List of contributors to Marxist theory

This is a list of prominent figures who contributed to Marxist theory, principally as authors; it is not intended to list politicians who happen(ed) to be a member of an ostensibly communist political party or other organisation.

Name Place of birth Place of death Nationality Life Tendency
Victor Adler Prague, Austria-Hungary Vienna, Austria Austria Austrian 1852–1918 Social democracy, Austro-Marxism
Theodor W. Adorno[1] Frankfurt am Main, Hesse-Nassau Province, Prussia, Germany Visp, Visp, Valais, Switzerland Germany German 1903–1969 Frankfurt School, Western Marxism
Louis Althusser Birmendreïs, French Algeria Paris, France France French 1918–1990 Western Marxism, Structural Marxism, Leninism
Samir Amin Cairo, Egypt Paris, France Egypt Egyptian and France French 1931–2018 Third Worldism, Maoism, World-systems theory
Otto Bauer Vienna, Austria-Hungary Paris, France Austria Austrian 1881–1938 Social Democracy, Austro-Marxism
Walter Benjamin[2][3][4] Berlin, German Empire Portbou, Catalonia, Spain Germany German 1892–1940 Western Marxism, Marxist hermeneutics
Franco "Bifo" Berardi Bologna, Italy Still Living Italy Italian 1949– Autonomism
Eduard Bernstein Schöneberg, German Confederation Berlin, Germany Germany German 1850–1932 Social democracy, Marxist revisionism
Caio Prado Júnior São Paulo, Brazil São Paulo, Brazil Brazil Brazilian 1907–1990 Marxism
Ernst Bloch[5] Ludwigshafen, Germany Tübingen, West Germany Germany German 1885–1977 Western Marxism, Marxist hermeneutics, Marxist humanism
Amadeo Bordiga Ercolano, Kingdom of Italy Formia, Italy Italy Italian 1889–1970 Italian Left communism, Leninism
Bertolt Brecht[6] Augsburg, German Empire East Berlin, East Germany Germany German 1898–1956 Marxist literary criticism
Nikolai Bukharin Moscow, Russian Empire Kommunarka shooting ground, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union Russia Russian 1888–1938 Bolshevism, Left communism (initially), Right opposition (later on)
Jacques Camatte Plan-de-Cuques, Alpes-Maritimes, France Still living France French 1935– Bordigism, Anarcho-primitivism (later on), Communization (later on)
Cornelius Castoriadis[7] Constantinople, Ottoman Empire Paris, France Greece Greek and France French 1922–1997 Western Marxism, Post-Marxism, Psychoanalytic Marxism, Libertarian socialism
Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya[8] Calcutta, British Raj Calcutta, India India Indian 1918–1993 Marxism
V. Gordon Childe Sydney, Colony of New South Wales Blackheath, New South Wales, Australia Australia Australian 1892–1957 Marxist archaeology
G. A. Cohen Montreal, Quebec, Canada Oxford, England Canada Canadian 1941–2009 Analytical Marxism
James Connolly Cowgate, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin, Ireland Republic of Ireland Irish and Scotland Scottish 1868–1916 Marxism, Irish republicanism
Onorato Damen Monte San Pietrangeli, Italy Milan Italy Italian 1893–1979 Italian Left communism
Gilles Dauvé France Still living France French 1947– Left communism, Communization
Angela Davis Birmingham, Alabama Still Living United States American 1944– Marxist feminism
Guy Debord Paris, France Bellevue-la-Montagne, Haute-Loire, France France French 1931–1994 Situationism
Daniel De Leon Curaçao New York, State of New York, United States United States American 1852–1914 De Leonism, Syndicalism
Joseph Dietzgen[9] Blankenberg (now Hennef, German Confederation Chicago, Illinois, United States Germany German 1828–1888 Marxism
Raya Dunayevskaya Yaryshev, Russian Empire (today, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine) Chicago, Illinois, United States United States American 1910–1987 Marxist humanism
Terry Eagleton Salford, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom Still living United Kingdom British 1942– Marxism
Gilles Deleuze Paris, France Paris, France France French 1925–1995 Freudo-Marxism, Post-Marxism
Arghiri Emmanuel Patras, Greece Paris, France Greece Greek 1911–2001 Unequal exchange
Friedrich Engels Barmen, Kingdom of Prussia (today Wuppertal, Germany) London, United Kingdom Germany German 1820–1895 Classical Marxism
Frantz Fanon Fort-de-France, Martinique, France Bethesda, Maryland, United States France French 1925–1961 Marxist humanism, Pan-Africanism, Decolonization
John Bellamy Foster Seattle, Washington, United States Still living United States American 1953– Marxism
Herman Gorter Wormerveer Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Brussels Netherlands Dutch 1864–1927 Council communism
Antonio Gramsci Ales, Sardinia, Italy Rome, Lazio, Italy Italy Italian 1891–1937 Gramscianism, Western Marxism, Marxist humanism, Neo-Marxism
Félix Guattari Villeneuve-les-Sablons, France Cour-Cheverny, France France French 1930–1992 Freudo-Marxism, Post-Marxism
Ernesto "Che" Guevara[10][11][12] Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina La Higuera, Vallegrande, Bolivia Argentina Argentine 1928–1967 Marxism-Leninism, Guevarism
Abimael Guzmán (Gonzalo)[13][better source needed] Arequipa, Peru Callao, Peru Peru Peruvian 1934–2021 Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, Gonzalo thought
Ted Grant Germiston, South Africa London, United Kingdom South Africa South African and United Kingdom British 1913–2006 Trotskyism
David Harvey Gillingham, Kent, England, United Kingdom Still living United Kingdom British 1935– Marxist geography
Harry Haywood South Omaha, Nebraska, United States Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States United States American 1898–1985 Marxism-Leninism
Rudolf Hilferding Vienna, Austria-Hungary Paris, France Austria Austrian and Germany German 1877–1941 Austro-Marxism
Max Horkheimer Zuffenhausen (now Stuttgart), Württemberg, German Empire Nuremberg, Bavaria, West Germany Germany German 1895–1973 Frankfurt School, Western Marxism
Ho Chi Minh Nghệ An Province, French Indochina Hanoi, North Vietnam Vietnam Vietnamese 1890–1969 Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought
Enver Hoxha Ergiri (today Gjirokastër), Janina Vilayet, Ottoman Empire Tirana, People's Socialist Republic of Albania Albania Albanian 1908–1985 Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought (initially), Hoxhaism
C.L.R. James Trinidad London, United Kingdom Trinidad and Tobago Trinidadian and United Kingdom British 1901–1989 Marxism, Pan-Africanism, Anti-Stalinist left
Fredric Jameson Cleveland, Ohio, United States Killingworth, Connecticut, United States United States American 1934–2024 Western Marxism, Marxist hermeneutics
Kojin Karatani[citation needed] Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan Still living Japan Japanese 1941– Marxist literary criticism
Edvard Kardelj[citation needed] Ljubljana, Duchy of Carniola, Austria-Hungary Ljubljana, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavian 1910–1979 Titoism
Karl Kautsky Prague, Austria-Hungary Amsterdam, Netherlands Czech Republic Czech, Austria Austrian and Germany German 1854–1938 Orthodox Marxism
İbrahim Kaypakkaya[citation needed] Çorum, Turkey Çorum, Turkey Turkey Turkish 1949–1973 Maoism
Kim Il-Sung[citation needed] Chingjong, Korea Hyangsan, Korea North Korea Korean 1912–1994 Marxism-Leninism, Juche
Jim Kemmy[citation needed] Limerick, Ireland Limerick, Ireland Republic of Ireland Irish 1936–1997 Marxism
Alexandra Kollontai[14] St Petersburg, Russian Empire Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union Soviet Union Soviet 1872–1952 Marxist feminism, Bolshevism
Karl Korsch Tostedt, German Empire Belmont, Massachusetts, United States Germany German 1886–1961 Western Marxism
Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi Kosben, (now Goa) British Raj Pune, Maharashtra, India India Indian 1907–1966 Marxism
Yalçın Küçük[citation needed] İskenderun, Hatay, Turkey Still living Turkey Turkish 1938– Marxism
Antonio Labriola Cassino, Papal States Rome, Kingdom of Italy Italy Italian 1843–1904 Marxism
Paul Lafargue Santiago de Cuba Draveil, France France French 1842–1911 Marxism, Anti-work
Henri Lefebvre[15] Hagetmau, France Navarrenx, France France French 1901–1991 Western Marxism, Hegelian Marxism
Vladimir Lenin Simbirsk, Russian Empire Gorki Leninskiye, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union Soviet Union Soviet 1870–1924 Leninism, Bolshevism
Karl Liebknecht Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire Berlin, Weimar Republic Germany German 1871–1919 Spartacism
Domenico Losurdo Sannicandro di Bari, Kingdom of Italy Ancona, Italy Italy Italian 1941–2018 Marxism
Georg Lukács Budapest, Austria-Hungary Budapest, People's Republic of Hungary Hungary Hungarian 1885–1971 Budapest School, Western Marxism, Hegelian Marxism, Leninism
Rosa Luxemburg Zamość, Vistula Land, Russian Empire Berlin, Germany Poland Polish and Germany German 1871–1919 Spartacism
Herbert Marcuse Berlin, German Empire Starnberg, West Germany Germany German 1898–1979 Frankfurt School, Western Marxism
José Carlos Mariátegui[16][17] Moquegua, Peru Lima, Peru Peru Peruvian 1894–1930 Marxism, Sorelianism
Andreas Malm Mölndal, Sweden Still living Sweden Swedish 1977– Marxism
Karl Marx Trier, Kingdom of Prussia London, United Kingdom Kingdom of Prussia Prussian and Germany German 1818–1883 Classical Marxism
Paul Mattick Stolp, Pomerania, German Empire (now Poland) Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States Germany German 1904–1981 Council communism
Andy Merrifield Liverpool, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom Still living United Kingdom British 1960– "Magical Marxism"
István Mészáros Budapest, Hungary Margate, England Hungary Hungary 1930–2017 Marxism
Antonio Negri Padua, Italy Paris, France Italy Italian 1933–2023 Autonomism
Kwame Nkrumah Nkroful, Gold Coast (now Ghana) Bucharest, Romania Ghana Ghanaian 1909–1972 Nkrumahism
Abdullah Öcalan[citation needed] Ömerli, Şanlıurfa, Turkey Still living Turkey Turkish Kurdish 1948– Democratic confederalism
Sylvia Pankhurst[citation needed] Manchester, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom Addis Ababa, Ethiopia United Kingdom British and Ethiopia Ethiopian 1882–1960 Council communism
Anton Pannekoek Vaassen, Netherlands Wageningen, Netherlands Netherlands Dutch 1873–1960 Council communism
Evgeny Pashukanis Staritsa, Russian Empire Soviet Union Russia Russian 1891–1937 Leninism
Georgi Plekhanov Gudalovka (now Gryazinsky District), Tambov Governorate, Russian Empire Terijoki, Finland Russia Russian 1856–1918 Marxism
Bijan Jazani[citation needed] Tehran, Iran Tehran, Iran Iran Iranian 1938–1975 Marxism
Nicos Poulantzas Athens, Greece Paris, France Greece Greek 1936–1979 Structural Marxism, Leninism (initially), Democratic socialism (later on)
Isaak Illich Rubin Dinaburg, Russian Empire Aktobe, Kazakh SSR, USSR Soviet Union Soviet Union 1886–1937 Marxism
Jean-Paul Sartre Paris, France Paris, France France French 1905–1980 Neo-Marxism, Existentialism
Jose Maria Sison[18][19][better source needed] Ilocos Sur, Philippines Utrecht, Netherlands Philippines Filipino 1939 - 2022 Marxism-Leninism-Maoism
Alfred Sohn-Rethel Neuilly-sur-Seine, France Bremen, West Germany Germany German 1899–1990 Marxism
Mahdi Amel[citation needed] Harouf, Lebanon Beirut, Lebanon Lebanon Lebanese 1936–1987 Marxism
Joseph Stalin[20][21] Gori, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire Kuntsevo Dacha near Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union Soviet Union Soviet 1878–1953 Marxism-Leninism, Stalinism
Paul Sweezy New York City, New York, United States Larchmont, New York (state), United States United States American 1910–2004 Neo-Marxism
Josip Broz Tito [dubiousdiscuss] Kumrovec, Croatia-Slavonia, Austria-Hungary Ljubljana, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavian 1892–1980 Marxism-Leninism, Titoism
Leon Trotsky Yelizavetgrad, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire Coyoacán, Distrito Federal, Mexico Soviet Union Soviet 1879–1940 Leninism, Bolshevism, Trotskyism
Alberto Toscano Italy Still living Italy Italy 1977– Western Marxism
Raymond Williams Llanfihangel Crucorney, Wales, United Kingdom Saffron Walden, England, United Kingdom United Kingdom British (Wales Welsh) 1921–1988 Western Marxism, New Left
Karl August Wittfogel Woltersdorf, Lower Saxony, Province of Hanover, German Empire New York, State of New York, United States Germany German and United States American 1896–1988 Marxism
Mao Zedong Shaoshan, Hunan, Qing Dynasty Beijing, People's Republic of China China Chinese 1893–1976 Marxism-Leninism, Maoism
Slavoj Žižek Ljubljana, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia Still living Slovenia Slovene (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavian before Dissolution of Yugoslavia) 1949– Western Marxism, Hegelian Marxism, Psychoanalytic Marxism
  1. ^ Peter Uwe Hohendahl "Approaches to Adorno: a tentative typology" in Prismatic Thought: Theodor W. Adorno, authors: Theodor Wiesengrund Adorno, Peter Uwe Hohendahl, U of Nebraska Press, 1997 ISBN 0-8032-7305-3, ISBN 978-0-8032-7305-4, (3-20): 3.
  2. ^ "Walter Benjamin and Critical Theory". Ceasefire Magazine. 2013-04-04. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
  3. ^ "Walter Benjamin and the classical Marxist tradition • International Socialism". International Socialism. 2009-01-02. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
  4. ^ "Walter Benjamin's Marxist Critique". Caesura. 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
  5. ^ Douglas Kellner and Harry O'Hara, "Utopia and Marxism in Ernst Bloch" New German Critique 9 (Autumn, 1976) 11-34: 11-13.
  6. ^ Louis Althusser http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1962/materialist-theatre.htm The ‘Piccolo Teatro’: Bertolazzi and Brecht Notes on a Materialist Theatre 1961
  7. ^ Sven Papke, Georg W. Oesterdiekhoff, Schlüsselwerke der Soziologie (in German), VS 2001, page 79
  8. ^ E.M.S. Namboodiripad, "Dialectical" Materialism and Dialectical "Materialism", Social Scientist, Vol 10 No 4 (Apr, 1982), pp.52-59
  9. ^ Anton Pannekoek: "The Standpoint and Significance of Josef Dietzgen's Philosophical Works" - Introduction to Joseph Dietzgen, The Positive Outcome of Philosophy, Chicago, 1928
  10. ^ "Che Guevara and Contemporary Revolutionary Movements", James Petras, Latin American Perspectives, Vol. 25, No. 4, Che Guevara and His Legacy (Jul., 1998), pp. 9-18
  11. ^ "Most theories of revolution seem to agree that certain preconditions must be met if a revolutionary situation is to arise. The peculiar contribution of Ernesto Che Guevara to understanding revolutions is that according to him such preconditions can be created." from "Che Guevara on Guerrilla Warfare Doctrine, Practice and Evaluation", Jose A. Moreno, Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Apr., 1970), pp. 114-133
  12. ^ "...guerrilla warfare is essentially political, and that for this reason the political cannot be counterposed to the military." Regis Debray on Guevara's theory of the "Foco", Revolution in the Revolution, Penguin Books, 1967 link
  13. ^ "GONZALO THOUGHT IS THE THEORETICAL FOUNDATION FOR THE COMMUNISTS OF TODAY". www.redsun.org. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
  14. ^ Ebert, Teresa L. "Left of Desire" in Cultural Logic: An Electronic Journal of Marxist Theory and Practice, 3:1-2 (1999): at §5¶52-53, Online: http://clogic.eserver.org/3-1&2/ebert.html Archived 2010-11-08 at the Wayback Machine last accessed: 20090704.
  15. ^ Friedmann, John (1987). Planning in the public domain: from knowledge to action. Princeton.
  16. ^ John Kraniauskas "From the Archive: Introduction to Maria´tegui" Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies, Vol. 10, No. 3, 2001 303-304. doi:10.1080/1356932012009006 3
  17. ^ Thomas Angotti "The Contributions of Jose Carlos Mariategui to Revolutionary Theory" Latin American Perspectives, Vol. 13, No. 2, Perspectives on Left Politics (Spring, 1986), (33-57): 34-36; 38-42.
  18. ^ ""On the Philosophy of Marxism-Leninism-Maosim" by Jose Maria Sison: A Book Review". NDFP. 2021-06-21. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  19. ^ Silverio, Ina Alleco (2011-02-22). "Jose Maria Sison: A Good Man Worth Defending". Bulatlat. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  20. ^ Ben Agger "Critical Theory, Poststructuralism, Postmodernism: Their Sociological Relevance" Annual Review of Sociology Vol. 17: 105-131 doi:10.1146/annurev.so.17.080191.000541
  21. ^ M.B. Mitin, M.D. Kammari, G.F. Aleksandrovis "The Contribution of J.V. Stalin to Marxism-Leninism" trans 'Inter'[pseud.] in 'The Seventieth Anniversary of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin', published in Izvestia Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seria Istorii i Filosofii, Tom VII, Izdatelstvo Akademii Nauk SSSR, Moscow, 1950, pp. 3-30. http://www.revolutionarydemocracy.org/rdv4n1/stalin70.htm