Marx and Digital Machines

Marx and Digital Machines

Author: Mike Healy

Publisher: University of Westminster Press

Published: 2020-10-16

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 1912656809

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This book explores the fundamental contradiction at the heart of the digital environment: technology offers all manner of promises, yet habitually fails to deliver. This failure often arises from numerous problems: the proficiency of the technology or end-user, policy failure at various levels, or a combination of these. Solutions such as better technology and more effective end-user education are often put into place to solve these failures. Mike Healy argues that such approaches are inherently faulty drawing upon qualitative research informed by Marx’s theory of alienation. Using Marx’s theory, he considers participants in three distinct settings: the workplace of information and communications technology (ICT) professionals; university scholars researching the ethical and societal implications of our digital environment; and a group of pensioners living in South London, UK, undertaking ICT training. By delving beneath the surface of how digital technologies are created, researched and experienced, this study illustrates the contradictory nature of our digital lives, as they directly arise from the needs of capitalism. The book also places Marx’s theory in contrast to the mainstream approaches derived from Seaman and Blauner. In researching and comprehending ICT, this book reaffirms the superior explanatory power of Marx’s theory of alienation.


Book Synopsis Marx and Digital Machines by : Mike Healy

Download or read book Marx and Digital Machines written by Mike Healy and published by University of Westminster Press. This book was released on 2020-10-16 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the fundamental contradiction at the heart of the digital environment: technology offers all manner of promises, yet habitually fails to deliver. This failure often arises from numerous problems: the proficiency of the technology or end-user, policy failure at various levels, or a combination of these. Solutions such as better technology and more effective end-user education are often put into place to solve these failures. Mike Healy argues that such approaches are inherently faulty drawing upon qualitative research informed by Marx’s theory of alienation. Using Marx’s theory, he considers participants in three distinct settings: the workplace of information and communications technology (ICT) professionals; university scholars researching the ethical and societal implications of our digital environment; and a group of pensioners living in South London, UK, undertaking ICT training. By delving beneath the surface of how digital technologies are created, researched and experienced, this study illustrates the contradictory nature of our digital lives, as they directly arise from the needs of capitalism. The book also places Marx’s theory in contrast to the mainstream approaches derived from Seaman and Blauner. In researching and comprehending ICT, this book reaffirms the superior explanatory power of Marx’s theory of alienation.

Marx: Towards the Centre of Possibility

Marx: Towards the Centre of Possibility

Author: Kojin Karatani

Publisher: Verso Books

Published: 2020-03-10

Total Pages: 167

ISBN-13: 1788730607

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Classic study of Marx by Japan's leading critical theorist Originally published in 1974, Kojin Karatani's Marx: Towards the Centre of Possibility has been amongst his most enduring and pioneering works in critical theory. Written at a time when the political sequences of the New Left had collapsed into crisis and violence, with widespread political exhaustion for the competing sectarian visions of Marxism from 1968, Karatani's Marx laid the groundwork for a new reading, unfamiliar to the existing Marxist discourse in Japan at the time. Karatani's Marx takes on insights from semiotics, deconstruction, and the reading of Marx as a literary thinker, treating Capital as an intervention in philosophy that could be read as itself a theory of signs. Marx is unique in this sense, not only because of its importance in post-68 Japanese thought, but also because the heterodox reading of Marx that Karatani debuts in this text, centered on his theory of the value-form, will go on to form the basis of his globally-influential work.


Book Synopsis Marx: Towards the Centre of Possibility by : Kojin Karatani

Download or read book Marx: Towards the Centre of Possibility written by Kojin Karatani and published by Verso Books. This book was released on 2020-03-10 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Classic study of Marx by Japan's leading critical theorist Originally published in 1974, Kojin Karatani's Marx: Towards the Centre of Possibility has been amongst his most enduring and pioneering works in critical theory. Written at a time when the political sequences of the New Left had collapsed into crisis and violence, with widespread political exhaustion for the competing sectarian visions of Marxism from 1968, Karatani's Marx laid the groundwork for a new reading, unfamiliar to the existing Marxist discourse in Japan at the time. Karatani's Marx takes on insights from semiotics, deconstruction, and the reading of Marx as a literary thinker, treating Capital as an intervention in philosophy that could be read as itself a theory of signs. Marx is unique in this sense, not only because of its importance in post-68 Japanese thought, but also because the heterodox reading of Marx that Karatani debuts in this text, centered on his theory of the value-form, will go on to form the basis of his globally-influential work.

Black Marxism

Black Marxism

Author: Cedric J. Robinson

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2021-02-04

Total Pages: 510

ISBN-13: 0141996781

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'A towering achievement. There is simply nothing like it in the history of Black radical thought' Cornel West 'Cedric Robinson's brilliant analyses revealed new ways of thinking and acting' Angela Davis 'This work is about our people's struggle, the historical Black struggle' Any struggle must be fought on a people's own terms, argues Cedric Robinson's landmark account of Black radicalism. Marxism is a western construction, and therefore inadequate to describe the significance of Black communities as agents of change against 'racial capitalism'. Tracing the emergence of European radicalism, the history of Black African resistance and the influence of these on such key thinkers as W. E. B. Du Bois, C. L. R. James and Richard Wright, Black Marxism reclaims the story of a movement.


Book Synopsis Black Marxism by : Cedric J. Robinson

Download or read book Black Marxism written by Cedric J. Robinson and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2021-02-04 with total page 510 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A towering achievement. There is simply nothing like it in the history of Black radical thought' Cornel West 'Cedric Robinson's brilliant analyses revealed new ways of thinking and acting' Angela Davis 'This work is about our people's struggle, the historical Black struggle' Any struggle must be fought on a people's own terms, argues Cedric Robinson's landmark account of Black radicalism. Marxism is a western construction, and therefore inadequate to describe the significance of Black communities as agents of change against 'racial capitalism'. Tracing the emergence of European radicalism, the history of Black African resistance and the influence of these on such key thinkers as W. E. B. Du Bois, C. L. R. James and Richard Wright, Black Marxism reclaims the story of a movement.

Marx 2020

Marx 2020

Author: Ronaldo Munck

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2016-08-15

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1783608110

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The 2008 financial crisis revitalised the question of whether capitalism was working and how it might be overturned. More recently, the growth of new social movements across the globe are posing a threat to the economic and political status quo, with Marxist ideas rejuvenated for the 21st century. In this provocative and critically engaged introduction, Ronaldo Munck applies Marx's theories to the most pressing issues of our times: the environmental crisis, austerity, international development, religion, nationhood, the role of women and LGBTQ+ communities. Crucially, he shows the far-reaching contribution Marx can make to both contemporary debate and political action. Accessible and wide-ranging, Marx 2020 is essential reading for anyone interested in the state of the modern world and the ideas needed for effective change.


Book Synopsis Marx 2020 by : Ronaldo Munck

Download or read book Marx 2020 written by Ronaldo Munck and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-08-15 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 2008 financial crisis revitalised the question of whether capitalism was working and how it might be overturned. More recently, the growth of new social movements across the globe are posing a threat to the economic and political status quo, with Marxist ideas rejuvenated for the 21st century. In this provocative and critically engaged introduction, Ronaldo Munck applies Marx's theories to the most pressing issues of our times: the environmental crisis, austerity, international development, religion, nationhood, the role of women and LGBTQ+ communities. Crucially, he shows the far-reaching contribution Marx can make to both contemporary debate and political action. Accessible and wide-ranging, Marx 2020 is essential reading for anyone interested in the state of the modern world and the ideas needed for effective change.

Black Marxism, Revised and Updated Third Edition

Black Marxism, Revised and Updated Third Edition

Author: Cedric J. Robinson

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2020-12-16

Total Pages: 497

ISBN-13: 1469663732

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In this ambitious work, first published in 1983, Cedric Robinson demonstrates that efforts to understand Black people's history of resistance solely through the prism of Marxist theory are incomplete and inaccurate. Marxist analyses tend to presuppose European models of history and experience that downplay the significance of Black people and Black communities as agents of change and resistance. Black radicalism, Robinson argues, must be linked to the traditions of Africa and the unique experiences of Blacks on Western continents, and any analyses of African American history need to acknowledge this. To illustrate his argument, Robinson traces the emergence of Marxist ideology in Europe, the resistance by Blacks in historically oppressive environments, and the influence of both of these traditions on such important twentieth-century Black radical thinkers as W. E. B. Du Bois, C. L. R. James, and Richard Wright. This revised and updated third edition includes a new preface by Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, and a new foreword by Robin D. G. Kelley.


Book Synopsis Black Marxism, Revised and Updated Third Edition by : Cedric J. Robinson

Download or read book Black Marxism, Revised and Updated Third Edition written by Cedric J. Robinson and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2020-12-16 with total page 497 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this ambitious work, first published in 1983, Cedric Robinson demonstrates that efforts to understand Black people's history of resistance solely through the prism of Marxist theory are incomplete and inaccurate. Marxist analyses tend to presuppose European models of history and experience that downplay the significance of Black people and Black communities as agents of change and resistance. Black radicalism, Robinson argues, must be linked to the traditions of Africa and the unique experiences of Blacks on Western continents, and any analyses of African American history need to acknowledge this. To illustrate his argument, Robinson traces the emergence of Marxist ideology in Europe, the resistance by Blacks in historically oppressive environments, and the influence of both of these traditions on such important twentieth-century Black radical thinkers as W. E. B. Du Bois, C. L. R. James, and Richard Wright. This revised and updated third edition includes a new preface by Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, and a new foreword by Robin D. G. Kelley.

Circling Marx: Essays 1980-2020

Circling Marx: Essays 1980-2020

Author: Peter Beilharz

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2020-12-07

Total Pages: 443

ISBN-13: 9004443975

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Marx circles us, and we him. These essays approach Marx through three circles – the source; the legacy into the twentieth century; and the developments since the postwar boom. This work represents a lifetime’s engagement with Marx and his legacy.


Book Synopsis Circling Marx: Essays 1980-2020 by : Peter Beilharz

Download or read book Circling Marx: Essays 1980-2020 written by Peter Beilharz and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2020-12-07 with total page 443 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Marx circles us, and we him. These essays approach Marx through three circles – the source; the legacy into the twentieth century; and the developments since the postwar boom. This work represents a lifetime’s engagement with Marx and his legacy.

The Marx Revival

The Marx Revival

Author: Marcello Musto

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-06-18

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 1107117925

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An international set of eminent scholars examine the contemporary relevance and continuing contribution of Marx's work. This indispensable volume presents Marx's theories in a new light, both for specialists who might think they already know everything about Marx and for a new generation of readers who are approaching his work for the first time.


Book Synopsis The Marx Revival by : Marcello Musto

Download or read book The Marx Revival written by Marcello Musto and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-06-18 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An international set of eminent scholars examine the contemporary relevance and continuing contribution of Marx's work. This indispensable volume presents Marx's theories in a new light, both for specialists who might think they already know everything about Marx and for a new generation of readers who are approaching his work for the first time.

The Dangerous Class

The Dangerous Class

Author: Clyde Barrow

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2020-10-19

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0472128086

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Marx and Engels’ concept of the “lumpenproletariat,” or underclass (an anglicized, politically neutral term), appears in The Communist Manifesto and other writings. It refers to “the dangerous class, the social scum, that passively rotting mass thrown off by the lowest layers of old society,” whose lowly status made its residents potential tools of the capitalists against the working class. Surprisingly, no one has made a substantial study of the lumpenproletariat in Marxist thought until now. Clyde Barrow argues that recent discussions about the downward spiral of the American white working class (“its main problem is that it is not working”) have reactivated the concept of the lumpenproletariat, despite long held belief that it is a term so ill-defined as not to be theoretical. Using techniques from etymology, lexicology, and translation, Barrow brings analytical coherence to the concept of the lumpenproletariat, revealing it to be an inherent component of Marx and Engels’ analysis of the historical origins of capitalism. However, a proletariat that is destined to decay into an underclass may pose insurmountable obstacles to a theory of revolutionary agency in post-industrial capitalism. Barrow thus updates historical discussions of the lumpenproletariat in the context of contemporary American politics and suggests that all post-industrial capitalist societies now confront the choice between communism and dystopia.


Book Synopsis The Dangerous Class by : Clyde Barrow

Download or read book The Dangerous Class written by Clyde Barrow and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2020-10-19 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Marx and Engels’ concept of the “lumpenproletariat,” or underclass (an anglicized, politically neutral term), appears in The Communist Manifesto and other writings. It refers to “the dangerous class, the social scum, that passively rotting mass thrown off by the lowest layers of old society,” whose lowly status made its residents potential tools of the capitalists against the working class. Surprisingly, no one has made a substantial study of the lumpenproletariat in Marxist thought until now. Clyde Barrow argues that recent discussions about the downward spiral of the American white working class (“its main problem is that it is not working”) have reactivated the concept of the lumpenproletariat, despite long held belief that it is a term so ill-defined as not to be theoretical. Using techniques from etymology, lexicology, and translation, Barrow brings analytical coherence to the concept of the lumpenproletariat, revealing it to be an inherent component of Marx and Engels’ analysis of the historical origins of capitalism. However, a proletariat that is destined to decay into an underclass may pose insurmountable obstacles to a theory of revolutionary agency in post-industrial capitalism. Barrow thus updates historical discussions of the lumpenproletariat in the context of contemporary American politics and suggests that all post-industrial capitalist societies now confront the choice between communism and dystopia.

The Ideas of Karl Marx

The Ideas of Karl Marx

Author: Stefano Petrucciani

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-09-10

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 3030523519

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This book offers a complete presentation of the most important themes of Marx’s thought, following the development of Marx’s theory from the beginning to his death and offering a reconstruction and analysis that covers the whole of Marx’s life and works. Each chapter presents one of the central topics of Marx’s reflection: the confrontation with the Hegelian theory of the State (1843); the critique of political liberalism in the “On the Jewish Question”; the discovery of Political Economy in the Manuscripts of 1844; the new theory of history developed in The German Ideology; the political theory and the revolution of 1848; the critique of political economy from the Grundrisse to Capital; and the political thought of the last Marx (the Paris Commune and the critique of the German Social Democratic Party).Stefano Petrucciani is Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy.


Book Synopsis The Ideas of Karl Marx by : Stefano Petrucciani

Download or read book The Ideas of Karl Marx written by Stefano Petrucciani and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-09-10 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a complete presentation of the most important themes of Marx’s thought, following the development of Marx’s theory from the beginning to his death and offering a reconstruction and analysis that covers the whole of Marx’s life and works. Each chapter presents one of the central topics of Marx’s reflection: the confrontation with the Hegelian theory of the State (1843); the critique of political liberalism in the “On the Jewish Question”; the discovery of Political Economy in the Manuscripts of 1844; the new theory of history developed in The German Ideology; the political theory and the revolution of 1848; the critique of political economy from the Grundrisse to Capital; and the political thought of the last Marx (the Paris Commune and the critique of the German Social Democratic Party).Stefano Petrucciani is Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy.

Marx 2020

Marx 2020

Author: Ronaldo Munck

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2016-08-15

Total Pages: 190

ISBN-13: 1783608099

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The 2008 financial crisis revitalised the question of whether capitalism was working and how it might be overturned. More recently, the growth of new social movements across the globe are posing a threat to the economic and political status quo, with Marxist ideas rejuvenated for the 21st century. In this provocative and critically engaged introduction, Ronaldo Munck applies Marx's theories to the most pressing issues of our times: the environmental crisis, austerity, international development, religion, nationhood, the role of women and LGBTQ+ communities. Crucially, he shows the far-reaching contribution Marx can make to both contemporary debate and political action. Accessible and wide-ranging, Marx 2020 is essential reading for anyone interested in the state of the modern world and the ideas needed for effective change.


Book Synopsis Marx 2020 by : Ronaldo Munck

Download or read book Marx 2020 written by Ronaldo Munck and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-08-15 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 2008 financial crisis revitalised the question of whether capitalism was working and how it might be overturned. More recently, the growth of new social movements across the globe are posing a threat to the economic and political status quo, with Marxist ideas rejuvenated for the 21st century. In this provocative and critically engaged introduction, Ronaldo Munck applies Marx's theories to the most pressing issues of our times: the environmental crisis, austerity, international development, religion, nationhood, the role of women and LGBTQ+ communities. Crucially, he shows the far-reaching contribution Marx can make to both contemporary debate and political action. Accessible and wide-ranging, Marx 2020 is essential reading for anyone interested in the state of the modern world and the ideas needed for effective change.