The Bloomsbury Companion to Marx

The definitive reference guide to the life and work of perhaps the most influential political and philosophical thinker since the 19th century - Karl Marx.

There are very few figures in history that have exerted as much and as varied an influence as Karl Marx. His work represents an unrivalled intervention into fields as various as philosophy, journalism, economics, history, politics and cultural criticism. His name is invoked across the political spectrum in connection to revolution and insurrection, social justice and economic transformation.

The Bloomsbury Companion to Marx is the definitive reference guide to Marx’s life and work. Written by an international team of leading Marx scholars, the book offers comprehensive coverage of Marx’s: life and contexts; sources, influences and encounters; key writings; major themes and topics; and reception and influence.

The defining feature of this Companion is its attention to the new directions in Marxism that animate the theoretical, scientific, and political sides of Marx’s thought. Gender and the growing importance of Marxist-feminism is treated as equally important to clarifying Marx today as traditional and diverse categories of critique such as class, capital, and mode of production. Similarly, this Companion showcases the methodological and political importance of Marxism to environmentalist politics. Finally, the volume examines in detail non-European Marxisms, demonstrating the centrality of Marxist thought to political movements both within and beyond the global north.

This book is the ideal research resource for anyone working on Marx and his ideas today, and as an entry point, if you are approaching Marx's thought for the first time.