Political Marxism and the Historical Critique of Capitalism

A Theoretical and Methodological Introduction

Abstract

Since the first Brenner Debate, Political Marxism has distinguished itself as the most epistemologically fertile historical tendency within Western Marxism. Over nearly 50 years of contributions, its founders – R. Brenner and E.M. Wood – along with numerous pupils, have generated significant theoretical and political innovations in the interpretation of capitalism and its laws of motion through historical research and methodological critique. However, in Italy, not only have the works of its leading authors never been translated, but little effort has been made to engage with the disputes and controversies that Political Marxists continue to provoke annually in major Anglo-Saxon journals. This article aims to provide scholars in our country with an initial introduction to the key issues raised by Political Marxism over half a century of theoretical debates and confrontations, enriching the national Marxist debate with a new perspective and fostering a comprehensive reflection on how history can be approached materialistically, thereby challenging the underlying relationships that dominate our present.