MACMILLAN Marx and Contemporary Critical Theory: The Philosophy of Real Abstraction (Marx, Engels, and Marxisms)

This edited volume brings together an international and interdisciplinary group of scholars to explore the traces of the idea of “Real Abstraction” in Marx’s thought from the early to late writings, as well as the theoretical and practical consequences of this notion in the capitalist social system. Divided into two main parts, Part One reconstructs Marx’s notion of “Real Abstraction” and the influences of earlier thinkers (Berkley, Petty, Franklin, Feuerbach, Hegel) on his thoughts, as well as the further elaborations of this concept in later Marxist thinkers (Sohn-Rethel, Lukács, Lefebvre, Adorno and Postone). Part Two then considers the reverberations of the notion in the field of critical theory from a more abstract critique of capitalist social relations, to a more concrete understanding of historical movements. Taken together, the chapters in this volume offer a focused look at the concept of “Real Abstraction” in Marx. From the Back Cover This edited volume brings together an international and interdisciplinary group of scholars to explore the traces of the idea of “Real Abstraction” in Marx’s thought from the early to late writings, as well as the theoretical and practical consequences of this notion in the capitalist social system. Divided into two main parts, Part One reconstructs Marx’s notion of “Real Abstraction” and the influences of earlier thinkers (Berkley, Petty, Franklin, Feuerbach, Hegel) on his thoughts, as well as the further elaborations of this concept in later Marxist thinkers (Sohn-Rethel, Lukács, Lefebvre, Adorno and Postone). Part Two then considers the reverberations of the notion in the field of critical theory from a more abstract critique of capitalist social relations, to a more concrete understanding of historical movements. Taken together, the chapters in this volume offer a focused look at the concept of “Real Abstraction” in Marx.  Antonio Oliva is Professor of History at Rosario National University (UNR), Argentina. He is a researcher at the Institute of Regional Socio-historical Research from National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (ISHIR-CONICET) and a member of the Editorial Committee of  ARCHIVOS. Ivan Novara is Professor at the Rosario National University (UNR), Argentina. He is a researcher at National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) and a member of the Editorial Committee of  Dialektica. Angel Oliva is a Professor in both the School of Arts and Humanities and the Psychology School at Rosario National University (UNR), Argentina.  About the Author Antonio Oliva is Professor of History at Rosario National University (UNR), Argentina. He is a researcher at the Institute of Regional Socio-historical Research from National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (ISHIR-CONICET) and a member of the Editorial Committee of ARCHIVOS. Ivan Novara is Professor at the Rosario National University (UNR), Argentina. He is a researcher at National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) and a member of the Editorial Committee of Dialektica. Angel Oliva is a Professor in both the School of Arts and Humanities and the Psychology School at Rosario National University (UNR), Argentina.