Marx in the Field

Reviews / Votes

"Application of Marxian methods to analyse concrete realities has a long and illustrious history. In this thought provoking collection of essays, edited by Alessandra Mezzadri, the subject is revisited, exploring the richness of approaches, tools, concepts, categories and the like, in their 'field' contexts. It is essential reading in grounded political economy, cutting across disciplinary boundaries, to celebrate the richness and complexity of Marxian methods, and thus a remarkable tribute to the genius of Marx as well." -Praveen Jha, Professor of Economics, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India "If any proof were needed that Marx's concepts and methods can push the limits of political-economy inspired fieldwork, the robust and critical engagement the reader finds in the pages of this unique compendium provides it masterfully. The relations between theory and practice are picked apart in a series of geographically and thematically diverse case studies which represent a spirited challenge to mainstream development studies." -Deniz Kandiyoti, Emeritus Professor of Development Studies, SOAS, London, UK "A common question that many students and scholars who encounter Marx for the first time have is whether and how his methods and concepts can be 'used' in contemporary research. Marx in the Field directly addresses this challenge, illuminating the ways that a range of scholars have put Marx's methods and concepts to use in their own research." -Ben Scully, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa "The contributions to Marx in the Field help us understand how the methods and categories of Marx can be practically used in a diversity of contexts in ways that let us much better reveal the underlying social processes that are at work. In light of the changes wrought to the contemporary capitalist world system by the COVID-19 pandemic, this is an especially timely and important book." -Haroon Akram-Lodhi, Professor of Economics and International Development Studies, Trent University, Peterborough Ontario, Canada "At a time when we need to both rejuvenate Marxist analyses through the unexpectedly transforming realities of the field, and revive a Marxist approach to field-based empirical studies, this edited book - the first of its kind - opens a crucial path." -Dr Alpa Shah, Associate Professor, Reader in Anthropology at LSE "Covering an exhilarating range of approaches and themes, the volume provides an essential and eminently practical contribution to rethinking the future of political economy as a dynamic field." -Marcus Taylor, Associate Professor, Department of Global Development Studies, Queen's University, Kingston Ontario, Canada