Marxism and the City (Marxist Introductions)

Defeated in the East and discredited in the West, Marxism has broken down as an ideology as well as a guide to governance. For all its profound and infirming flaws as a total ensemble of understanding and rule, Marxism remains an important tool for comprehending and questioning key aspects of modernity. In this work, Katznelson critically analyzes the development of Marxist scholarship on cities in the last quarter century. He not only demonstrates how some of the most important weaknesses in Marxism as a social theory can be remedied by forcing it to seriously engage with cities and spatial concerns, but explains the significant shortcomings even of this "improved" Marxism. Katznelson explores how a Marxism that is open to engagement with other social-theoretical traditions can help illuminate our understanding of cities and the patterns of class and group formation that have characterized urban life in the West. Clearly written, this book will interest not only students and scholars of social and political theory, but those involved with sociology, geography and political science as well as anyone concerned with urban studies.