Chapter Twenty-Two. States, state power, and state theory

Abstract

There has been a major renewal of Marxist work on state theory in the last thirty years. Marxist analyses not only explore conventional themes and approaches in state theory but are also addressing many new issues, developing new theoretical and political arguments, and critically reevaluating classic texts and approaches. Building on the revival of Marxist form-analysis in the critique of political economy, there has been a growing interest in state forms and functions, especially given the crisis of the national state-form in the last thirty years. A revival of interest in the historical constitution of the modern state and inter-state system has seen detailed studies of the classical polity, feudal states, absolutism, early-modern state formation, and the development of the Westphalian system. Keywords: historical constitution; Marxist work; state power