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unisonlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
In 100 Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote what is probably the defining novel of the magical realist genre with his history of the Buendia family in the South American town of Macondo. With Magical Marxism, Andy Merrifield attempts to juxtapose the philosophy of Marquez’ book to our own political thought and infect it with this magical tint.
At the centre of the book is a frustration with progressive responses to present and past crises of capitalism and a thought that we became too stale in our reactions to events and too bogged down in theory without remembering that Marx once said “the point isn’t to understand the world, it is to change it”. With this in mind Merrifield believes he breaks with the orthodox Marxist canon in his own writing which takes extensively from the egalitarianism of Marquez’ fictional town, but also from Guy Debord and the wonderful pamphlet from 2009, The Coming Insurrection from the Invisible Committee.
There is typical Marxist comment in here such as how leisure time has been colonised by exchange value, how we are connected with distant images while forgetting the all important present, the misinterpretation of crisis by the present ruling class. Where Merrifield breaks from accepted scripture is in his desire to turn normative actions into an imagined reality through positive action rather than negative critique. It is all about riotous proactivity and communal self-determination as opposed to a sulky reactivity and at times it can sink into argument you may expect from an as-yet unjaded youthful anarchist.
That minor criticism aside, if it even is that, there is hope in this book and elements of it can be seen today in progressive movements. Merrifield states that our best weapon against the ruling cliques is our anonymity, and is this not echoed by the Anonymous group of online activists who are proving to be more than a pain in the backside for corporations and their state enablers?
Merrifield supports political violence that is, again, not reactionary and believes, taking from Rosa Luxembourg that we should embrace spontaneity as a subjectivity against objectivism as a moment of truth or great delusion - only one way to find out. Ultimately he believes the negative, albeit correct interpretation of politics that Marxists perceive are a turn-off for potential recruits to the cause of equality, freedom and democracy. In action over theory we will attract more people are remove the time honoured crutch of a hobbled man that is the theory of fetishism and critique of reason/dialectical materialism and so forth. We should not resist capitalism and desire a better world as a result of that, we should demand a better world that will bring about capitalism’s collapse in the process from a new form of militant optimism.
This is an intriguing volume that sometimes strays too close to literary criticism with its fondness for Garcia Marquez’ wonderful novel. It is honest and thought provoking however with no shortage of original thinking though far from being the radical call to arms the author believes it is. It will anger academically purist Marxist philosophers and charm progressives of other shades. A fine, impassioned and fresh look at Marxism today.
At the centre of the book is a frustration with progressive responses to present and past crises of capitalism and a thought that we became too stale in our reactions to events and too bogged down in theory without remembering that Marx once said “the point isn’t to understand the world, it is to change it”. With this in mind Merrifield believes he breaks with the orthodox Marxist canon in his own writing which takes extensively from the egalitarianism of Marquez’ fictional town, but also from Guy Debord and the wonderful pamphlet from 2009, The Coming Insurrection from the Invisible Committee.
There is typical Marxist comment in here such as how leisure time has been colonised by exchange value, how we are connected with distant images while forgetting the all important present, the misinterpretation of crisis by the present ruling class. Where Merrifield breaks from accepted scripture is in his desire to turn normative actions into an imagined reality through positive action rather than negative critique. It is all about riotous proactivity and communal self-determination as opposed to a sulky reactivity and at times it can sink into argument you may expect from an as-yet unjaded youthful anarchist.
That minor criticism aside, if it even is that, there is hope in this book and elements of it can be seen today in progressive movements. Merrifield states that our best weapon against the ruling cliques is our anonymity, and is this not echoed by the Anonymous group of online activists who are proving to be more than a pain in the backside for corporations and their state enablers?
Merrifield supports political violence that is, again, not reactionary and believes, taking from Rosa Luxembourg that we should embrace spontaneity as a subjectivity against objectivism as a moment of truth or great delusion - only one way to find out. Ultimately he believes the negative, albeit correct interpretation of politics that Marxists perceive are a turn-off for potential recruits to the cause of equality, freedom and democracy. In action over theory we will attract more people are remove the time honoured crutch of a hobbled man that is the theory of fetishism and critique of reason/dialectical materialism and so forth. We should not resist capitalism and desire a better world as a result of that, we should demand a better world that will bring about capitalism’s collapse in the process from a new form of militant optimism.
This is an intriguing volume that sometimes strays too close to literary criticism with its fondness for Garcia Marquez’ wonderful novel. It is honest and thought provoking however with no shortage of original thinking though far from being the radical call to arms the author believes it is. It will anger academically purist Marxist philosophers and charm progressives of other shades. A fine, impassioned and fresh look at Marxism today.
leischa's review
5.0
Merrifield takes Sorel's observation that people are not inspired by dry analysis but by living movements, and attempts to find a Marxist spirit that is both ephemeral and resilient. Politically he draws some of the same conclusions as John Holloway - that liberation can be found in the "cracks" in the system, but he presents them in a way that is life-affirming and non-prescriptive.
He also provides valuable commentary on The Invisible Committee's "The Coming Insurrection", which he regards as our generation's "Society of the Spectacle".
Join the Imaginary Party!
He also provides valuable commentary on The Invisible Committee's "The Coming Insurrection", which he regards as our generation's "Society of the Spectacle".
Join the Imaginary Party!
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