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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.
List 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
About the author
Stuart Hall
Summary
This collection of Stuart Hall's key writings on Marxism surveys the formative questions central to his interpretations of and investments in Marxist theory and practice.
