Overview

Marxism has provided the ideological impetus to liberation movements, radical struggles and revolutions across the world. But in the 20th century, the emancipatory and democratic power of its thought has often been distorted and overridden by various Stalinist dictatorships which claimed to be acting in its name. A similar undermining of freedom of thought has been accomplished at an intellectual level; various schools have transformed Marxist thought in line with some of the most fashionable but gentrified forms of contemporary philosophy, shifting the focus from the democratic power of the masses and their ability to challenge the capitalist order to concentrate on superstar thinkers and elite theories. The War Against Marxism traces the war against Marxism which, paradoxically, has been conducted in the name of Marxism itself. As such it provides a fiery philosophical and polemical indictment of so-called ‘Marxists’ such as Adorno, Horkheimer, Althusser, Jameson, Eagleton, Mouffe, Laclau and Zizek and asks what can be done to stem this counterrevolution.

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9781350201408

Table of Contents

Reviews

This book is refreshing and long overdue. * Counterfire * Tony McKenna pulls no punches. He minces no words. The war against Marxism declared by the theorists examined in this book has been waged, he asserts, “in the name of Marx himself.” … The centrality of the notion of reification in McKenna’s searing critique indicates his passionate adherence to the legacy of the Hegelian Marxist, György Lukács … I find much in this book to applaud; I recommend it to anyone who has felt frustrated by the density of Theory and its remoteness from social revolution. McKenna reminds us that there is a world to win beyond the often self-aggrandizing rhetoric of the “left” academy. * Science and Society * [McKenna] carefully examines the texts of self-purported Marxists and shows in a razor-sharp analysis how the war against Marx’s methodology has been ragging in academia for almost a century now. * Marx and Philosophy Review of Books * This is a beautiful polemic against the Frankfurt School , Critical Theory and many of the most prominent left academics. It is hard hitting and a good antidote to people getting sucked into anti-Marxism via “Marxism” ... This book is an excellent weapon in the fight against the ideological counterrevolution and the re-establishment of Marxism! * A Marxist View of Current Events Blog * Tony McKenna delivers a vibrant collection of essays on an astonishingly wide variety of topics, from Critical Theory to pop culture, dissecting with sometimes fierce but always insightful polemics the output of figures as different as Louis Althusser and Stephen King. Enlightening and entertaining in equal measure, Mckenna’s book is a vigorous and strikingly original defense and revitalization of Marxism as a project of popular empowerment and social transformation. * Ishay Landa, Associate Professor of History, The Open University of Israel, Ra’anana, Israel * Tony McKenna is one of the most erudite but readable authors in contemporary social theory and has a proven track record of producing off-piste but relevant analyses of enduring products of popular culture. This volume consolidates his status as a refreshing voice of both theoretical sophistication and contemporary relevance for our increasingly crisis-torn century. * Sean Ledwith, Lecturer in History and Sociology, York College, UK * This is a book for anyone who’s wondered how the unwavering commitment to human freedom in Marx became the slick repartee of postmodern Marxists. It’s a book for people who’ve come to suspect that the reactionary utterances of some popular, left-wing intellectuals might be tied to the deeper fundamentalism of their initiatives. Prepare to have your idols tested. * Katie Terezakis, Professor of Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA *

Tony McKenna delivers a vibrant collection of essays on an astonishingly wide variety of topics, from Critical Theory to pop culture, dissecting with sometimes fierce but always insightful polemics the output of figures as different as Louis Althusser and Stephen King. Enlightening and entertaining in equal measure, Mckenna's book is a vigorous and strikingly original defense and revitalization of Marxism as a project of popular empowerment and social transformation. * Ishay Landa, Associate Professor of History, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana, Israel * Tony McKenna is one of the most erudite but readable authors in contemporary social theory and has a proven track record of producing off-piste but relevant analyses of enduring products of popular culture. This volume consolidates his status as a refreshing voice of both theoretical sophistication and contemporary relevance for our increasingly crisis-torn century. * Sean Ledwith, Lecturer in History and Sociology, York College, UK * This is a book for anyone who's wondered how the unwavering commitment to human freedom in Marx became the slick repartee of postmodern Marxists. It's a book for people who've come to suspect that the reactionary utterances of some popular, left-wing intellectuals might be tied to the deeper fundamentalism of their initiatives. Prepare to have your idols tested. * Katie Terezakis, Professor of Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA *

Tony McKenna delivers a vibrant collection of essays on an astonishingly wide variety of topics, from Critical Theory to pop culture, dissecting with sometimes fierce but always insightful polemics the output of figures as different as Louis Althusser and Stephen King. Enlightening and entertaining in equal measure, Mckenna's book is a vigorous and strikingly original defense and revitalization of Marxism as a project of popular empowerment and social transformation. * Ishay Landa, Associate Professor of History, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana, Israel * Tony McKenna is one of the most erudite but readable authors in contemporary social theory and has a proven track record of producing off-piste but relevant analyses of enduring products of popular culture. This volume consolidates his status as a refreshing voice of both theoretical sophistication and contemporary relevance for our increasingly crisis-torn century. * Sean Ledwith, Lecturer in History and Sociology, York College, UK *

Tony McKenna delivers a vibrant collection of essays on an astonishingly wide variety of topics, from Critical Theory to pop culture, dissecting with sometimes fierce but always insightful polemics the output of figures as different as Louis Althusser and Stephen King. Enlightening and entertaining in equal measure, Mckenna's book is a vigorous and strikingly original defense and revitalization of Marxism as a project of popular empowerment and social transformation. * Ishay Landa, Associate Professor of History, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana, Israel *

This is a beautiful polemic against the Frankfurt School , Critical Theory and many of the most prominent left academics. It is hard hitting and a good antidote to people getting sucked into anti-Marxism via Marxism ... This book is an excellent weapon in the fight against the ideological counterrevolution and the re-establishment of Marxism! * A Marxist View of Current Events Blog * Tony McKenna delivers a vibrant collection of essays on an astonishingly wide variety of topics, from Critical Theory to pop culture, dissecting with sometimes fierce but always insightful polemics the output of figures as different as Louis Althusser and Stephen King. Enlightening and entertaining in equal measure, Mckenna's book is a vigorous and strikingly original defense and revitalization of Marxism as a project of popular empowerment and social transformation. * Ishay Landa, Associate Professor of History, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana, Israel * Tony McKenna is one of the most erudite but readable authors in contemporary social theory and has a proven track record of producing off-piste but relevant analyses of enduring products of popular culture. This volume consolidates his status as a refreshing voice of both theoretical sophistication and contemporary relevance for our increasingly crisis-torn century. * Sean Ledwith, Lecturer in History and Sociology, York College, UK * This is a book for anyone who's wondered how the unwavering commitment to human freedom in Marx became the slick repartee of postmodern Marxists. It's a book for people who've come to suspect that the reactionary utterances of some popular, left-wing intellectuals might be tied to the deeper fundamentalism of their initiatives. Prepare to have your idols tested. * Katie Terezakis, Professor of Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA *

This is a beautiful polemic against the Frankfurt School , Critical Theory and many of the most prominent left academics. It is hard hitting and a good antidote to people getting sucked into anti-Marxism via Marxism ... This book is an excellent weapon in the fight against the ideological counterrevolution and the re-establishment of Marxism! * A Marxist View of Current Events Blog * Tony McKenna delivers a vibrant collection of essays on an astonishingly wide variety of topics, from Critical Theory to pop culture, dissecting with sometimes fierce but always insightful polemics the output of figures as different as Louis Althusser and Stephen King. Enlightening and entertaining in equal measure, Mckenna's book is a vigorous and strikingly original defense and revitalization of Marxism as a project of popular empowerment and social transformation. * Ishay Landa, Associate Professor of History, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana, Israel * Tony McKenna is one of the most erudite but readable authors in contemporary social theory and has a proven track record of producing off-piste but relevant analyses of enduring products of popular culture. This volume consolidates his status as a refreshing voice of both theoretical sophistication and contemporary relevance for our increasingly crisis-torn century. * Sean Ledwith, Lecturer in History and Sociology, York College, UK * This is a book for anyone who's wondered how the unwavering commitment to human freedom in Marx became the slick repartee of postmodern Marxists. It's a book for people who've come to suspect that the reactionary utterances of some popular, left-wing intellectuals might be tied to the deeper fundamentalism of their initiatives. Prepare to have your idols tested. * Katie Terezakis, Professor of Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA * [McKenna] carefully examines the texts of self-purported Marxists and shows in a razor-sharp analysis how the war against Marx's methodology has been ragging in academia for almost a century now. * Marx and Philosophy Review of Books *

Author Information

Tony McKenna is a journalist and cultural commentator who writes regularly for Al Jazeera, The Huffington Post, ABC Australia, TRT World, New Statesman, The United Nations, New Internationalist, The Progressive, and Adbusters. He is author of Toward Forever: Radical Reflections on History and Art (2020), Angels and Demons: A Radical Anthology of Political Lives: A Marxist Analysis of Key Political and Historical Figures (2019), Art, Literature and Culture from a Marxist Perspective (2015)

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