Book Review “Marxism and politics: ways of using it”, by Luis Felipe Miguel

Abstract

This paper presents a review of the book “Marxism and politics: ways of using it” by political scientist Luis Felipe Miguel. The work, which includes a preface, introduction, 9 thematic chapters, conclusions, and bibliographic references, presents marxism in dialogue with the field of Political Science, explicitly defending the idea that Marxist theory provides important tools for analyzing the contemporary world, with the goal of transforming it. Social classes, alienation, the state, and fetishism are some of the concepts revisited by the author, who also does not shy away from criticizing the theory itself—preventing it from becoming more of a dogma to follow than a lens through which to investigate the world. Alongside these discussions, the book also engages with other theorists beyond Karl Marx in order to offer the reader analyses of gender, ethnic-racial, and environmental issues. In this sense, the book contributes not only to understanding why Marxist theory is a classic, but also to the development of this framework in dialogue with different aspects of various inequalities and an evident focus on social transformation.