Biographical Dictionary of Neo-Marxism

(Hardback)

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This Dictionary comprehensively surveys major twentieth-century neo-Marxian (non-orthodox) thinkers and activists throughout the world. This thorough research aid contains over 200 biographical essays which include pertinent biographical details; a summary of the entrant's significant and unique contributions to neo-Marxian theory and practice; and a bibliography of relevant primary and secondary works. The essays are prepared by a wide range of qualified and internationally recognized Marxian scholars. Special emphasis is placed on terms, concepts, and perspectives associated with each entrant. In addition to the biographical essays, ten entries concerning groups, movements, and journals judged as crucial to understanding the evolution of Neo-Marxism in a particular country or the West in general are included. The volume contains an appendix that lists the entrants by nationality, and a comprehensive index that lists all names, organizations, parties, journals, etc. Finally, the editor has included an introductory essay wherein he highlights Marx's own contribution to the subsequent proliferation of Marxian theories, by emphasizing the potentially incompatible theoretical premises he embraced.

Reviews

"The good news about this book is that it provides very brief introductions to approximately two hundred individual Marxists more or less theoretically active in the twentieth century. For Americans generally unfamiliar with the richness and diversity of the Marxian tradition, the sketchy introductions will be most instructive. The attached lists of writings by and about these Marxists will make possible the pursuit of Marxist theorizations that attract the interest of users of this reference volume. The inclusion of Marxists from regions of the world beyond Europe and North America further enhances its usefulness.... For those who take [the Marxian] tradition seriously, who wish to benefit from its many discoveries and insights, and who do not want laboriously to renvent wheels already fashioned by Marxists, this book will be a useful reference."-International Labor and Working Class History
Gorman and the contributors to this biographical dictionary have produced a valuable reference for the study of neo-Marxism. It offers an original contribution and complements other dictionaries and encyclopedias on Marxism by approaching the subject through the lives of leading 20th-century theorists and activists throughout the world. A useful introductory essay by the editor outlines the origins and several key components of neo-Marxist thought and action. The body of the work contains more than 205 biographical sketches and ten entries describing important groups, movements, and journals. These trace the intellectual and political activities of the subjects, noting important influences and contributions and describing or interpreting major writings and ideas. Within each entry, cross-references exist for people and terms described more fully elsewhere in this volume or in a companion volume titled Biographical Dictionary of Marxism (1986), also edited by Gorman. Entries are followed with a selective bibliography of primary and secondary writings. The dictionary ends with two appendixes (Entrants by Nationality' and the List of Contributors') and a good subject index. Highly recommended for college and university libraries.-Choice
The good news about this book is that it provides very brief introductions to approximately two hundred individual Marxists more or less theoretically active in the twentieth century. For Americans generally unfamiliar with the richness and diversity of the Marxian tradition, the sketchy introductions will be most instructive. The attached lists of writings by and about these Marxists will make possible the pursuit of Marxist theorizations that attract the interest of users of this reference volume. The inclusion of Marxists from regions of the world beyond Europe and North America further enhances its usefulness.... For those who take [the Marxian] tradition seriously, who wish to benefit from its many discoveries and insights, and who do not want laboriously to renvent wheels already fashioned by Marxists, this book will be a useful reference.-International Labor and Working Class History
"Gorman and the contributors to this biographical dictionary have produced a valuable reference for the study of neo-Marxism. It offers an original contribution and complements other dictionaries and encyclopedias on Marxism by approaching the subject through the lives of leading 20th-century theorists and activists throughout the world. A useful introductory essay by the editor outlines the origins and several key components of neo-Marxist thought and action. The body of the work contains more than 205 biographical sketches and ten entries describing important groups, movements, and journals. These trace the intellectual and political activities of the subjects, noting important influences and contributions and describing or interpreting major writings and ideas. Within each entry, cross-references exist for people and terms described more fully elsewhere in this volume or in a companion volume titled Biographical Dictionary of Marxism (1986), also edited by Gorman. Entries are followed with a selective bibliography of primary and secondary writings. The dictionary ends with two appendixes (Entrants by Nationality' and the List of Contributors') and a good subject index. Highly recommended for college and university libraries."-Choice

Author Bio

ROBERT A. GORMAN is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His other books include The Dual Vision--Alfred Schutz and the Myth of Phenomenological Social Science, Neo-Marxism, Biographical Dictionary and Biographical Dictionary of Neo-Marxism.