The book constitutes an attempt by Marxist political economy to extricate itself from mistaken attempts to conflate it with the cultural turn, identity politics, bourgeois economics, or varieties of populism and nationalism, together with the danger of not doing so.

Marxism is a theory which originated in the context of nineteenth-century industrialised Europe. Despite its European origins, Marxism has actually found greatest significance as a doctrine for change in the context of the underdeveloped peasant societies of Asia. This paradox has only been resolved through adaptation of Marxism to suit the specific features of particular Asian societies. There has consequently been a differentiation of Marxism along national lines. In this book, first published in 1985, the theoretical and practical implications for this national differentiation of a ‘universal’ (European) theory are explored, followed by a more detailed analysis of the manner in which Marxism has developed during different historical periods in particular Asian contexts.

Marxism in a Lost Century retells the history of the radical left during the twentieth century through the words and deeds of Paul Mattick. Three biographical themes receive special attention -- the self-taught nature of left-wing activity, Mattick’s publishing endeavors, and the nexus of men, politics, and friendship.

"Genuinely open-minded and inquiring. . . .it intelligently summarizes and shrewdly questions four central topics of Marxist thought—the dialectical approach to philosophy, the materialist interpretation of history, the socio-analysis of capitalism and the commitment to socialism." —Raymond Williams, Cambridge University In the lucid style and engaging manner that have become his trademark, Robert L. Heilbroner explains and explores the central elements of Marxist thought: the meaning of a "dialectical" philosophy, the usefulness and problems of a " materialist" interpretation" of history, the power of Marx's "socioanalytic" penetration of capitalism, and the hopes and disconcerting problems involved in a commitment to socialism. Scholarly without being academic, searching without assuming a prior knowledge of the subject, Dr. Heilbroner enables us to appreciate the greatness of Mark while avoiding an uncritical stance toward his work.

Marxism, Neo-Marxism, and U.S. sociology / by Rhonda F. Levine and Jerry Lembcke -- Crisis and vitalization / by Albert Szymanski -- New classes and old theories / by Peter Meiksins -- Class and class capacities / by Jerry Lembcke -- Bringing classes back in / by Rhonda F. Levine -- The limits of the world-system perspective / by Alex Dupuy and Barry Truchil -- Race, ethnicity, and class / by James A. Geschwender -- Recent ideological tendencies in urban and regional research / by Richard Peet -- Behind the veil of neutrality / by Peter Seybold -- Feminism / by Albert Szymanski -- Thinking about social class / by Scott G. McNall.