Alienation and Emancipation in the Work of Karl Marx

George C. Comninel is Professor of Political Theory in the Department of Politics at York University, Canada. He is the author of Rethinking the French Revolution: Marxism and the Revisionist Challenge (1987), as well as articles and chapters on feudalism, the politics of the French Revolution, and Marx’s thought.

“Comninel’s Interpretation … focusses on how the original conceptual framework of Marx evolved with his critique of capitalism from his initial framework of alienation of labour. … George Comninel’s exciting contribution can be regarded as a fresh start to recast Marx with his own social and political context, with a strong critique of the Marxist accounts that undermined the essential features of the historical materialist method.” (Berkay Koçak, Progress in Political Economy (PPE), ppesydney.net, June 10, 2021)“With such balanced prose and precise argumentation there are few words fit for purpose other than to declare that with Alienation and Emancipation in the Work of Karl Marx, George Comninel has produced a simply exquisite book. Without hyperbole, it ranks among some of the finest scholarship I have encountered in the past decade.” (Scott Timcke, Marx and Philosophy, June 12, 2020)“This is a skilled and dedicated work of scholarship that will serve anyone interested in deeper engagement with Marx’s works in their own terms very well. … the lively style and illuminating historical analysis will provide fresh insights for readers of all levels of familiarity with the First International’s best known thinker.” (Jules Joanne Gleeson, Tribune, July 8, 2019)

• 1. Introduction.- 2. Approaching Marx’s Theory.- 3. Emancipation in Marx's Early Work.- 4. The Developing Conception of Historical Materialism.- 5. Problems of The German Ideology.- 6. The German Ideology vs. Historical Materialism.- 7.  The Puzzle of the Manifesto of the Communist Party.- 8. Debating Marx’s Conception of Class in History.- 9. Historical Materialism and the Specificity of Capitalism.- 10. Capital as a Social Relation.- 11. Capital and Historical Materialism.- 12. Marx and the Politics of the First International.- 13. Marx and Social Theory.