A new look at the essence of Marxist theory, questioning the interpretations made by Engels and Lenin.

Marx's influence is evident in a range of often incompatible and contradictory political movements and intellectual approaches. With a number of those movements now discredited by the experience of 'really existing socialism', and the academic left gravitating towards approaches which eschew 'authoritarian', 'essentialist' and 'ethnocentric' elements of orthodox Marxism, the relevance of Marx has been called into question. Featuring chapters by Norman Geras, Joseph Femia, Alan Johnson, Paul Bowman, Ronaldo Munck, Lawrence Wilde, Mark Cowling, Chengyi Peng, Terrell Carver, Oliver Harrison and Stuart Sim, this book is an attempt to examine means by which the left can make real, substantive and positive contributions to contemporary debate. The collection examines such topics as: the meaning of Marxism and pluralism within the left; Marxism's scientific credentials; Žižek, revolution, democracy and cultural studies; the politics of development; the relationship between Marxism and global capitalism; the global justice debate and Marx's rejection of moral discourse; the analysis of crime and criminal justice; Chinese society and constitutional diversity, and the relationship between Marxism and post-Marxism.

Using Political Ideas is a unique blend of political philosophy, political theory and history of political thought. It combines a critique of the major ideologies of recent and contemporary society with an analysis of the ideas that form the very stuff of political debate. By exposing the interplay between ideas and ideologies, it shows why political opponents often speak at cross-purposes and why rational agreement is so hard to achieve in politics. The sixth edition of this well respected and widely known text will be welcomed by those interested in questions such as: Is equality more important than personal freedom? Does the majority have the right to dictate to the minority in multicultural society? Is nationalism a progressive force in the world? Politics does not stand still, there are always new controversies and ideological conflicts and the climate of discussion changes. The 6th edition of this best-selling book is fully updated and includes a new chapter on authoritarian ideologies to reflect the growing extreme right-wing politics in parts of Europe. This edition also provides a variety of new learning features, a comprehensive glossary, detailed lists of further reading and a list of questions for discussion.

This volume looks at Marxist thought in criminology, the work of Willem Bonger, Georg Rusche and Otto Kircheimer, and assesses the role of Marxist analysis in areas such as Critical Criminology and Left Realism. Arguing that Marxism is relevant in the post-Soviet era, it offers a 'toolkit' of Marxist theories and how to use them.

For more than half a century, the Socialist Register has brought together some of the sharpest thinkers from around the globe to address the pressing issues of our time. Founded by Ralph Miliband and John Saville in London in 1964, SR continues their commitment to independent and thought-provoking analysis, free of dogma or sectarian positions. Transforming Classes is a compendium of socialist thought today and a clarifying account of class struggle in the early twenty-first-century, from China to the United States.

This unique and innovative text provides undergraduate students with tools to think sociologically through the lens of everyday life. Normative social organization and taken for granted beliefs and actions are exposed as key mechanisms of power and social inequality in western societies today. By "unpacking the centre" students are encouraged to turn their social worlds inside out and explore alternatives to the dominant social order. The text is divided into three parts. In Part One students learn how to use theory and methodology, which are blended seamlessly throughout the text. It shows how to position Michel Foucault as a companion to theorists such as Karl Marx and Stuart Hall, while signaling the importance of non-western and Indigenous knowledges, experiences, and rights. In Part Two, students explore – and challenge – normativity; the normal body, heterosexuality, whiteness, the two-gender system, aging, and the under-side of citizenship. In Part Three, shorter chapters critique everyday practices such as thinking scientifically, practicing self-help, going shopping, managing money, buying coffee, being a tourist, and marginalizing Indigeneity. Each chapter includes intriguing exercises, study questions, and key terms that link to the volume’s comprehensive glossary. Instructors are provided PowerPoint slides, test banks, and multimodal supplementary resources that make the book adaptable to blended and online learning environments. Essay-style lectures are also available to accompany the textbook.

"Including studies of the sexual self and sexual subjectivities, socio-political processes of normativization, and social structures of sexuality and gender in national and transnational contexts, this book offers a view of sexuality as a broad and complex dimension of historically changing social-cultural and human-material reality"--EBL.