Tosel, André
On the return of Marx in philosophy and politics: Some elements for a bibliographical inventory
- 2016.
96
A major revival in Marxian studies is currently underway in France. This can be seen firstly with the translation of Marx’s classic works as part of the GEME, including A Contribution to The Critique of Political Economy from 1859, and the publication of texts revised in the light of philological discoveries, such as The German Ideology. One key issue is the re-emergence of the much-debated question of the philosophy of Marx, or of philosophy according to Marx, or after Marx. This has led to a revival of the major debate previously held on this issue in France during the 1960s and 1970s, with the simultaneous issue of two previously unpublished texts by Louis Althusser, originally intended as an introduction to Marxist philosophy, and publication by Althusser’s opponent in that debate, Lucien Sève, of his truly monumental ideological treatise entitled Et la philosophie? These studies by canonical Marx scholars have been accompanied by contributions from a new generation of researchers, notably Emmanuel Renault and Franck Fischbach. Stepping back from the limiting frameworks of historical and dialectical materialism, their work presents an inventory of the various options available and thus defines the terms of a new approach, whether through a reading of the plurality of interpretations with a pragmatist bent (Renault), or by reformulating Marx’s ideas and categories in terms of a new social philosophy (Fischbach). Evidence of the revival can also be found in the renewed interest in Marx’s politics (in a collective work edited by Isabelle Garo and Jean-Numa Ducange).