Historical materialism, social change, and the necessity of revolutionary optimism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12979321 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Collin L Chambers (0000-0002-9838-4000, Syracuse University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 296-300 |
| Publication date | 2020-12-03 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Human Geography (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1942-7786 • E-ISSN: 2633-674X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1942778620977202 |
| OpenAlex | W3107471375 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 8 |
Marxists of various sorts within and outside geography are adept in deploying Marxian conceptual tools to understand particular realities in a capitalist society. However, this trend in only understanding capital’s logics around the world and in different super-structural/historical contexts runs the risk of making Marxism and the work of Marxists passé—especially in our current times when progressives are finally talking about socialism and alternatives to capitalism on a popular level again. In this opinion piece, I argue that Marx’s historical materialism not only provides the means to understand the complex world; more importantly, it provides the theoretical foundation for thinking about how revolutionary change beyond capitalism can occur. Marx provides the grounds for revolutionary optimism that capitalism can be overthrown and replaced with socialism. Marxist geographers must begin to embrace revolutionary optimism if we do not want to be left behind in the real political struggles currently taking place
Capital (architecture · Capitalism · Communism · Economics · Epistemology · Historical materialism · Marxist philosophy · Materialism · Neoclassical economics · Optimism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Social science · Socialism · Sociology · State socialism · History · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Law · Philosophy · Political Economy and Marxism · Urban Planning and Governance
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,6 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |