Utopia or Bust: A Guide to the Present Crisis

After the financial crash and the great recession, the media rediscovered Karl Marx, socialist theory, and the very idea that capitalism can be questioned.

But in spite of the publicity, the main paths of contemporary critical thought have gone unexplored
outside of the academy. Benjamin Kunkel's Utopia or Bust leads readers - whether politically committed or simply curious - through the most important critical theory today. Written with the wit and verve of Kunkel's best-selling novel, Indecision, this introduction to contemporary Leftist thinkers engages with the revolutionary philosophy of Slavoj Žižek, the economic analyses of David Graeber and David Harvey, and the cultural diagnoses of Fredric Jameson.

Discussing the ongoing crisis of capitalism in light of ideas of full employment, debt forgiveness, and "fictitious capital," Utopia or Bust is a tour through the world of Marxist thought and an examination of the basis of Western society today.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Verso
Published: 03/11/2014
ISBN: 9781781683279
Pages: 160
Weight: 0.49lbs
Size: 7.86h x 5.15w x 0.61d

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 03/17/2014
New York Times Book Review 08/17/2014 pg. 34