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And so we reach the dreaded chapter on class consciousness...

Wasn't a huge fan in grad school. Still disagree vehemently with the philosophical methodology employed in the preface, along the lines of Levine's critique, but I think Thompson ironically doesn't utilize his idealist understanding of class consciousness like he sets out to, and his work is better for it.

Chapter 24 on Althusser and contextualization of his critique of Gramsci to be directed against Sartre and Garaudy within the politics of the PCF is absolutely stellar. Too often is Althusser taken as a crank working in a vacuum. *For Marx*, while deeply flawed, only appears as heresy by ignoring the spectre of Eurocommunism and barely "Marxist" humanism that surrounded him.

GOATed thus far.

Disheartening to read parts of Thomas's dismissal of "diamat" on the day of Parenti's passing. Identity of Bukharin's sociology with Soviet philosophy is inaccurate and a consequence of Western Marxist scholars only engaging with English-language studies and translations of Soviet material and their chosen Western European Marxists. Soviet scholarship was much richer than Stalin's relatively simple essays.

Great stuff on critiquing Althusser's interpretation of Gramsci without a complete rupture or dismissal of the former. Would challenge Thomas's idea of a break in Althusser's thought in the 60s vs. late 70s—a change, to be sure, but the seeds for the philosophy of the encounter were laid in Reading Capital.

Chapter on Feuerbach is good but everything else needed a translator's preface from Thomas because Finelli is incomprehensible.

Harvey is good to dispute with technological determinism and the analytical "Marxists." His politics, as always, leave something to be desired.

Like many of Historical Materialism's books on Gramsci, many chapters have you asking "Why does this matter/What is the relevance?" And you will never receive an answer beyond, "I like this topic and being published!"

Made to the 120 page monster that is chapter 13!