The Politics of Novelty

In: Historical materialism: research in critical marxist theory, Issue 3, p. 145-155

Abstract

In a discussion of the "politics of novelty," it is asserted that "new Left" critiques of political economy have adopted neoliberalism's representation of the market being guided by an "invisible hand." An overview of developments in the Left since the 1960s illustrates how the downfall of "really existing socialism" during the late 1980s contributed to the abandonment of Karl Marx's negative critique. Moreover, a review of contemporary scholarship, especially Ulrich Beck's (1992) notion of risk society, demonstrates how Marx's negative critique has been replaced by the notion of totality; such scholarship fails to scrutinize the social & historical constitution of the notion of totality. Three developments present in new left literature since the mid-1970s are identified, including the inability of Marxist thought to analyze certain phenomena. It is concluded that Marxist scholarship since the 1960s has been "fashion-driven" & has relinquished its authority to the academic industry. 6 References. J. W. Parker