Analytical Marxism

A Critical Overview

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4607237
AutoresJack Amariglio (Merrimack College), Antonio Callari (0000-0002-7326-1530, Franklin & Marshall College), Stephen Cullenberg (University of California, Riverside)
Año1991
Volumen19
Número1/2
Páginas3
Fecha de publicación1991-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSocial Scientist (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0970-0293
EditorialJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/3517727
OpenAlexW4232900132
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas12
Referencias citadas10

The school of Analytical Marxism (henceforth, AM) has presented its work as response to certain crisis elements within Traditional Marxism (henceforth, TM). These crisis elements are both theoretico-analytical and historico-political; they involve questions about the validity of traditional Marxian categories (labor-values, exploitation, and so forth) and about the ability of TM to understand historical developments in both socialism and capitalism (Roemer 1986, 1-2 and 191). As a response to these crisis elements, AM has proposed that Marxian theory be reformulated from the standpoint of the principle of methodological individualism, and AM has indeed produced a transformation of the Marxian conceptual landscape, rejecting some concepts (labor values) while redefining others (exploitation). Our own view is rather critical of AM. While we recognize that there are problems with TM, and while we agree that these problems are significant enough to require a fundamental rethinking of Marxian theory, we do not believe that AM represents a successful attempt to reconceive the structure of Marxian theory. We believe, on the contrary, that AM represents a retreat from Marxian theory and, more precisely, a retreat even from those aspects of the Marxian tradition in which AM professes an interest. We believe, moreover, that whereas AM has claimed itself to be more scientific and analytically rigorous than TM, these claims of analytical rigor are a rhetorical device that only camouflages (though, perhaps, not consciously) the retreat from Marxian theory.1

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