Publisher Description

In Critical Marxism in Mexico, Stefan Gandler, coming from the tradition of the Frankfurt School, reveals the contributions that Adolfo Snchez Vzquez and Bolvar Echeverra have made to universal thought. While in recent years Latin America has distanced itself politically and economically from global power centers, in the realm of philosophy it has remained under the dominance of conventional western thinking.
Despite having studied in Europe, where philosophical Eurocentrism remains virulent, Gandler opens his eyes to another tradition of modernity and offers an account of the lives and philosophies of Adolfo Snchez Vzquez and Bolvar Echeverra, former senior faculty members at the Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico (UNAM). Through its attempt to popularize the major works of these two great Mexican philosophers, Critical Marxism in Mexico is an invaluable resource for all those trying to place Critical Theory at the center of international philosophical discussions

Author Biography

Stefan Gandler (Munich, 1964) studied Philosophy, Political Sciences and Latin-American Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt, with Alfred Schmidt as Ph.D. adviser. Lives in Mexico City since 1993, teaching Philosophy and Social Theory at: UNAM, UC Santa Cruz and Universidad Autnoma de Quertaro.

Table of Contents

Table of contentsPrologue to Peripheral Marxism by Michael LöwyPreface to the English-Language EditionPreface to the Original Edition in GermanPreface to the Spanish-Language EditionIntroduction: From Eurocentric to peripheral MarxismPart I: HISTORICAL AND THEORETICAL CONTEXT1. The Life and Work of Adolfo Sánchez VázquezBeginning of the biographyThe Spanish Civil WarThe first period in Mexico, exileThe 'new theoretical and practical posture'2. The Life and Work of Bolívar EcheverríaThe period in West Germany and West BerlinFrom the divided city to the Mexican capitalCollaboration on the journal Cuadernos PolíticosBack to philosophy3. The 'State of Art'a) On social philosophy in Latin Americab) On Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez and Bolívar EcheverríaPart II: ADOLFO SÁNCHEZ VÁZQUEZ: PRAXIS AND KNOWLEDGE4. The Concept of Praxisa) The term 'praxis' in various European languagesb) The terms 'praxis' and 'práctica' and the problem of their translationc) General introduction to the concept5. The Everyday Consciousness of Praxisa) The critique of the everyday consciousness of praxis, or, why is a theoretical understanding of praxis necessary?b) Revolutionary praxis and everyday consciousnessPractical politicism and practical apoliticismc) Artistic praxis and everyday consciousnessd) Concluding the critique of everyday consciousness6. The Relationship between Philosophy and Praxis in Historya) Antiquityb) The philosophy of praxis7. The Theses on Feuerbacha) The Position of the Theses on Feuerbach within Marx's workb) Interpretation of the Theses on FeuerbachPraxis as the basis for knowledge (Thesis I)Praxis as a criterion of truth (Thesis II)Revolutionary praxis as the unity of the transformation in human beings and in circumstances (Thesis III)From the interpretation of the world to its transformation (Thesis XI) Epilogue to the Theses on Feuerbach8. Critique of some Marxist Conceptions of Knowledgea) Critique of certain conceptions of Marxism in generalb) Critique of certain Marxist conceptions of knowledgeKnowledge as the direct result of world-transformative praxisKnowledge as something achieved exclusively in theory9. Once Again on the Problem of Knowledge and Praxisa) Materialism and idealismb) Political and productive praxis10. The Philosophy of Praxis: two versionsPart III: BOLÍVAR ECHEVERRÍA: USE-VALUE AND ETHOS11. Praxis and Use-Valuea) The theory of use-value and the critique of the abstract concept of praxisb) Differences vis-à-vis the concept of praxis in Sánchez Vázquezc) Historical limitations of the Marxian concept of use-valued) The Aristotelian concept of use-value as interpreted by Marxe) Marx as the founder of the critical concept of use-valuef) Marx's concept of the natural form and the theory of ethosg) Critique of political economy as critique of modernity12. Concretisation of the Concept of Praxisa) Reproduction and communicationb) Use value and signc) Marx's theory of toolsd) Concept of concrete universalism13. Modernity and Capitalisma) The critique of actually-existing modernity and the critique of actually existing postmodern thoughtb) The term 'actually existing modernity'c) Actually existing modernities as basis for a non-capitalist modernity14. The Concept of Historical Ethosa) On the term ethosTranslation problemsb) Determination of the concept of 'historical ethosc) The concept of modernityd) The terms 'realist', 'romantic', 'classic', and 'baroque ethos'e) The concept of the four ethe of capitalist modernity as a contribution to a materialist history of culturef) The theoretical positioning and explosive force of the concept of ethosForm of civilisation versus mode of production (for Martin Heidegger)The finite of the dominant modernity and of all capitalist modernities (for Karl Marx)Christianity and capitalism (for Max Weber)Puritanism and realism15. The Four Ethe of Capitalist Modernitya) The realist ethosb) The romantic ethosc) The classic ethosd) The baroque ethose) The non-existence of historical ethe in pure formf) Textual variants of the concept of ethos16. Ethos and Ideologya) Limitations of the concept of ethosb) Contribution to the reconstruction of the concept of ideology in the critique of political economy1859 Preface to the Contribution to the Critique of Political EconomyOn the text: "The Fetishism of the Commodity and Its Secret"The fetishism of the commodityThe historical dimension of the fetishism of the commodity, or knowledge as a political-practical processOn the relation between 'necessity' and 'interest' in the formation or perpetuation of ideologiesCapital as a critique of fetishismsc) The concept of ethos as a toned down critique of ideologyd) An example of the limitations of the concept of ethos17. Utopia: A Non-Capitalist Society of Commodity ProducersPart IV: ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRAXIS AND ETHOS18. Affirmation or Critique of Praxis?19. The Conceptual Determination of Culture and Nature20. The Philosophical Critique of Eurocentrisma) On the problem of focusing on European authorsb) Critical concept of praxis versus abstract universalism,namely EurocentrismBIBLIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIXI. Bibliography of Adolfo Sánchez VázquezII. Bibliography of Bolívar EcheverríaIII. Selected Bibliography on Marxist Philosophy in Latin AmericaIV. Sources for the BibliographyReferencesIndex

Review

"With this book Stefan Gandler has made important contributions to the study of Marxism and critical social theory in Mexico. Regarding the first contribution, this book expands the theoretical tools and insights within the canon of Marxist thought…[Critical Marxism in Mexico] is a useful commentary and critical analysis for theorists in Latin America and beyond. In toto this book serves as an important corrective to the Eurocentric nature of western and orthodox canonical Marxism." —Arnold L. Farr, Lateral
"With this book Stefan Gandler has made important contributions to the study of Marxism and critical social theory in Mexico. Regarding the first contribution, this book expands the theoretical tools and insights within the canon of Marxist thought…[Critical Marxism in Mexico] is a useful commentary and critical analysis for theorists in Latin America and beyond. In toto this book serves as an important corrective to the Eurocentric nature of western and orthodox canonical Marxism." —Arnold L. Farr, Lateral

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In Critical Marxism in Mexico , Stefan Gandler, coming from the tradition of the Frankfurt School, reveals the contributions that Adolfo S

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"With this book Stefan Gandler has made important contributions to the study of Marxism and critical social theory in Mexico. Regarding the first contribution, this book expands the theoretical tools and insights within the canon of Marxist thought...[Critical Marxism in Mexico] is a useful commentary and critical analysis for theorists in Latin America and beyond. In toto this book serves as an important corrective to the Eurocentric nature of western and orthodox canonical Marxism." --Arnold L. Farr, Lateral

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Title will benefit from general interest in the Historical Materialism Book Series The annual conferences sponsored by Historical Materialism have a growing audience of academics from around the world and offer a captive audience for titles in the book series Inaccessibly priced hardcover edition means that all general readers will wait for the paperback

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