Monthly Review Press

In the public eye: Andy Merrifield

In the public eye: Andy Merrifield

June 4, 2026

The latest: "....Is 'subaltern' a code for the working classes? Is 'hegemony' an economic force or a cultural power? Are 'organic intellectuals' inherently more progressive? The answers to such questions depend upon your choice of scholar—whether, say, you’re reading a Foucauldian literary critic or a Marxist sociologist, a subaltern historian or a posthuman anthropologist. Over the years, Gramsci’s writing has been polished by critics of such diverse persuasions that it has now become a mirror: One opens his books only to confirm one’s own beliefs....when the English writer Andy Merrifield arrived in Rome, feeling 'washed out intellectually,' Gramsci came to the rescue...."
In the public eye: Gabriel Rockhill’s “Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism?”

In the public eye: Gabriel Rockhill’s “Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism?”

June 1, 2026

The latest: "....Over dammen var livet enklere. I løpet av krigen utviklet Frankfurterskolen sin virksomhet og bygget opp det som skulle bli deres ubestridte merkevare: «kritisk teori». Gjennom de neste tiårene skulle denne gruppa av tyske eksilanter opparbeide seg heltestatus blant akademikere over hele verden. Nå har imidlertid den amerikanske filosofen Gabriel Rockhill kastet sine kritiske øyne på aktiviteten til dette intellektuelle arbeidslaget – også kjent som Frankfurterskolen...."
WATCH: Socialist Register 2026

WATCH: Socialist Register 2026

May 28, 2026

This was the first live launch of the Socialist Register in New York City, with our brand new editor, Arun Kundnani, alongside the (relatively new) coeditor of the Socialist Register, Steve Maher, joined by three contributors to this year’s volume: Ibrahim Shikaki, Costas Lapavitsas, and Paul Heideman. Together they considered these and other questions:
In the public eye: Steve Cushion’s “Slavery in the British Empire and its Legacy in the Modern World”

In the public eye: Steve Cushion’s “Slavery in the British Empire and its Legacy in the Modern World”

May 27, 2026

The latest: "This examination of the 400-year history of European colonisation through the prism of ‘the political economy of enslavement’, is an act of completion. It integrates historical accounts that are relatively well known with detailed connections to a wider history and legacy of racial slavery. For decades, the history of the repeal of overt slavery by the British state was not so much taught as misrepresented, arguably until the twenty first century. Today, attempts to tell this history as it was and make connections to the modern world are increasingly being presented by the influential and US inflected Right in the UK as treasonable narratives introduced to pollute the purity of British history. Therefore, with accusations of ‘woke history’ to contend with, it is important that this full multidimensional exposure of slavery and its ongoing consequences should become the educative standard."
In the public eye: John Bellamy Foster’s “Breaking the Bonds of Fate”

In the public eye: John Bellamy Foster’s “Breaking the Bonds of Fate”

May 26, 2026

The latest: "Epicurus set up schools, first in Lampsacus (in modern day Turkey), then later in Athens. Other philosophical schools in the city used public space for lectures and attracted young, well educated, aristocratic Greek men. His critique of the ruling classes that dominated these schools that “'Nothing is enough for those for whom enough is too little' is as applicable today as in his age...."
In the public eye: “Silencing Fighting Bob: The Attack on Antiwar Progressives During the First World War”

In the public eye: “Silencing Fighting Bob: The Attack on Antiwar Progressives During the First World War”

April 14, 2026

The latest: "Chester weaves a nuanced story of heroic activism and governmental abuses that extended all the way to the office of the President. He recognizes the complexities of the circumstance and does not look away from the compromises by La Follette and others as they faced overwhelming pressure to get in line with the war effort. The editor of The Forward would eventually announce that the paper was “absolutely loyal” after the United States entered the war. As 1917 gave way to 1918, the Senator from Wisconsin took a lower profile, stopped giving fiery speeches and, finally, softened some of his criticism of Wilson...."

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