Marx's Construction of Social Theory - 9781138887749

Taylor & Francis

This study, first published in 1983, explores the connections between Marx\u2019s philosophy and his empirical analysis of society and state, by showing the different meanings of many of Marx\u2019s concepts as their role in his theory changes and the theory itself develops. Beginning with an examination of Marx\u2019s search for a sound epistemological basis on which to build a social theory, Dr Barbalet then gives an analysis of the way in which Marx continually modifies the concepts he uses, and continues with an examination of the different functions they are given in different theoretical settings. Various nuances of Marx\u2019s thought, often obscured by the simplistic \u2018early-late\u2019 dichotomy, are revealed by Dr Barbalet\u2019s close attention to the progressive transformation of Marx\u2019s concepts and by his scrupulous analysis of them in not only their textual but also their theoretical context. Finally, the book examines the manner in which Marx\u2019s constructio.