Marx's Ghost: Midnight Conversations on Changing the World

by Charles Derber

Overview

Renowned American sociologist Charles Derber imagines a surprise encounter with Karl Marx's ghost in London's Highgate cemetery, leading to a night-long conversation about the problems plaguing the world. The economic crisis, climate change, war, the future of capitalism and the 'Arab Spring' are all discussed. The ghost reconsiders his theories as he speaks eloquently about American labour, environmental, gender and anti-racist struggles. The engrossing, funny and provocative conversation, with appearances from other ghosts such as John Maynard Keynes, offers new insights into the relevance and flaws of Marx's thought, indicating how we can get to a better world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781317256281
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/17/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Derber, Charles

Table of Contents

Part 1 I Meet the Ghost; Chapter 1 Highgate Cemetery; Chapter 2 The Ghost; Chapter 3 Marx's Avatar; Chapter 4 The Ghost Begins to Talk and Explains His Ghostly Powers; Chapter 5 Marx as the Devil; Chapter 6 Tina; Chapter 7 TINA Arrives Exactly at the Wrong Time; Chapter 8 The Ghost Turns Sunny; Chapter 9 The Ghost Promises Me a New Story '¦ about the Great Transition; Chapter 10 Capitalism, Socialism, and the Great Transition; Chapter 11 I Am Not Promising You a Rose Garden: Tea Part Ies and the Alternatives of Evil; Part 2 TINA Can't Seduce This Ghost; Chapter 12 The Story Begins'”At Harvard Yard; Chapter 13 Communism Collapses and History Ends; Chapter 14 The Globalization of TINA; Chapter 15 Liberals and TINA; Chapter 16 Even the Left Has Given Up the Ghost; Part 3 Super-Capitalist Crises and the Regime of Death; Chapter 17 The Ghost Gets Socratic and Talks History; Chapter 18 The Ghost Talks about Capitalism and the Great Recession; Chapter 19 The Ghost Talks Crisis and Systemic Risk; Chapter 20 The Real Truth about the Great Recession of 2008'”and the Secret of Capitalist Crises; Chapter 21 Nickel and Dimed: Yes, It's Capitalism, Stupid; Chapter 22 Capitalism against Society: Extreme Inequality and Social Breakdown; Chapter 23 Mature Capitalism Equals Social Problems on Steroids; Chapter 24 The Great Recession: Is It the End of Capitalism as We Know It?; Chapter 25 Another Ghost, John Maynard Keynes, Joins the Conversation; Chapter 26 A Third Ghost, Hyman Minsky, Enters the Scene; Chapter 27 A Fourth Ghost, Milton Friedman, Makes a Surprise Appearance; Chapter 28 Lessons of the Crisis; Chapter 29 The Ghost Says That Capitalism Has Already Disappeared; Chapter 30 The Ghost Begins Mapping the Twenty-First Century; Chapter 31 The Time Crunch; Chapter 32 The War System in an Age of WMD; Chapter 33 Capitalism, Imperialism, and War without End; Chapter 34 War and Nationalism: The Culture of Capitalism and Winning the Hearts and Minds of Workers at Home.../part contents

Editorial Reviews

"The old ghost has a lot to tell us, so we find out from these imaginative and compelling conversations in Highgate Cemetery. We hear from Marx's companions and his sometime adversaries as well. But especially from the author who guides the conversation, and in lucid and informative prose draws the curtain from many of the ills of the world while also directing us to ways to escape from what might be a grim future. A very valuable and timely contribution." — Noam Chomsky

"What would Karl Marx think about Lady Gaga, Facebook, and the Wall Street-driven economic meltdown? Derber's gift is to bring Marx alive and engage the worldly philosopher about the great issues of our contemporary age."
— Chuck Collins, co-author with Bill Gates, Sr., of Wealth and Our Commonwealth

"This is a delightful read, in which we meet Marx the humanist, Marx the supporter of the eight-hour day, Marx before Marxism, as C. Wright Mills used to say. Charles Derber is in that tradition of Mills, one who wants to reclaim the real history of the demonized for a new generation." — Tom Hayden

"By using a time capsule technique to bring back Karl Marx to the 21st century, Charles Derber engages him in an illuminating taboo-shredding conversation about economies, workers, corporations and governments. Derber opens minds, challenges facile assumptions and liberates conventional inhibitions."
— Ralph Nader

"Derber proposes practical solutions that are both reformist and revolutionary in their scope for transforming today's outdated and unfair system of capitalism. Marx's Ghost is the essential handbook for social and environmental activists everywhere." — Jonthan Steele, columnist for The Guardian

"Thought provoking and accessible, Professor Derber has masterfully brought Marx's theories to life and made them relevant for all citizens trying to understand their own social realities. I will be excited to use Marx's Ghost in courses including social theory, introduction to sociology, social inequality, and in courses on the current economic crisis." — Johnathan White, co-author of The Engaged Sociologist: Connecting the Classroom to the Community

From the Publisher