'Eurocentrism' is a classic of radical thought by one of the world's foremost political economists. His new introduction and concluding chapter make this provocative essay about one of the great 'ideological deformations' of our time even more compelling.
A collection of Samir Amin’s ten most influential essays of the 21st century Radical political economist Samir Amin left behind a cherished oeuvre of Marxist writings. Amin’s intellectual range—from economics to culture—was admirable, and his lessons remain essential. Monthly Review Press is honored to publish this volume, culled from the Monthly Review magazine, of ten of Samir Amin’s most significant essays written in the twenty-first century. The collection is introduced by Amin’s friend and comrade, the Marxist philosopher Aijaz Ahmad, who provides a comprehensive survey of Amin’s life and path-breaking work. Ahmad also offers a contextual focus by which to read such stunningly astute pieces as “Revolution or Decadence?” and “Contemporary Imperialism.” Only People Make Their Own History is a loving and enlightening look at what the work of Samir Amin has meant—and will mean— to millions of people the world over.
The book explores the global impact of the American model, analyzing how its economic and political systems are being adopted worldwide. It delves into the resulting consequences, providing insights into the challenges and changes that arise from this imposition. Through a critical lens, it highlights the implications for various nations and cultures as they navigate the influence of American ideologies.
The law of worldwide value -- Further comments on Marx's Capital and historical capitalism -- Essays on Marx's value theory -- Index
Is it possible for the Third World to escape from the constraints imposed by the world's economic system? What room for manoeuvre do these states have, and are they condemned to dependence?These are some of the questions Samir Amin confronts in Delinking . He argues that Third World countries cannot hope to raise living standards if they continue to adjust their development strategies in line with the trends set by a fundamentally unequal global capitalist system over which they have no control.The only alternative, he maintains, is for Third World societies to 'delink' from the logic of the global system - each country submitting its external economic relations to the logic of domestic development priorities, which in turn requires a broad coalition of popular forces in control of the state. Delinking, he shows, is not about absolute autarchy, but a neutralizing of the effects of external economic interactions on internal choices.
In this second volume of his memoirs and final writings based on his life, Samir Amin describes his thoughts and experiences with an array of countries, primarily in the Arab World, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, recounting in detail the stages of his ongoing dialogue over several decades with popular movements struggling for a better future--
Analyzing the interconnected crises of our time, Samir Amin argues that financial turmoil, the Eurozone's challenges, the rise of BRIC nations, and political Islam reveal a deep systemic crisis within monopoly capitalism. He revises classical concepts of social classes and political movements to highlight the unsustainability of the current capitalist system. Amin's compelling conclusion presents a dire outlook, emphasizing the necessity for a more humane global order as humanity confronts stark choices for the future.
Out of early twentieth-century Russia came the world's first significant effort to build a modern revolutionary society. According to Marxist economist Samir Amin, the great upheaval that once produced the Soviet Union has also produced a movement away from capitalism - a long transition that continues even today.
According to renowned Marxist economist Samir Amin, the recent Arab Spring uprisings comprise an integral part of a massive second awakening of the Global South. From the self-immolation in December 2010 of a Tunisian street vendor, to the consequent outcries in Cairo's Tahrir Square
In this slim, insightful volume, noted economist Samir Amin returns to the core of Marxian economic thought: Marx’s theory of value. He begins with the same question that Marx, along with the classical economists, once pondered: how can every commodity, including labor power, sell at its value on the market and still produce a profit for owners of capital? While bourgeois economists attempted to answer this question according to the categories of capitalist society itself, Marx sought to peer through the surface phenomena of market transactions and develop his theory by examining the actual social relations they obscured. The debate over Marx’s conclusions continues to this day. Amin defends Marx’s theory of value against its critics and also tackles some of its trickier aspects. He examines the relationship between Marx’s abstract concepts—such as “socially necessary labor time”—and how they are manifested in the capitalist marketplace as prices, wages, rents, and so on. He also explains how variations in price are affected by the development of “monopoly- capitalism,” the abandonment of the gold standard, and the deepening of capitalism as a global system. Amin extends Marx’s theory and applies it to capitalism’s current trajectory in a way that is unencumbered by the weight of orthodoxy and unafraid of its own radical conclusions.