About the Book
Adventures in Marxist Theory provides an introduction and overview of Marxian theory to demonstrate its contemporary relevance to social and political theory and a range of disciplines from philosophy to economics in both the humanities and the social sciences. The text argues that current historical developments and the evolution of economics, politics, society, culture, technology, and everyday life demonstrates the contemporary relevance of Marxism in both theory and politics in the contemporary era.
The book presents a twenty-first century Marxism relevant to theorizing contemporary state capitalist and technological societies, critically dissecting their major social and political issues and problems, while advancing progressive social transformation in the interests of increased democracy and social justice. The volume opens with an Introduction describing a multi-disciplinary and critical approach to Marxism and its application to a wide range of contemporary issues, including the alienation of labor in the workplace, social divisions, and injustices such as classism, sexism, racism, and homophobia, and questions of technology, social media, and AI, as well as problems of ecological crisis, autocracy, and state oppression. Specific chapters address the Marxian critique of capitalism and theory of socialism, its concept of ideology and morality, its methodological synthesis of social science, critical theory, and its analyses of globalization, technology, and democracy.
Written by a distinguished scholar of Marxism, critical theory, and cultural and political studies, the volume will be a key resource for instructors, students, and readers in historical and contemporary sociology, social and critical theory, political sociology, political and cultural studies, and Marx and Marxist studies.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Kevin B. Anderson
1. My Road to Karl Marx and Marxism
2. Karl Marx in Historical Context
3. Friedrich Engels, the Industrial Working Class, and Modernity
4. Capitalism and Human Nature in Adam Smith and Karl Marx5. Marxism, Morality, and Ideology: Toward a Critical Marxian Humanism6. Marxism, Colonialism and Modernity: Toward an Intersectional Marxism7. Marx’s Critique of Capital and the Consumer Society
8. Marxism, Technological Revolution, and the Contemporary Era
9. The Continued Relevance of Marxist Theory and Socialist Practice in the 21st Century,
Epilogue: The Limitations and Contributions of Classical Marxism
About the Author :
Douglas Kellner is George Kneller Chair in the Philosophy of Education at UCLA, and is author of many books on social theory, politics, history, and culture, including Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity, and Politics in the Contemporary Moment (2e, 2020), American Nightmare: Donald Trump, Media Spectacle, and Authoritarian Populism (2016) and American Horror Show: Election 2016 and the Ascent of Donald J. Trump (2017), as well as the editor of the multi-volume Collected Papers of Herbert Marcuse (2017) and Herbert Marcuse and the Crisis of Marxism (1984).
Review :
"As a guide to reading and understanding Marxist thought, this is a very helpful pedagogical resource. It brings compelling insights and original arguments in order to contribute to on-going debates in Marxian thought, e.g. did Marx believe in some kind of fixed human nature or essential features of what it means to be human? If so, did he maintain this belief throughout his life or move on from it? I appreciate that the book begins with a personal story of Marx and concludes with Marx’s contemporary relevance for understanding 21st century economic and political developments. The review and argumentation on Marxian debates is worthwhile, especially as it illustrates that Marxism is not a monolith but, in fact, a diverse field of study. It is commendable that the author is providing a legible review of Marxian thought while also engaging in serious debates in the field. This accessible review of Marx and Marxian thought will certainly be of interest to a new generation of students and teachers."
Timothy Clark, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Catawba College
"Douglas Kellner has developed in this critical study a luminous account of Marxist thought in its myriad philosophical, economic, political, and cultural dimensions. It constitutes both the preservation and concretization for today of a century of dialectical Marxism going all the way back to Lukács. Adventures in Marxist Theory is sure to engage a new generation of radicals and Marxists concerned with economic and class exploitation and with imperialism and war, but for whom the Hegelian/Marxian dialectic has been tarnished via attacks from anti-totality and decolonial perspectives. It will also bring Marx in new ways to a generation of critical theorists of various types who were taught to avoid or too quickly go ‘beyond’ Marx, but who are being drawn back to him by the dire state of the world. I invite all of them to read this book as a rigorous yet clear introduction to an entire world of dialectical and humanist Marxism that is deeply grounded in the study of social life, and its needed transformation."
Kevin B. Anderson, Professor of Sociology, University of California Santa Barbara
"Adventures in Marxist Theory re-emphasizes the relevance of Marxism for the current political moment and argues that the Marxist theorization of capitalism holds true, despite many of the historical changes in the way the system operates now from the way it did at its inception. This approach is both important and incisive. It rejects ahistorical (and un-Marxist) claims of capitalism being an unchanging set of social relations, while establishing Marxism as theory, or a framework, rather than a set of received truths or empirical findings. The project also makes another important contribution in that it underscores the impossibility of tethering Marxism to any one academic discipline, such as history, or economics. The book will be important for a range of courses, from Introduction to Marxist Theory to historiography and methods."
Tithi Bhattacharya, Professor of History, Purdue University
"In his new book, Douglas Kellner convincingly demonstrates that Marxism is still of central importance for a critical analysis of the present and for supporting radical democratic politics in the 21st century."
Rainer Winter, Professor of Media and Cultural Theory, University of Klagenfurt
