Matter in Marx

Although Marx himself described his theory as “materialist”, it has long been disputed among Marx scholars whether this self-characterization is accurate. This book aims to show that Marx was not mistaken about the philosophical profile of his work, but that not much is gained by labeling it as such. The interesting question is rather what kind of materialism Marx developed. This book provides a surprising answer to this question: it is a materialism without matter. On this basis, new insights are gained into other controversies regarding the interpretation of Marx’s theory. Light is shed, for example, on the base-superstructure analogy, on the understanding of progress in Marx’s theory of history or on his concept of political action.