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Foucault against Marxism: Althusser beyond Althusser

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(Mis)readings of Marx in Continental Philosophy

Abstract

This is an essay about two late-twentieth-century French philosophers, Michel Foucault and Louis Althusser, and Marxism. My thesis, simply stated, is that Foucault and Althusser pursued the same basic theoretical trajectory in relation to Marxism and that this trajectory is both rooted in and leads decisively away from Marx and Marxism. I argue that Althusser was stymied in this trajectory by his adherence to the French Communist Party, leaving Foucault to fulfil it.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Macquarie University, Australia

    Mark G. E. Kelly (Lecturer in Philosophy)

Authors
  1. Mark G. E. Kelly
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Slovenia

    Jernej Habjan (Research Fellow) (Research Fellow)

  2. University of Western Sydney, Australia

    Jessica Whyte (Senior Lecturer in Cultural and Social Analysis) (Senior Lecturer in Cultural and Social Analysis)

Copyright information

© 2014 Mark G. E. Kelly

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Kelly, M.G.E. (2014). Foucault against Marxism: Althusser beyond Althusser. In: Habjan, J., Whyte, J. (eds) (Mis)readings of Marx in Continental Philosophy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137352835_6

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