Save

Revisiting the ‘Jewish Question’ and Its Contemporary Discontents

In: Historical Materialism
Author:
Igor Shoikhedbrod Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, St Francis Xavier University Antigonish, NS Canada

Search for other papers by Igor Shoikhedbrod in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1597-5121
Download Citation Get Permissions

Access options

Get access to the full article by using one of the access options below.

Institutional Login

Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials

Login via Institution

Purchase

Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

$40.00

Abstract

This article revisits the so-called ‘Jewish Question’ against the combined background of Marxist historiography and the resurgence of antisemitic and neofascist politics. It begins by analysing the critical reception of Marx’s formative essay, ‘On the Jewish Question’, and assesses its contemporary relevance in the aftermath of institutionalised antisemitism in the USSR, the monstrosity of the Shoah, the consolidation of the Israeli state, and the catastrophic ramifications of the ongoing Nakba. Despite the various defects of Marx and Engels’s reflections on the ‘Jewish Question’, their critical insights vividly anticipate the failings of liberalism, Soviet socialism, and Zionism in emancipating Jews, while also reminding contemporary Marxists about the political urgency of human emancipation. At its core, the ‘Jewish Question’ remains a universal question, extending to all oppressed peoples and classes that have been rendered abandoned and dispensable beings.

Content Metrics

All Time Past 365 days Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 1076 1076 112
Full Text Views 58 58 11
PDF Views & Downloads 173 173 34