The End of the Democratic State Nicos Poulantzas, a Marxism for the 21st Century

This edited volume takes a close look at Nicos Poulantzas’s thought as a means of understanding the dynamics of the capitalist, neoliberal state in the 21st century. Nicos Poulantzas has left us with one of the most sophisticated theories of the state in the second half of the 20th century. Poulantzas’s influential theory draws inspiration from Marx, Lenin, Weber, and Foucault, among other thinkers, conceiving of the relationship between capitalism and the state as particularly original. This book aims to use Poulantzas’s theory of the capitalist state in order to understand important political and economic trends that have taken place since Poulantzas’s death in 1979. By entering into a dialogue with current Marxist and critical research in diverse fields such as political science, philosophy, sociology, history, and geography, this volume purports to evaluate the actuality of Poulantzas’s thought.

Preface: The End of the Democratic State 

Jean-Numa Ducange and Razmig Keucheyan

 

 

Part I. State and Strategies.

1.      The State and the Democratic Road to Socialism            

Álvaro Garcia Linera

2.      Nicos Poulantzas’s Strategic Reflection, between Economics and Politics

Isabelle Garo

3.      The Capitalist State, Hegemony and the Democratic Transformation toward Socialism

Alex Demirovich

4.      Specters of ‘Totalitarianism’. Poulantzas Faced with Fascism and the State of Exception

Stathis Kouvelakis

 

Part II. Histories and Communisms

1.      The Comintern’s Uncertain Heritage

Serge Wolikow

2.      The Eurocommunism of the intellectuals: Poulantzas and the Third Way to Socialism

Marco di Maggio

3.      The Ligue communiste révolutionnaire, Nicos Poulantzas, and the reception and discussion of his theory

Ludivine Bantigny

 

Part III. Theories

1.  Poulantzas: from Law to the State

James Martin

2. Geographies of the state: Nicos Poulantzas and contemporary approaches to state/space

Costis Hadjimichalis

3. A European Capitalism? Revisiting the Mandel-Poulantzas Debate

Tristan Auvray and Cédric Durand

 

 

David Broder received his PhD in History from the London School of Economics, UK.