Democracy Against Capitalism
Renewing Historical Materialism
Published on 2. February 2016
320 pages
978-1-78663-016-2 (ISBN)
Description
Historian and political thinker Ellen Meiksins Wood argues that theories of "postmodern" fragmentation, "difference", and contingency can barely accommodate the idea of capitalism, let alone subject it to critique. In this book she sets out to renew the critical programme of historical materialism by redefining its basic concepts and its theory of history in original and imaginative ways, using them to identify the specificity of capitalism as a system of social relations and political power. She goes on to explore the concept of democracy in both the ancient and modern world, examining its relation to capitalism, and raising questions about how democracy might go beyond the limits imposed on it.
More details
Series
Edition
Ebook UK & RoW
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Reflowable
ISBN-13
978-1-78663-016-2 (9781786630162)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
02/2016
Verso Books
€46.03
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Person
Ellen Meiksins Wood, for many years Professor of Political Science at York University, Toronto, is the author of many books, including The Pristine Culture of Capitalism, The Origin of Capitalism, Peasant-Citizen and Slave, Citizens to Lords, Empire of Capital and Liberty and Property.
Content
- Intro
- Halftitle Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I: Historical materialism and the specificity of capitalism
- Chapter 1: The separation of the 'economic' and the 'political' in capitalism
- Chapter 2: Rethinking base and superstructure
- Chapter 3: Class as process and relationship
- Chapter 4: History or technological determinism?
- Chapter 5: History or teleology? Marx versus Weber
- Part II: Democracy against capitalism
- Chapter 6: Labour and democracy, ancient and modern
- Chapter 7: The demos versus 'we, the people': from ancient to modern conceptions of citizenship
- Chapter 8: Civil society and the politics of identity
- Chapter 9: Capitalism and human emancipation: race, gender and democracy
- Conclusion
- Index
