That the world is changing is not surprising. What, however, is to be understood by the "politics of change"? This book takes a critical view of the debate on "globalization" and assesses revamped versions of structuralist thought, which underpin much of the globalization discourse. Special attention is given to the work of J?rgen Habermas. In contrast to conventional views on change, the book emphasizes 'change' as a politics of emancipation. Bringing together original, specially-commissioned chapters by leading international scholars, it will rapidly establish itself as a landmark text

In this study, distinguished international contributors project an 'open' Marxism - a rejection of the determinism and positivism which characterise so much of contemporary left-wing thought.

Topics covered include Marxism and political economy, historical materialism, dialectics, state theory, class, fetishism and the periodisation of capitalist development.