March 1, 2026
In 1966, Johns Hopkins hosted a seemingly innocuous international conference titled "The Languages of Criticism and the Sciences of Man," featuring leading figures of what would later be known as "French Theory." However, John Bellamy Foster writes, far from a simple meeting of intellectuals, this represented a "politically motivated attempt to create a beachhead for French structuralism in the United States that would counter the radicalization then taking place."
March 1, 2026
Vijay Prashad critiques the argument that colonialism was, at most, ancillary to the transition between capitalism and feudalism in Western Europe. Instead, Prashad argues, "capitalism
as it historically emerged—industrial, global, racialized, and imperial—was inseparable from colonial expropriation." This reality must fuel a Marxist conception of the global struggle for reparations for those who have been oppressed and exploited at the hands of empires past and present.
February 1, 2026
In this talk from the inaugural conference of the Society for Peace, Internationalism, and Ecology, John Bellamy Foster relates the story of Prometheus, as presented in the plays of Aeschylus, to Western Marxism's "dialectic of defeat," in which capitalism is portrayed as an unbreakable bond for the working class. Instead, Foster says, we must recognize Prometheus as a subject who is freed from the seemingly inescapable fetters imposed upon him.
December 1, 2025
In this deeply personal essay, communication scholar Inger Stole shares with readers a glimpse into her life with Robert W. McChesney, her husband of 37 years. Stole reveals the depth of feeling with which McChesney approached all aspects of life, from his work as an intellectual and advocate to his role as a father and life partner.
December 1, 2025
Mandy Tröger and Sydney L. Forde explore the impact that Robert W. McChesney's work has had on both the communication field and on their work as the new generation of scholars. "To honor [McChesney]," they write, "is not to look up in awe, but look out…toward the unfinished work of building a more democratic field and society."
October 1, 2025
"Why," Helena Sheehan asks, "have Marxists…put so much emphasis on the history of philosophy?" She adds: "Is the current G. W. F. Hegel revival conductive to coming to terms with the current conjuncture?" In answering these questions, Sheehan elucidates deep truths about the core of Marxist philosophy and practice, and the importance of remaining deeply rooted in the real world.
October 1, 2025
Oscar R. Ralda reviews Vanessa Christina Wills's
Marx's Ethical Vision (2024). Wills's text, Ralda notes, demonstrates a "facility with which [she] deals with Marx's works, as well as a "strong philosophical case…for the ongoing relevance of a coherent Marxian moral theory." The latter, Rada notes, sheds light on the moral imperative to work toward socialist liberation from a foundation of resolute Marxian values.
July 1, 2025
In this innovative study, John Bellamy Foster gets to the heart of Marx's writing on communal societies—an aspect of Marx's work that is often overlooked, despite its importance to the socialist project. Tying together Marx's studies of anthropology, history, and ethnology, Foster illuminates the centrality of communalism to Marx's overall critique of class-based societies.
April 1, 2025
What is ecological civilization? In this article, Chen Yiwen presents a dialectical analysis that illuminates the theoretical and practical elements of ecological civilization, particularly as it develops in the context of China. In China, she notes, significant progress has been made, but there remain outstanding questions that must be resolved during the transition to an ecologically harmonious society that promotes global equality and human flourishing.
March 1, 2025
John Bellamy Foster and Gabriel Rockhill assess the history and influence of Western Marxism, defined not geographically, but by a rejection of the Marxism developed in the Soviet Union, in the Global South, and even in classical Marxism. This strain of Marxist thought, birthed in the imperial core, represents a concession to the dominance of U.S. ideology, rather than to correct the pressing issues confronting society today.
