Marx Through Post-Structuralism

Lyotard, Derrida, Foucault, Deleuze

Simon Choat

• Publisher: Continuum
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9781441185082
• eBook ISBN: 9781441158178
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Political Philosophy

Marx Through Post-Structuralism presents a thorough critical examination of the readings of Marx given by four post-structuralist thinkers, all key figures in Continental philosophy: Jean-François Lyotard, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, and Gilles Deleuze. Arguing that both Marx and the post-structuralists seek to produce a genuinely materialist philosophy, the author aims to develop a better understanding of both Marx and post-structuralism and in so doing to reflect on the possibilities and problems for materialist philosophy more broadly. Against the common assumption that post-structuralism begins with a rejection of Marx, Choat argues that Marx has been a key influence on post-structuralist thought and that each of the four thinkers examined affirms Marx's contemporary significance. By looking at how these thinkers have read Marx - analysing their direct comments, unspoken uses, and implicit criticisms - the book demonstrates that there is a distinct and original post-structuralist approach to Marx that allows us to read him in a new light.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1. Marx and Postwar French Philosophy
• 2. A Writer Full of Affects: Marx Through Lyotard
• 3. Messianic Without Messianism: Marx Through Derrida
• 4. The History of the Present: Marx Through Foucault
• 5. Becoming Revolutionary: Marx Through Deleuze
• 6. Marx Through Post-Structuralism
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index