxist thought, as well as the value of Marxian analysis to understanding the history and social movements of the United States.’ Jonathan Bell, UCL'Filled with surprising insights, these beautifully researched essays on a wide range of topics demonstrate the importance and the diversity of Marxist-inspired politics and ideas in American history. At a moment of resurgence for the left, they are a wonderful resource.' Kimberly Phillips-Fein, New York University -- .Table of ContentsPreface – Nelson LichtensteinIntroduction: the Marx–America dialectic – Christopher Phelps and Robin Vandome1 The blue and the gray and the red: Marxism and Civil War memory – Matthew E. Stanley 2 “What is the correct revolutionary proletarian attitude toward sex?”: red love and the Americanization of Marx in the interwar years – Jesse F. Battan3 Marxism and Americanism: A. J. Muste, Louis Budenz, and an “American approach” before the Popular Front – Leilah Danielson4 Women, the family, and sexuality in U.S. Communist Party publications: refashioning Marxism for the Popular Front era – Jodie Collins5 Rethinking Karl Marx: American liberalism from the New Deal to the Cold War – Andrew Hartman6 Black Marxism off the color line: W. E. B. Du Bois and Oliver Cromwell Cox as democratic theorists – Paul M. Heideman7 “Not picketing in front of bra factories”: Marxism, feminism, and the Weather Underground – Sinead McEneaney8 A people’s history of Howard Zinn: radical popular history and its readers – Nick Witham9 Class, commodity, consumption: theorizing sexual violence during the feminist sex wars of the 1980s – Mara Keire10 Will the revolution be podcast? Marxism and the culture of “millennial socialism” in the United States – Tim Jelfs11 Does the American experience refute Marxism? – Kim MoodyIndex

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Book SynopsisIn Marxism and America, an accomplished group of scholars reconsiders the relationship of the United States to the theoretical tradition derived from Karl Marx.In brand new essays that cover the period from the nineteenth century, when Marx wrote for American newspapers, to the present, when a millennial socialism has emerged inspired by the presidential campaigns of Bernie Sanders, the contributors take up topics ranging from memory of the Civil War to feminist debates over sexuality and pornography. Along the way, they clarify the relationship of race and democracy, the promise and perils of the American political tradition and the prospects for class politics today.Marxism and America sheds new light on old questions, helping to explain why socialism has been so difficult to establish in the United States even as it has exerted a notable influence in American thought.Trade Review'Full of spirited and cogent arguments, prodigiously researched and vivaciously told, Marxism and America is tailor-made for activists and scholars of the present moment.' Alan Wald, University of Michigan'At last, a collection on Marxism in the United States that pays serious attention to women, sexuality and feminism.' Nancy Holmstrom, Rutgers University 'A talented group of writers. Anyone interested in understanding the past and present of the left in the United States — from Eugene Debs to W. E. B. Du Bois through AOC and Bernie Sanders — should read this book!' Bhaskar Sunkara, editor, Jacobin ‘This insightful, compelling collection shines fresh light on the vital importance of the American experience to understanding Marxist thought, as well as the value of Marxian analysis to understanding the history and social movements of the United States.’ Jonathan Bell, UCL'Filled with surprising insights, these beautifully researched essays on a wide range of topics demonstrate the importance and the diversity of Marxist-inspired politics and ideas in American history. At a moment of resurgence for the left, they are a wonderful resource.' Kimberly Phillips-Fein, New York University -- .Table of ContentsPreface – Nelson LichtensteinIntroduction: the Marx–America dialectic – Christopher Phelps and Robin Vandome1 The blue and the gray and the red: Marxism and Civil War memory – Matthew E. Stanley 2 “What is the correct revolutionary proletarian attitude toward sex?”: red love and the Americanization of Marx in the interwar years – Jesse F. Battan3 Marxism and Americanism: A. J. Muste, Louis Budenz, and an “American approach” before the Popular Front – Leilah Danielson4 Women, the family, and sexuality in U.S. Communist Party publications: refashioning Marxism for the Popular Front era – Jodie Collins5 Rethinking Karl Marx: American liberalism from the New Deal to the Cold War – Andrew Hartman6 Black Marxism off the color line: W. E. B. Du Bois and Oliver Cromwell Cox as democratic theorists – Paul M. Heideman7 “Not picketing in front of bra factories”: Marxism, feminism, and the Weather Underground – Sinead McEneaney8 A people’s history of Howard Zinn: radical popular history and its readers – Nick Witham9 Class, commodity, consumption: theorizing sexual violence during the feminist sex wars of the 1980s – Mara Keire10 Will the revolution be podcast? Marxism and the culture of “millennial socialism” in the United States – Tim Jelfs11 Does the American experience refute Marxism? – Kim MoodyIndex

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Book SynopsisIn a world of deep political divisions and rising inequality, many of us feel the need for some form of collective resistance and transformative joint action. Calls for solidarity are heard everywhere. This book presents a critical proposal to guide our reflection on what solidarity is and why it matters. How is solidarity distinct from related ideas such as altruism, justice and fellow-feeling? What value does acting in solidarity with others have? In his lead essay, Andrea Sangiovanni offers compelling answers to these questions, arguing that solidarity is not just a fuzzy stand-in for feelings of togetherness but a distinctive social practice for an anxious age. His ideas are then put to the test in a series of responses from some of the world’s foremost philosophers and political theorists.Table of ContentsPart I: Lead essay 1 Solidarity: nature, grounds and value – Andrea Sangiovanni Part II: Responses 2 Solidarity is not joint action – Avery Kolers 3 The (anti)colonial limits of solidarity: history, theory, practice – Jared Holley 4 Collective transformative hope: on living in solidarity – Sally Scholz 5 The meaning(s) of solidarity – Rainer Forst 6 Solidarity and structural injustice – Catherine LuPart III: Reply7 Response to critics – Andrea SangiovanniIndex

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Book SynopsisThe staggering story of the most influential Chinese political dissident of the Mao era, a devout Christian who was imprisoned, tortured, and executed by the regimeBlood Letters tells the astonishing tale of Lin Zhao, a Chinese poet and journalist arrested by the regime in 1960 and executed eight years later, at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Alone among the victims of Mao's dictatorship, she maintained a stubborn and open opposition during the years she was imprisoned. She rooted her dissent in her Christian faith--and expressed it in long, prophetic writings done in her own blood, and at times on her clothes and on cloth torn from her bedsheets.Miraculously, Lin Zhao's prison writings survived, though they have only recently come to light. Drawing on these works and others from the years before her arrest, as well as interviews with friends, family, and classmates, Lian Xi paints an indelible portrait of courage and faith in the face of unrelenting evil.

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Book SynopsisImagining Afghanistan examines how Afghanistanhas been imagined in literary and visual texts that were published after the9/11 attacks and the subsequent U.S.-led invasion—the era that propelledAfghanistan into the center of global media visibility. Through an analysis offiction, graphic novels, memoirs, drama, and film, the book demonstrates thatwriting and screening "Afghanistan" has become a conduit for understanding ourshared post-9/11 condition. "Afghanistan" serves as a lens through whichcontemporary cultural producers contend with the moral ambiguities of twenty-first-centuryhumanitarianism, interpret the legacy of the Cold War, debate the role of theU.S. in the rise of transnational terror, and grapple with the long-term impactof war on both human and nonhuman ecologies.Post-9/11 global Afghanistan literary productionremains largely NATO-centric insofar as it is marked by an uncriticalinvestment in humanitarianism as an approach to Third World suffering and inanti-communism as an unquestioned premise. The book's first half exposes how persistinganti-socialist biases—including anti-statist bias—not only shaped recent literaryand visual texts on Afghanistan, resulting in a distorted portrayal of itstragic history, but also informed these texts' reception by critics. In thebook's second half, the author examines cultural texts that challenge thislimited horizon and forge alternative ways of representing traumatic histories.Captured by the author through the concepts of deep time, nonhuman witness, andwar as a multispecies ecology, these new aesthetics bring readers asophisticated portrait of Afghanistan as a rich multispecies habitat affectedin dramatic ways by decades of war but not annihilated.Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction: Global Afghanistan 1. Humanitarian Sublime and the Politics of Pity: Writing and Screening "Afghanistan" Circa 2001 2. Imagining the Soviets: The Faustian Bargain of Khaled Hosseini's Kabul "Trilogy" 3. Humanitarian Jihad: Unearthing the Contemporary in the Narratives of the Long 1979 4. Witness: Modes of Writing the Disaster 5. The Deep Time of War: Nadeem Aslam and the Aesthetics of the Geologic Turn 6. The Kabubble: The Humanitarian Community Under Scrutiny Conclusion: The End of an Era Notes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisKarl Marx saw the ruling class as a sorcerer, no longer able to control the ominous powers it has summoned from the netherworld. Today, in an age spawning the likes of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, our society has never before been governed by so many conjuring tricks, with collusions and conspiracies, fake news and endless sleights of the economic and political hand. And yet, contends Andy Merrifield, as our modern lives become ever more mist-enveloped, the works of Marx can help us penetrate the fog. In Marx, Dead and Alive – a book that begins and ends beside Marx’s recently violated London graveside – Merrifield makes a spirited case for a critical thinker who can still offer people a route toward personal and social authenticity. Bolstering his argument with fascinating examples of literature and history, from Shakespeare and Beckett, to the Luddites and the Black Panthers, Merrifield demonstrates how Marx can reveal our individual lives to us within a collective perspective – and within a historical continuum. Who we are now hinges on who we once were – and who we might become. This, at a time when our value-system is undergoing core “post-truth” meltdown.Trade Review“This enchanting portrait of Marx at work, with his legendary overcoat and shuffling ways, is brilliant, informative, and beautifully written. Merrifield then puts the insights he derives from reconnecting with Marx's writing to work to illuminate everything from the writings of Gogol and Dickens to the architectural disaster of New York's Hudson Yards.” —David Harvey, author, A Companion to Marx’s Capital and Marx, Capital and the Madness of Economic Reason

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