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First published in French, this book by Tony Andréani, a prolific French Marxist scholar, summarises decades of research on Karl Marx's theory of historical materialism.
Written to further debate among scholars and beyond, Andréani develops the fundamental concepts of the Marxist theory of history as they apply to any society, particularly the so-called "economic" concepts, in their opposition to neo-classical theory and to reductive readings common among Marxist authors. He later discusses the theory of modes of production to then sketch an analysis of the course of history, which is the subject of much debate among Marxist historians. In the latter parts of the book, the reader will learn more about the origin of inequalities, historical dialectics, and the perspectives of socialism.
The publication of
Matérialisme Historique: Les concepts fondamentaux revisités (Paris: l'Harmattan, 2022) in an English translation with updates will be welcomed by scholars familiar with the French edition and eager to have Tony Andréani's original vision on the basic concepts of historical materialism made available to Anglophone audiences.
List of contents
Preface. Introduction, an Overview. Chapter 1: Concrete labour and "abstract" labour Chapter 2. The labour process I. The productive force of labour Chapter 3. The labour process II. The relation between workers and the means of labour Chapter 4. The labour process III. Cooperation Chapter 5. The labour process IV. Productive labour and unproductive labour Chapter 6. The process of "value" production and distribution Chapter 7. The processes of socio-economic reproduction Chapter 8. The socio-economic superstructure Chapter 9. Effects of the mode of production on the natural environment Chapter 10. Free time and the consumption process Chapter 11. The political-ideological superstructure Chapter 12. Classless modes of production Chapter 13. Class-based modes of production Chapter 14. Social classes Chapter 15. The psycho-social origins of inequalities Chapter 16. The course of history: A sketch Chapter 17. Global "systems" Chapter 18. Negative and positive dialectics in history Chapter 19. The prospect of socialism
About the author
Tony Andréani, PhD in philosophy, is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Paris VIII. His major works include
De la société à l'histoire (two volumes, Paris: Editions Meridiens-Klincksieck, 1989),
Discours sur l'égalité parmi les hommes (Paris: Editions L'Harmattan, 1993),
Un être de raison, critique de l'homo Oeconomicus (Paris: Editions Syllepse, 2000),
Socialisme est (a)venir, (two volumes, Paris: Editions Syllepse, 2001 and 2004), and
Ten Essays for a 21st Century Socialism (London: Routledge, 2025).
