Revisiting Marx's Critique of Liberalism

Revisiting Marx's Critique of Liberalism offers a theoretical reconstruction of Karl Marx's new materialist understanding of justice, legality, and rights through the vantage point of his widely invoked but generally misunderstood critique of liberalism. The book begins by reconstructing Marx's conception of justice and rights through close textual interpretation and extrapolation. The central thesis of the book is, firstly, that Marx regards justice as an essential feature of any society, including the emancipated society of the future; and secondly, that standards of justice and right undergo transformation throughout history. The book then tracks the enduring legacy of Marx's critique of liberal justice by examining how leading contemporary political theorists such as John Rawls, Jürgen Habermas, Axel Honneth, and Nancy Fraser have responded to Marx's critique of liberalism in the face of global financial capitalism and the hollowing out of democratically-enacted law. TheMarx that emerges from this book is therefore a thoroughly modern thinker whose insights shed valuable light on some of the most pressing challenges confronting liberal democracies today.

Provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of Marx on justice, law and the discourse of rights in view of recent archival research Goes against the grain of prevailing orthodoxy by offering an original interpretation of Marx as an immanent critic of liberalism and a qualified defender of justice, legality and rights Among the few studies of its kind that puts Marx in conversation with contemporary political theorists, demonstrating his enduring relevance in light of the challenges faced by present-day liberal democracies

Autorentext
Igor Shoikhedbrod received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Toronto, Canada. He is currently Assistant Professor of Political Theory, at St. Francis Xavier University.

Klappentext

Revisiting Marx's Critique of Liberalism offers a theoretical reconstruction of Karl Marx's new materialist understanding of justice, legality, and rights through the vantage point of his widely invoked but generally misunderstood critique of liberalism. The book begins by reconstructing Marx's conception of justice and rights through close textual interpretation and extrapolation. The central thesis of the book is, firstly, that Marx regards justice as an essential feature of any society, including the emancipated society of the future; and secondly, that standards of justice and right undergo transformation throughout history. The book then tracks the enduring legacy of Marx's critique of liberal justice by examining how leading contemporary political theorists such as John Rawls, Jürgen Habermas, Axel Honneth, and Nancy Fraser have responded to Marx's critique of liberalism in the face of global financial capitalism and the hollowing out of democratically-enacted law. TheMarx that emerges from this book is therefore a thoroughly modern thinker whose insights shed valuable light on some of the most pressing challenges confronting liberal democracies today.

Inhalt

1. Chapter 1: Introduction.- 2. Chapter 2: Situating Marx with Respect to Justice and Right.- 3. Chapter 3: Marx's Radical Critique of Liberalism and the Supersession of Bourgeois Rights.- 4. Chapter 4: The Normative Argument for Communist Legality.- 5. Chapter 5: Contemporary Responses to Marx's Critique of Liberal Justice.- 6. Chapter 6: Democracy and the Riddle of All Constitutions: Marx's Enduring Lessons.- 7. Chapter 7: Conclusion