One of the rising stars of contemporary critical theory, Bruno Bosteels discusses the new currents of thought generated by figures such as Alain Badiou, Jacques Ranciere and Slavoj iek, who are spearheading the revival of interest in communism. Bosteels examines this resurgence of communist thought through the prism of "speculative leftism"--an incapacity to move beyond lofty abstractions and thoroughly rethink the categories of masses, classes and state. Debating those questions with writers including Roberto Esposito and Alberto Moreiras, Bosteels also provides a vital account of the work of the Bolivian Vice President and thinker Alvaro Garcia Linera. "From the Hardcover edition."