The Politics of Truth: From Marx to Foucault / Edition 1

by Michele Barrett

Overview

This book is about the dramatic eclipse of one of Marxism's major theoretical and political weapons - the theory of ideology. The fortunes of this concept, recently subjected to a barrage of criticism but particularly from post-structuralists, are seen as symptomatic of the difficulties now besetting the Marxist tradition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780745605036
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	04/15/1992
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.99(h) x 0.49(d)

About the Author

Michele Barrett is a leading writer in the field of sociology and has written many successful works including "Women's Oppression Today, The Politics of Diversity " and " Ideology: A Cultural Production." She is Professor of Modern Literary and Cultural Theory at Queen Mary & Westfield College, London.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements.

Part I: Classical Marxism and Theories of Ideology:.

1. Marx: Inheriting Contradictions.

2. Ideology: Critique or Description?.

3. Problems of Science and Determinism.

Part II: Collapse of the Marxist Model:.

4. Ideology, Politics, Hegemony: From Gramsci to Laclau and Mouffe.

5. Subjectivity, Humanism, Psychoanalysis: Beyond Althusser's Lacan.

Part III: The Politics of Truth:.

6. History, Discourse, 'Truth' and Power: Foucault's Critique of Ideology.

7. Conclusion: Post-Marxism and the Concept of Ideology.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

'In this timely book, Michele Barrett dissects the uses and abuses of the concept of ideology with exemplary lucidity and precision. By doing so, she opens the way to a vital reassessment of subjectivity and humanist values, a critical move in the development of a post-Marxist politics.' Jeffrey Weeks, Bristol Polytechnic

'The Politics of Truth is an engaging and at times impassioned read, and Barrett is to be commended for her remarkable lucidity in communicating some pretty obscure formulations and debates.' Sociology

'Barrett's book is indispensable for all those interested not only in the current problems surrounding Marxism, but also in ways of dealing with them.' Women in Philosophy Newsletter

'An essential contribution to current debates in a field with central significance for the future of social theory.' Theory, Culture and Society

From the Publisher