Selected Writings on Marxism

by Stuart Hall, Gregor McLennan (Editor)

Overview

Throughout his career Stuart Hall engaged with Marxism in varying ways, actively rethinking it to address the political and cultural exigencies of the moment. This collection of Hall's key writings on Marxism surveys the questions central to his interpretations of and investments in Marxist theory and practice. It includes Hall's readings of canonical texts by Marx and Engels, Gramsci, and Althusser; his exchanges with other prominent thinkers about Marxism; his use of Marxist frameworks to theorize specific cultural phenomena and discourses; and some of his later work in which he distanced himself from his earlier attachments to Marxism. In addition, editor Gregor McLennan's introduction and commentary offer in-depth context and fresh interpretations of Hall's thought. Selected Writings on Marxism demonstrates that grasping Hall's complex relationship to Marxism is central to understanding the corpus of his work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781478002154
Publisher:	Duke University Press
Publication date:	03/22/2021
Series:	Stuart Hall: Selected Writings
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	376
File size:	896 KB

About the Author

Stuart Hall (1932–2014) was one of the most prominent and influential scholars and public intellectuals of his generation. Hall taught at the University of Birmingham and the Open University, was the founding editor of New Left Review, and was the author of Cultural Studies 1983: A Theoretical History, Familiar Stranger: A Life Between Two Islands, and other books also published by Duke University Press.

Gregor McLennan is Professor of Sociology at the University of Bristol and author of several books on Marxism, pluralism, and social theory.

Table of Contents

A Note on the Text  vii
Acknowledgments  ix
Editor's Introduction: Mediating Marxism  1
Part I. Theoretical Readings
1. Marx's Notes on Method: A "Reading" of the "1857 Introduction" [1974]  19
2. Rethinking the "Base and Superstructure" Metaphor [1977]  62
3. The "Political" and the "Economic" in Marx's Theory of Classes [1977]  91
4. The Problem of Ideology: Marxism without Guarantees [1983]  134
Editor's Discussion of the Part I Writings  158
Part II. Thematic Overviews
5. Subcultures, Cultures and Class: A Theoretical Overview (with John Clarke, Tony Jefferson, and Brian Roberts) [1975]  179
6. Black Crime, Black Proletariat (with Chas Critcher, Tony Jefferson, John Clarke, and Brian Roberts) [1978]  199
7. Variants of Liberalism [1986]  227
Editor's Discussion of the Part II Writings  247
Part III. Points of Departure
8. Nicos Poulantzas: State, Power, Socialism [1980]  261
9. In Defence of Theory [1981]  273
10. Authoritarian Populism: A Reply to Jessop et al. [1985]  282
11. When Was "the Post-colonial"? Thinking at the Limit [1996]  293
12. The Centrality of Culture: Notes on the Cultural Revolutions of Our Time [1997]  316
Editor's Discussion of the Part III Writings  335
Index  351
Place of First Publication  363

Editorial Reviews

As Marxism regains its intellectual appeal for a new generation emerging amid the multiple crises and catastrophes of late capitalism, this meticulously edited volume is a timely and welcome addition to the excellent and developing Stuart Hall: Selected Writings series.

H-Socialisms, H-Net Reviews - Christian Hogsbjerg

A much-needed collection staging the brilliant Jamaican British sociologist Stuart Hall’s engagement with Marx in and out of the establishment of the iconic Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at Birmingham and his teaching at the Open University. The pieces coauthored with students and the active discussions of the selected pieces by a former student who also taught at the Open Universitymake this volume a living theatre production of a powerful moment in British theoretical practice.

Chintar Durdasha/Jukti o Kalpanashokti - Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak

Brilliantly revising Marxism to incorporate the cultural turn, Stuart Hall not only created critical cultural studies, but he helped construct the intellectual world within which a cultural sociology could emerge.

What Makes a Social Crisis? The Societalization of Social Problems - Jeffrey C. Alexander

"This is an excellent selection of Stuart Hall’s approach to Marxism that Gregor McLennan has expertly put together and commentated on ... an essential collection for scholars and students alike seeking a true overview of how Hall uniquely understood the social world."

International Review of Social History - Owen Worth

"McLennan's editorial introduction and discussions in each part of the volume provide invaluable context for Hall's essays, enabling the reader to appreciate the distinctiveness of each contribution as well as the development of Hall's thought. This book will be invaluable to scholars and graduate students in the fields of sociology, history, critical theory, and cultural studies, and it will be essential for any readers concerned with the Marxian intellectual tradition. Essential. Graduate students and faculty."

Choice - T. Wheatland

"It is clear that the Selected Writings on Marxism and Selected Writings on Race and Difference are two collected editions that have wide appeal to those working across the humanities, arts, and social sciences. Taken together, they appeal to readers who are not familiar with Hall’s intellectual work, showing the development of his work over several decades. For those familiar with Hall, they help us to deepen our knowledge of the intellectual currents Hall engaged with, and the debates and political interventions he sought to make."

Cultural Studies - Ali Meghji

"I have also narrated the effort it took for me to access his work to illustrate the importance of the Selected Writings now being released by Duke UniversityPress. It is an event of profound historical significance that a new generation will be able to begin its political and theoretical education with systematic access to Hall’s writing. . . . Selected Writings on Marxism, edited by Gregor McLennan, which should make apparent Hall’s importance as a major figure in the history of Marxist theory."

The Point - Asad Haider

"It is clear that the Selected Writings on Marxism and Selected Writings on Race and Difference are two collected editions that have wide appeal to those working across the humanities, arts, and social sciences. Taken together, they appeal to readers who are not familiar with Hall's intellectual work, showing the development of his work over several decades. For those familiar with Hall, they help us to deepen our knowledge of the intellectual currents Hall engaged with, and the debates and political interventions he sought to make."--Ali Meghji "Cultural Studies" (8/7/2022 12:00:00 AM)

"As Marxism regains its intellectual appeal for a new generation emerging amid the multiple crises and catastrophes of late capitalism, this meticulously edited volume is a timely and welcome addition to the excellent and developing Stuart Hall: Selected Writings series."--Christian Hogsbjerg "H-Socialisms, H-Net Reviews" (4/10/2022 12:00:00 AM)

"McLennan's editorial introduction and discussions in each part of the volume provide invaluable context for Hall's essays, enabling the reader to appreciate the distinctiveness of each contribution as well as the development of Hall's thought. This book will be invaluable to scholars and graduate students in the fields of sociology, history, critical theory, and cultural studies, and it will be essential for any readers concerned with the Marxian intellectual tradition. Essential. Graduate students and faculty."--T. Wheatland "Choice" (1/1/2022 12:00:00 AM)

"I have also narrated the effort it took for me to access his work to illustrate the importance of the Selected Writings now being released by Duke University Press. It is an event of profound historical significance that a new generation will be able to begin its political and theoretical education with systematic access to Hall's writing. . . . Selected Writings on Marxism, edited by Gregor McLennan, which should make apparent Hall's importance as a major figure in the history of Marxist theory."--Asad Haider "The Point" (8/15/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"Brilliantly revising Marxism to incorporate the cultural turn, Stuart Hall not only created critical cultural studies, but he helped construct the intellectual world within which a cultural sociology could emerge."--Jeffrey C. Alexander, author of "What Makes a Social Crisis? The Societalization of Social Problems"

"A much-needed collection staging the brilliant Jamaican British sociologist Stuart Hall's engagement with Marx in and out of the establishment of the iconic Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at Birmingham and his teaching at the Open University. The pieces coauthored with students and the active discussions of the selected pieces by a former student who also taught at the Open University make this volume a living theatre production of a powerful moment in British theoretical practice."--Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, author of "Chintar Durdasha/Jukti o Kalpanashokti"

From the Publisher