Ellen meiksins wood april 12, 1942 january 14, 2016 was an american marxist historian and scholar. Ellen meiksins wood was born in new york city on 12 april 1942 into a family of politically active latvian jews who had recently arrived in the us as refugees. Ellen meiksins wood passed away yesterday after a long struggle with cancer. Ellen meiksins wood born 1942 in new york city is a marxist scholar. Ellens woods book empire of capital tells the story of an evolving capitalism over a long stretch of human history. Ellen meiksins wood 19422016 was one of the worlds most influential historians and a marxist thinker of profound importance. The primary tenant of this school of thought is perceiving the separation of political power from economic power as a constitutive feature of capitalism187. The death of ellen wood on january 14 represents an immense loss for socialists everywhere. Wood was born in new york city as ellen meiksins one year after her parents, latvian jews active in the bund, arrived in new york from europe as political refugees. Mr online ellen meiksins wood her importance to me. The claim i want to make is that this historical moment, the one were living in now, is the best not the worst, the most not the least appropriate moment to bring back marx. In this lively and wideranging book, ellen meiksins wood argues that what is supposed to. Ellen meiksins wood was a noted academic who arrived at york university from the united states during the.
Ellen meiksins wood, for many years professor of political science at york university, toronto, was the author of many books, including democracy against capitalism, the pristine culture of capitalism, the origin of capitalism, peasantcitizen and slave, citizens to lords, empire of capital and liberty and property. Her hugely innovative work, ranging from her analysis of free labour in athenian democracy to her work on the nairnanderson thesis was crucial to the emergence of the political marxist approach to historical inquiry. The origin of capitalism the damage, as many millions of people have often suffered from the cure as from the disease. This awesome book ready for download, you can get this book now for free. The increasingly transparent weaknesses and contradictions in the capitalist system may eventually convince even some of its more uncritical supporters that an alternative needs to be found. Ellen meiksins wood 25 hope, no doubt, of converting their differences into complementarities. Ellen meiksins wood, the wife of former canadian new democratic party leader ed broadbent, has died of cancer at the couples ottawa home at the age of 73 she was a noted intellectual figure on the international left, whose studies of class, politics and political ideas influenced several generations of thinkers and activists. Wood was a thinker of extraordinary range, writing with authority. Ellen meiksins wood york university, toronto abstract this article challenges the currently fashionable periodization of history since the eighteenth century into two major phases, modernity and postmodernity. Ellen meiksins wood obituary politics books the guardian. The other book is a trumpet of sedition, from which i have used a small excerpt on john locke. Ellen meiksins wood 19422016 directory of open access. Pdf, epubs, mobi, emagazines, epaper, ejournal and more. Ellen meiksins wood reader, the historical materialism ellen meiksins wood larry patriquin ellen meiksins wood is a leading contemporary political theorist who has been described as the founder, together with robert brenner, of political marxism, a distinct version of historical.
Ellen meiksins wood passed away on january 14 after a long struggle with cancer. Ellen meiksins wood april 12, 1942 january 14, 2016 was an americancanadian marxist historian and scholar. With current mr editor john bellamy foster, ellen edited two books for. Her sizable body of work not only spans the entire history of western political thought, it also thereby clairifies for us just. Wood was born ellen meiksins one year after her parents, latvian jews active in the bund, arrived in new york from europe as political refugees.
Let me start with a provocative claim, which is contrary to all the conventional wisdom. Ellen meiksins wood, capitalism and human emancipation. Ellen meiksins wood the origin of capitalism a longer view. It is with great pleasure that we can belatedly announce on this website, the publication of the ellen meiksins wood reader, edited by larry patriquin nippissing university.
Raymond williams, who was brought into the planning of the new journal very early, makes an interesting witness because he never neatly fitted into either group and for that reason could be seen as bridging them. Cambridge core offers access to academic ebooks from our worldrenowned publishing programme. That being the case, i wonder what they make of a 4700 word article by ellen meiksins wood that appears. The ellen meiksins wood reader historical materialism.
Discover book depositorys huge selection of ellen meiksins wood books online. But i only finally did that two years ago, at the suggestion of, i think it was, paul heideman. Capitalism has seen many forms and has culminated into its present form of corporate capitalism and there are many other. Wood was a prolific academic, writing many books and articles from a marxist perspective. Ellen meiksins wood, 19422016 times higher education the. Ellen meiksins wood and marxism 21centurymanifesto. Does anyone know how to make them all come up when one enters a search for ellen wood, instead of them cutting to the simplestnamed article. In light of her death earlier this year, it is fitting to recount just how much she taught us about the specificity of capitalism. Ellen meiksins wood is a leading contemporary political theorist who has elaborated an innovative approach to the history of political thought, the social history of political theory. Ellen meiksins wood is a figure whose essay the separation of the economic and the political in capitalism is held to be the founding text in the school of. The political theorist ellen meiksins wood, who has died aged 73, held that in its deepest sense, democracy means nothing more nor less than. This from zoltan zigedy ellen meiksins wood died on january 14. Information about the openaccess article ellen meiksins wood 19422016 in doaj. Capitalism is also incapable of promoting sustainable development, not because it encourages technological advances that are capable of straining the earths resources but because the purpose of capitalist production is exchange value not use value, profit not people.
We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Capitalism is not a natural and inevitable consequence of human nature, nor is it simply an extension of ageold practices of trade and commerce. The political theorist ellen meiksins wood, who has died aged 73, held that in its deepest sense, democracy means nothing more nor less than peoples power, or even the power of the common. Marxism and the postmodern agenda by ellen meiksins wood 1dec2006 hardcover. Ellen meiksins wood quotes author of the origin of. Ellen meiksins woods 20 research works with 353 citations and 428 reads, including. Marxist scholar ellen meiksins wood had a towering. Ellen meiksins wood is a leading contemporary political theorist who has been described as the founder, together with robert brenner, of political marxism, a distinct version of historical materialism which has inspired a research program that spans a number of academic disciplines. Ellen meiksins wood april 12, 1942 january, 2016 was an americancanadian marxist historian and scholar. Her books the retreat from class and the origin of capitalism won awards.
In this groundbreaking work, ellen meiksins wood lays out her innovative approach to the history of political theory and traces the development of the western tradition from classical antiquity through the late middle ages. Discover book depositorys huge selection of ellen wood books online. As a frequent contributor to socialist register since her first essay in 1980, special coeditor of the 1995 volume why not capitalism, and a member of the registers editorial collective from 1996 to 2009, her depth of socialist commitment, theoretical originality, and. The late ellen meiksins wood had a long and illustrious career teaching the history of political thought at torontos york university.
L et me say something, first, about isaac deutscher, not just in some ritual tribute for the occasion but because it seems appropriate to what i am going to say in my lecture and the spirit in which i intend to say it. Ellen meiksins wood citizens to lords a social history of. Ellen meiksins wood is a figure whose essay the separation of the economic and the political in capitalism is held to be the founding text in the school of political marxism186. Kindle ebooks can be read on any device with the free kindle app. Among her peers, her work on the transition from feudalism to capitalism, the advocacy of socalled political marxism, and her views on ancient modes of production are remembered.
Democracy against capitalism renewing historical materialism. She has been described as the founder, together with the historian robert brenner, of political marxism, a distinct version of historical materialism. In this original and provocative book ellen meiksins wood reminds us that capitalism is not a natural and inevitable consequence of human nature, nor is it simply an extension of ageold practices of trade and commerce. Fixed this has been fixed since this comment was posted. Ellen wood, thelma ellen wood, and ellen meiksins wood. The ellen meiksins wood reader political marxism and the. The bibliography of works by ellen meiksins wood, 19702012, found at the end of the reader, does not include translations which have appeared in. Online shopping from a great selection at books store.
Ellen meiksins wood, for many years professor of political science at york university, toronto, was the author of many books, including democracy against. Marxist scholar ellen meiksins wood had a towering intellect. Ellen meiksins wood author of the origin of capitalism goodreads. Wood was a thinker of extraordinary range, writing with authority on ancient greece, early modern political thought, contemporary political theory, marxism, and the structure and evolution of modern capitalism. Ellen meiksins wood author of the origin of capitalism. Read or download a new dynamic effective business in a circular economy book by amory lovins, michael braungart. We met a couple of times and i can recall in some detail only one conversation with her in a taxi in new york. The word capitalism is typically applied to a very wide and diverse range of casesfrom the united states to japan. How did the dynamic economic system we know as capitalism develop among the peasants and lords of feudal europe. Ellen meiksins wood showed so many of us what it means to be a committed intellectual. You can leave condolences in the guest book, buy sympathy flowers, and pay your respects. Ellen meiksins wood simple english wikipedia, the free. Questioning the conception of modernity itself, wood. Released towards the end of 2012 as a part of the brill historical materialism books series, the reader is organized thematically, and brings together selections from woods groundbreaking.
76 1175 1491 316 684 85 776 375 111 182 112 515 1415 1265 385 110 939 443 701 1303 217 885 1104 627 304 371 776 1245 156 1446 694 1424 1344