The Norman Geras Reader

This is the first book to gather the key writings of distinguished political theorist Norman Geras into a single volume, providing a comprehensive overview of the thinking of one of the most important Marxist philosophers of the post-war era.

A professor in the University of Manchester's Department of Government up to his death in 2013, Geras was known for his pioneering interpretations of key texts in the Marxist canon, along with his insistence that Marxism could only be enriched by recognising the enduring value of core liberal concepts. From foundational philosophical concerns, such as the place of human nature in Marx's theory, to explicitly political ones, such as the rights and duties of the international community when faced with mass atrocities, Geras's work informed and inspired an entire generation of leftists disillusioned with the current fixations of the progressive movement.

An essential resource for understanding the development of both Marxist thought and the evolutions of the left, particularly in the wake of the war in Iraq, this reader includes Geras's most important writings, among them 'The Controversy about Marx and Justice', 'The Contract of Mutual Indifference' and the 'Euston Manifesto', which set out the principles for the democratic left in the twenty-first century. The reader also contains selections from his popular Normblog and companion essays by British political theorist Alan Johnson and Canadian journalist and war correspondent Terry Glavin.