Marxism and the Capitalist State

This book builds on the recent revival of interest in Marx and Marxism, calling for a renewal and refinement of Marxist state theory. It aims to provoke and encourage new debates and critiques that build on—but also update and extend—the rich tradition of Marxist analyses of the capitalist state, including the well-known debates of the 1970s. The chapters present a dynamic and diverse constellation of arguments and perspectives on a range of topics, from general re-appraisals of the capitalist state to investigations of contemporary challenges—including digitalisation, the ecological crisis, the coronavirus pandemic, social reproduction, and critical political economy. What they share is a commitment to an understanding of the specifically capitalist character of the modern state and its significance for any serious discussion of the causes of our current age of global catastrophe and the overcoming of capitalist social relations.

• Marxist state theory
• Marxism
• capitalist states
• juridico-political
• contemporary struggles
• social movements
• state theory
• political economy
• socio-legal studies
• critical theory
• Socialism
• Revolutionary Leadership
• Proletariat
• Reproduction of Capitalism
• Social Power
• economic crisis
• Climate Change
• Civil Subject
• Working-Class
• Anti-colonialism

• Washington, USA

  Rob Hunter

• University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

  Rafael Khachaturian

• Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

  Eva Nanopoulos

Rob Hunter holds a PhD in Politics from Princeton University, USA. He is a member of the Legal Form editorial collective. 

Rafael Khachaturian is a Lecturer in Critical Writing at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. 

Eva Nanopoulos is a Senior Lecturer in Law at Queen Mary, University of London, UK.