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Marxism(s) and International Relations

Module description

This module provides a critical engagement with both contemporary Marxist approaches to International Relations (IR) and with Marxism from a global perspective. From the seminal contributions of Hardt and Negri, and Harvey, on the debate around imperialism, to Neo-Gramscian and Open Marxist interventions in IR, to the complex relationship between Marxism and post-colonialism, and Marxist-feminism, the questions the module addresses include the following. How should we evaluate the theoretical debate between Marxism and more mainstream approaches to IR? In what ways does US pre-eminence constitute ‘a new imperialism’? How should we understand the nature of western hegemony over the global South? What is the relation between the state system and the global political economy? How should we understand capitalist ‘modernity’, social reproduction and division of labour in a global context? In what ways should capitalist globalisation be challenged and to what end? This module roots its engagement with contemporary Marxist interventions in these debates in relevant ‘canonical’ Marxist literature – this is to invite reflection on the emergence of the divergent Marxisms of the 21st century from a global perspective.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims to introduce you to Marxist approaches to International Relations. In so doing it will encourage you to consider: theoretical approaches to IR; the relation between capitalism, imperialism, and western hegemony; the role of the state system in global capitalism; the association between globalising capitalism, gendered forms of labour, and concepts of modernity; and the impact of capitalist globalisation on anti-capitalist resistance.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. critically interrogate the relation between states, the global capitalist economy, and anti-capitalist resistance;
• 2. demonstrate a critical understanding of the theoretical debates between Marxism and other approaches to IR.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. critically reflect on key elements of debates regarding concepts of the state, tendencies of capital accumulation, class, imperialism, and revolution;
• 4. display awareness of a range of conceptual frameworks to understand the complex relation between the state system, world politics, and the global capitalist economy.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. critically interrogate complex and abstract ideas;
• 6. reflect on contemporary issues of world politics through the lens of theoretical approaches;
• 7. study independently and manage time and assessment deadlines effectively;
• 8. demonstrate critical and analytical skills through tutorial discussions and module assessments;
• 9. demonstrate proficiency in the use of the internet, online journal databases and other IT resources for the purposes of tutorial and assessment preparation;
• 10. demonstrate effective academic writing;
• 11. demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited time frame, to complete a specified task.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

• globalising capital and the new international division of labour;
• a new imperialism?;
• conceptualising hegemony;
• the state system and the global circuits of capital;
• capitalist globalisation and ‘modernity’;
• challenging top-down perspectives: social reproduction in a global context;
• the ‘international’ in the 21^st century.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Anievas, A. ed. Marxism and World Politics (Routledge, 2010).

Bartolovich, C. and Lazarus, N. ed. Marxism, Modernity, and Post-Colonial Studies (Cambridge University Press, 2002).

Burnham, P. ‘Neo-Gramscian Hegemony and the International Order’, Capital and Class, vol. 15, no. 3, 1991.

Burnham, P. ‘Open Marxism and Vulgar International Political Economy’, Review of International Political Economy, 1:2, 1994.

Callinicos, A. Imperialism and the Global Political Economy (Polity, 2009).

Cox, R. ‘Social Forces and World Orders: Beyond International Relations Theory’, Millennium, vol. 10, no. 2, 1981.

Cox, R. ‘Gramsci, Hegemony and International Relations: An Essay in Method’, Millennium, vol. 12, no. 2, 1983.

Harvey, D. The New Imperialism (Oxford University Press, 2005).

Hardt, M. and Negri, M. Empire (Harvard University Press, 2001).

Luxton, M. ‘Marxist Feminism and Anticapitalism: Reclaiming Our History, Reanimating Our Politics’, Studies in Political Economy, 94:1, 2014

Rupert, M. and Smith, H. Historical Materialism and Globalisation (Routledge, 2002).

Key words search

Marx, Marxism, international relations, political thought, globalisation, world politics, capitalism