Marxist History-writing for the Twenty-first Century

Eight prominent historians and social scientists give their perspectives on the fate of Marxist approaches to history and the direction of the discipline in coming decades. The volume offers rigorous and approachable analysis from several political and intellectual positions and will be an important contribution to current historical debates.

Since 1989, there have been many claims that Marxist approaches to history are out of date. As the challenge of more recent events shows, however, history has not stopped and historical change continues to need explanation. There is still plenty of space for structural analysis of how history in all periods develops, and a Marxism un-linked to the Soviet past offers to many the most rigorous of these approaches. This volume explores from a wide variety of perspectives what Marxism has done for history-writing and what it can, or cannot, still do. Eight prominent historians and social scientists give their perspectives, both from Marxist and from non-Marxist positions, on the current state of history and what role Marxist analysis has in it. The volume is an important contribution to current historical debates, and will be of essential interest to historians and social scientists, and all those interested in how to explain history and politics.