Marx and the Third World

Ambition and modesty

“…Although adherents of Marx may find some of his comments lacking in respect, or veneration, Voget is never cheap or chiding. On the contrary; his characterization of Marxism as being basically a form of unilinear evolutionism, one experiencing difficulties in finding a solution for the complex relations between evolutionary theory and historical processes, exposes a problem that today still hounds Marxist anthropologists, who in various ways have tried to cope with these difficulties (e.g., Khazanov 1971Khazanov , 1974Melotti 1977 social structure is excellent. It is, therefore, regrettable that he does not inform the reader how Marxist-oriented anthropologists apply these views in their work.…”

The End of the Global Equilibrium: A Counter-Narrative From the South

“…This latter would in its turn reinforce the Russian, rendering possible its advance to socialism by-passing capitalism and on the basis of a regenerated mir or communal farming system. 5 While the Bolshevik perspective was preponderantly focused on a Western European revolution, there were occasional hints of a different outlook. This was particularly evident in an article by Lenin entitled ''Backward Europe and Advanced Asia,'' in which he argued that contrary to the conventional notion of a backward Asia and an advanced Europe, Asia was in fact more advanced in that the bourgeoisie was still fighting against imperialism and feudalism*and therefore continued to have a progressive character*while in Europe the bourgeoisie no longer played any such role and had therefore lost all vestige of progressivism.…”

Cognition as the Cooperative Appropriation of Affordances

“…It is important to avoid reading these levels as necessary stages of progression through which societies must go (Marx, 1852(Marx, /1974aMelotti, 1977). Nevertheless, it is also important to recognize that the extent and intensity of the social division of labor in a society has profound effects on daily life.…”