this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2026
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cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/58586

Reviewing the fallout over Gabriel Rockhill's critiques of Western Marxism, Donald Parkinson argues the controversy is ultimately a battle over what kind of intellectual culture the left needs.


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[–] Wertheimer@hexbear.net 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I won’t have time to give this a full read until later in the week but so far it’s looking like a valuable contribution to this debate. From what I’ve seen around Hexbear, this book, or perhaps just Rockhill himself, seems to be very popular. I haven’t gotten to it yet (Losurdo’s book on Western Marxism is higher on my list and I’m currently going through the rest of his bibliography to meet my Theory dietary needs) but from excerpts and other reviews I’ve read, I’m a little wary, even if many of the negative reviews also seem way off in certain ways.

I’d love to discuss this further (at some future date) with comrades here.

[–] MLRL_Commie@hexbear.net 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'm a big practitioner of Losurdo and have read that one twice already. Always up to discuss! What are you wary about?

[–] Wertheimer@hexbear.net 2 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I meant that I was wary about the Rockhill. Sounds like a whole lot of guilt by association, which isn’t necessarily wrong, but might not be helpful in terms of critiquing their analytical failures. Maybe that’s ground that Losurdo already covers well enough, and since Rockhill edited Losurdo’s volume, perhaps he didn’t feel the need to tread that ground again. I’m surprised I haven’t seen more reviews that deal with both books in tandem.

For Losirdo, I’m just about finished with War and Revolution (excellent, excellent stuff), and I have Democracy or Bonapartism on deck.

So far my preferred critique of Western Marxism comes from Aijaz Ahmad in In Theory, but it’ll be a few more days until I’m back in the same room as my books and notes so I wouldn’t do a good enough job of articulating why until then.

[–] MLRL_Commie@hexbear.net 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Interested in your reasoning on Ahmad whenever you have time.

[–] Wertheimer@hexbear.net 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I’ll ping you later in the week. Good excuse to type up my notes from that book, which I’ve been procrastinating on.

What are you reading now?

[–] MLRL_Commie@hexbear.net 1 points 1 day ago

I'm on a re-read of German Ideology because a new reading group in my party wants to do it and they need me to set up the leading questions. I'm also reading Marx's Inferno, but I've had to slow that one down, though I find it a really intriguing book!

[–] MLRL_Commie@hexbear.net 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Yeah I'm not a big fan of Rockhill generally, but more because he seems less intensely studied in his subjects than a Losurdo. I have the same critique of Vijay Prashad (though with him i also have strong ideological disagreements). I won't shit talk or argue against Rockhill though, it just feels like his oeuvre is a bit more aimed towards newbies to MLism and I am a bit allergic to hollowness. But I've been spoiled by the likes of Lukasc and Losurdo. But I don't recommend random people to read Losurdo, and I likely will about Rockhill