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Western Marxism: Chinese and Anglophone Perspectives Paper proposals deadline extension: 15th October 2026 27–29 November 2026 At the University of Salford, Greater Manchester and celebrating the 206th anniversary of the birth of Friedrich Engels An international conference organised by Marx and Engels Humanity Exchange International Association (MEHEIA), the University of Salford, Canterbury Christ Church University, and Renmin University of China, in association with the Political Studies Association of the UK Marxism Specialist Group and the Marx Memorial Library, London. If you wish to give a paper, abstracts of 250 words are now due by 15th October 2026 Submissions to: academic@themeia.org General Enquiries to: info@themeia.org We hope to see you in November in Salford. Conference theme and opening keynote Professor Clyde W. Barrow, University of Texas, USA “Class Struggle and Academic Marxism: Corrections to Perry Anderson’s Considerations on Western Marxism” This year 2026 marks 50th anniversary of the publication of Perry Anderson’s seminal work Considerations on Western Marxism. While more recent studies by Dominic Losurdo and Gabriel Rockhill have challenged his interpretation of this contested concept, the power and influence of Anderson’s study remains a pivotal intellectual landmark. According to Anderson, Western Marxism represented the retreat of Marxist thought from class politics to epistemological concerns in the wake of a profound political defeat – it saw creative Marxism in the West move into the academy generally and towards philosophy more specifically. If Anderson optimistically believed that the upsurge of 1968 heralded both the death of Western Marxism and the rebirth of genuine revolutionary Marxism as embodied in the Trotskyist tradition, a decade later his response to the subsequent “crisis of Marxism” saw him embrace what he called the ‘steadier and more tough minded historical materialism’ of the Anglophone world. By contrast, Losurdo and Rockhill reject the very notion of defeat upon which Anderson’s account of Western Marxism was founded. Moreover, they insisted on a much more negative interpretation not only of the reactionary and imperialist coordinates and blind spots of Western Marxism itself but also of the Trotskyist and Anglophone writers praised by Anderson in the 1970s and 1980s. We invite papers which continue to develop this conversation and cultural exchange – a conversation which aims to strengthen an outwards-looking Marxist theory and practice that effectively addresses the political issues posed by twenty first century global capitalism. Academic Committee Professor David Bates Professor of Contemporary Political Thought at Canterbury Christ Church University and Co-Convenor of the Political Studies Marxism Specialist Group Professor Paul Blackledge Professor of Marxist Theory, Shanxi University Professor Terrell Carver School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies, University of Bristol Organisers
Submission Information Abstract Submission Deadline: 16 October 2026 Abstract Submissions Email: academic@themeia.org General Enquiries Email: info@themeia.org |
