History and Event

Reviews / Votes

Noble and impressive. -- Edward Thornton, Royal Holloway, University of London * Marx and Philosophy Review of Books * Scholars interested in French theory or Marxism will find the book a delight, drawing from many sources. Graduate students will find the book a useful synthesis of ideas and will no doubt be able to cite Coombs in his own right. -- Nick J. Sciullo, Illinois College * Political Studies Review * This is a valuable and important book... It gives a good overview of this important field of issues; and, most importantly, it seeks to bring Marxism and recent French theory back into a dialogue which has been lacking for a long time now, and that is to be welcomed. -- Sean Sayers, University of Kent * Science & Society * This book is a timely intervention in both classical and post-Althusserian Marxist philosophies. Drawing upon both traditions, Coombs makes a compelling case for a nuanced rather than combative understanding of the relationship between historical necessity and the contingency of events. -- Iain MacKenzie, Centre for Critical Thought, University of Kent Coombs pays tribute to Marx as the master of historicization who challenged orthodoxies with rationalism. This absorbing study acknowledges the power of 'grand narratives' by considering how they are made to arise, and it shows us how crucial beauty, bravado and imagination are to a science of the event. -- Terrell Carver, Professor of Political Theory, University of Bristol