Marxism, methods, and hen’s teeth

Abstract

Examined here are claims made in a recent edited volume to provide Marxism with a template for research methods. Downplayed or missing, however, are crucial issues necessary to the realization of this project, including who or what is to be considered Marxist, earlier methodological contributions and prefiguring debate, together with the political ends to which such research is geared. These problems in turn can be traced to misunderstandings of or difficulties with Marxist theory and its key concepts, among them class, the industrial reserve, and unfree labour. In light of the shortcomings, the conclusion is that a Marxist guide to fieldwork methods has yet to be written.