Neo-Marxism

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Neo-Marxism is a loose term for various twentieth-century approaches that amend or extend Marxism and Marxist theory, usually by incorporating elements from other intellectual traditions (for example: critical theory, which incorporates psychoanalysis; Erik Olin Wright's theory of contradictory class locations, which incorporates Weberian sociology; and critical criminology, which incorporates anarchism)^[1]. As with many uses of the prefix neo-, many theorists and groups designated "neo-Marxist" attempted to supplement the perceived deficiencies of orthodox Marxism or dialectical materialism.

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One such approach might be a 20th century school that harkened back to the early writings of Marx before the influence of Engels, which focused on dialectical idealism rather than dialectical materialism, and thus rejected the perceived economic determinism of the late Marx, focusing instead on a non-physical, psychological revolution. It was thus far more libertarian and related to strains of anarchism. It also put more of an emphasis on the evils of global capitalism. It was bound up with the student movements of the 1960s. Many prominent Neo-Marxists such as Herbert Marcuse were sociologists and psychologists.

Neo-Marxism comes under the broader heading of New Left thinking. Neo-Marxism is also used frequently to describe the opposition to inequalities experienced by Lesser Developed Countries in a globalized world. In a sociological sense, neo-Marxism adds Max Weber's broader understanding of social inequality, such as status and power, to Marxist philosophy.

Strains of neo-Marxism include: Hegelian-Marxism, Critical Theory, Analytical Marxism, and French Structural Marxism (closely related to structuralism).