International Law on the Left: Re-examining Marxist Legacies

Against expectations that the turn away from state socialism would likewise initiate a turn away from Marxist thought, recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in Marxism and its reassessment by a new generation of theorists. This book pursues that interest with specific reference to international law. It presents a sustained and ground-breaking exploration of the pertinence of Marxist ideas, concepts and analytical practices for international legal enquiry from a wide range of different angles.

Discussion encompasses the relationship between Marxism and critical approaches to international law, Soviet international legal theory and the earlier work on international law of E. B. Pashukanis, the bearing of Marxism for the analysis of international trade law and human rights, and the significance for international legal enquiry of such Marxist concepts as the commodity, praxis and exploitation.

• Chapters cover diverse topics, giving authors a multi-layered understanding of the subject
• Contributors differ in perspectives, thus illustrating the debate and the diverse positions within it
• Contributors differ in analytical styles, and the subject is therefore treated with a variety of approaches