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Open Marxism is a collection of critical and heterodox Marxist schools of thought which critique state socialism^[1] and party politics, stressing the need for openness to praxis and history through an anti-positivist method grounded in the "practical reflexivity" of Karl Marx's own concepts.^[2] The "openness" in open Marxism also refers to a non-deterministic view of history in which the unpredictability of class struggle is foregrounded.^[3]

It is very strongly anti-structuralist in both its Marxism–Leninist^[4] and Althusserian^[5] forms, and there is significant overlap with some schools of post-Marxism.^[6] It often (though not always) aligns itself with humanist Marxism, and libertarian or left communism.^[7]

Overview

Derrida describes an 'open' Marxist tradition in an interview from 1980.^[8] Alvin Gouldner also describes 'Two Marxisms' in the 1980s; one scientific, and one critical.^[9]

Originating from a term used by Agnoli in a debate with Ernest Mandel, Open Marxism began in the 80's as an effort to unite heterodox Marxist tendencies against the dogmatism of revisionist Marxism-Leninism, and mainstream sociological structuralist^[10] versions of Western Marxism, such as Althusserian Marxism and Gramscian cultural studies.^[11] Open Marxists returned to basic Marxist concepts such as value, labour and the state-form,^[12] and argued against social-democratic state-led and Marxist-Leninist party-led utilisations of Marxism.

The sources of critical, Open Marxism (sometimes called the 'warm stream of Marxism'^[13]) are many, from György Lukács' return to the philosophical roots of Marx's thinking, to council communism, the New Left, elements of Autonomism and situationism and also the Neue Marx-Lektüre of 70s Germany.^[14] Hegel is often the common thread within these tendencies.^[3]

Intellectual affinities with autonomist Marxism were especially strong and led to the creation of the journal The Commoner (2001–2012) following in the wake of previous open Marxist journals Arguments (1958–1962)^[15] and Common Sense (1987–1999).

In the 1970s and 1980s, state-derivationist debates around the separation of the economic and the political under capitalism unfolded in the working group Kapitalistate and the Conference of Socialist Economists^[16] journal Capital & Class, involving many of the theorists of Open Marxism and significantly influencing its theoretical development.^[17] Endnotes journal references itself as influenced by OM.^[11]

Three volumes entitled Open Marxism were published by Pluto Press in the 1990s. A fourth volume, again published by Pluto, appeared in 2020. The authorship of the latest volume showed how far the influence of Open Marxism has spread from Europe to Latin America.^[18]

Theorists

'Open Leninism'

Some scholars discuss the existence of an 'open Leninism', or a Neo-Leninism,^[50] that is, a critical^[51] Hegelian, or post-structural Leninism that is critical of Marxism-Leninism^[52] as it existed in the 20th century.^[53][54] The work of Lars T. Lih,^[55] Kevin B. Anderson,^[56] Kai Heron,^[57]Jodi Dean,^[58] Andreas Malm,^[59] Antonio Negri,^[60] Alberto Toscano^[61] and Slavoj Zizek^[62] have been representative of this trend. Some 'open', critical Marxists have also been staunch Leninists, such as Theodor W. Adorno,^[63] Antonio Gramsci,^[64] György Lukács,^[65] Henri Lefebvre,^[66] Ernest Mandel^[67] Victor Serge^[68] and Evgeny Pashukanis^[69]

Criticism

Some critics have alleged that open Marxism is too open^[70]- a charge of 'subjectivism' ^[71] and 'voluntarism'^[72] is sometimes levelled, though its authors, particularly John Holloway have responded to this.^[73]

Others claim that open Marxist accounts tend to treat the national capitalist state abstractly, without reference to uneven and combined development and international forms of class struggle in the capitalist "world-system".^[74]

Like other forms of Marxism, it has been criticised for being totalising, universalising and Eurocentric.^[75]

Open Marxism, whilst being fairly unified analytically, has very different political implications. Some, like Negri, argue for a revolution against capitalism.^[76] Others, like Pitts, argue for quite mild social democracy against a more radical Left movement.^[77][78] Others, such as Hall, argue for a left populism.^[79][80]