The editors, drawing from backgrounds in political science, legal theory, and critical social analysis, frame the collection as a necessary intervention in the ongoing "Marx revival" (Hunter, Khachaturian, and Nanopoulos, Introduction, p. 2). They argue that understanding capitalism requires a nuanced critique of the state not merely as an instrument of class domination but as a complex social form with contradictory roles. This volume’s core thesis highlights that a thorough analysis of the state's historical development and its contradictory functions is essential for moving beyond superficial or instrumentalist accounts of the state in Marxist theory[1].
The introductory chapter (pp. 1-30) contextualizes the importance of theorizing the state today, especially under what the editors refer to as the “age of disaster” (p. 1). It traces the evolution of Marxist state theory from Marx and Engels’ early insights to modern debates about state autonomy and social form, emphasizing the importance of understanding the state’s role in both reproducing and resisting capitalism[1].
The subsequent essays are organized into thematic sections addressing immediate challenges and foundational questions. Alyssa Battistoni’s chapter, “State, Capital, Nature: State Theory for the Capitalocene” (pp. 31-51)[2], integrates eco-Marxist perspectives with state theory, analyzing how capitalist accumulation drives ecological crises. Dimitrios Kivotidis’s contribution, “Bursting Asunder the Integument: Democracy, Digitalisation, and the State” (pp. 53-73)[3], critically assesses how digital platforms reinforce reactionary state tendencies, complicating class consciousness under capitalism.
Rafael Khachaturian’s chapter, “Crisis, Social Reproduction, and the Capitalist State” (pp. 77-97)[4], examines state responses to COVID-19 through the lens of social reproduction theory, highlighting the limits of state capacity while emphasizing its role in facilitating capital accumulation. Stephen Maher and Scott M. Aquanno’s chapter, “From Economic to Political Crisis: Trump and the Neoliberal State” (pp. 99-119)[5], explores how the state’s financial branches have become intertwined with global capital, exemplified by the Trump administration’s policies.
The collection also revisits foundational issues within Marxist state theory. Jasmine Chorley-Schulz’s chapter, “Soldiers and the State in Marx and Engels” (pp. 121-139)[6], investigates the role of military institutions as workers within the capitalist state, linking military apparatus to class struggle. Eva Nanopoulos’s analysis, “To Embrace or To Reject: Marxism and the ‘War-Emergency Paradigm’” (pp. 141-163)[7], critically explores how states deploy war and emergency measures to manage crises, reflecting Marxist ideas about the state’s function during emergencies.
Kirstin Munro’s chapter, “Socially Reproductive Workers, ‘Life-Making,’ and State Repression” (pp. 165-183)[8], offers a significant critique of social reproduction theory by emphasizing how reproductive labor sustains capitalist society and can serve as a tool of state repression. Nate Holdren’s contribution, “Social Murder: Capitalism’s Systematic and State-Organised Killing” (pp. 185-207)[9], applies Engels’ concept of social murder to analyze the state’s role in perpetuating systemic violence, especially in contexts of poverty, neglect, and immiseration.
The final section introduces methodological innovations. Michael A. McCarthy’s chapter, “Beyond Abstractionism: Notes on Conjunctural State Theory” (pp. 209-230)[10], advocates for an approach that grounds abstract theories in concrete historical analysis, emphasizing the state as both an object and a terrain of class struggle. Chris O’Kane’s chapter, “The Marx Revival and State Theory,” (pp. 231-252)[11], draws on Frankfurt School insights to conceptualize the state as part of the “negative totality,” challenging the idea that the state can serve as a progressive force. Rob Hunter’s concluding chapter, “The Capitalist State as a Historically Specific Social Form” (pp. 253-274)[12], emphasizes understanding the state as a historically contingent social form rooted in capital accumulation.
The authors’ methodology underscores a commitment to historical materialism and interdisciplinary analysis, integrating insights from political economy, legal theory, and critical sociology. For example, Battistoni’s eco-Marxist approach highlights the interconnectedness of ecological degradation and state functions, while Nanopoulos’s legal expertise reveals how legal frameworks reinforce capitalist power during crises. Munro’s focus on social reproduction and Khachaturian’s analysis of social crises exemplify how the state’s functions extend beyond purely economic or political spheres, encompassing ecological and social dimensions.
The volume’s strengths lie in its timely focus and diverse theoretical engagement. It effectively demonstrates the ongoing relevance of Marxist state theory in addressing contemporary issues such as ecological collapse, digitalization, and social reproduction. The editors’ effort to move beyond traditional debates such as the relative autonomy versus social form perspectives (Introduction, pp. 4, 9-10) provides a more nuanced understanding of the state’s contradictions and capacities for both reproduction and resistance. Notably, Holdren’s chapter offers a compelling perspective on systemic violence, framing the state as an active participant in social murder, which is a powerful contribution to Marxist analyses of state violence.
Nevertheless, the collection could be enriched by a more explicit engagement with the diversity of capitalist states beyond the global North. While the introduction briefly references the importance of understanding peripheral states (p. 24), the chapters primarily focus on the experiences of Western capitalist nations. Including more comparative analysis on how the state operates in different global contexts, especially in the Global South, would broaden the volume’s applicability. Additionally, while the debates on state autonomy and social form are well-presented, a more explicit synthesis of these perspectives might help clarify potential pathways for future research.
Engaging with the book’s arguments, it becomes evident that the crises facing capitalism intensify the importance of understanding the state’s role. The ecological and social crises could either deepen state repression or create opportunities for social transformation, depending on the political dynamics at play. The volume’s insights into the embodied violence of the state particularly through concepts like social murder highlight the importance of viewing the state as an active, violent force that sustains capitalist social relations at a human cost.
This volume demonstrates that understanding the capitalist state through a Marxist lens remains vital for grasping the dynamics of contemporary democracies worldwide whether in the Global North or South. It emphasizes that the state is not merely an instrument of ruling classes but a complex social formation characterized by contradictions that both reproduce and threaten capitalist social relations. Crucially, these contradictions manifest differently across diverse geopolitical contexts, shaping how states in the Global South and North respond to ecological crises, social inequalities, and political upheavals.
The collection underscores that in both regions, the state functions simultaneously as a facilitator of capital accumulation, a repressive apparatus, and a potential site of resistance. For example, in the Global North, the state’s deployment of emergency powers during crises (e.g., COVID-19, climate emergencies, social unrest) reveals its role in managing and reproducing capitalism’s crises often exacerbating inequalities and state violence. Meanwhile, in the Global South, state functions are frequently intertwined with neo-colonial exploitation, internal repression, and social reproduction under conditions of uneven development, highlighting the importance of contextualized analysis.
By revisiting foundational Marxist concepts such as the state's role in social reproduction, violence, and crises the volume provides tools to analyze how contemporary states mobilize emergency measures, militarization, and legal frameworks to sustain capitalism's dominance worldwide. It also reveals opportunities for resistance rooted in social struggles whether through ecological movements, anti-imperialist activism, or social reproductive organizing that challenge the state’s role in perpetuating inequalities.
In sum, this collection affirms that a nuanced, historically grounded, and globally attentive Marxist analysis of the state is essential for understanding and challenging the diverse ways capitalism manifests and persists across the global political landscape. It invites scholars and activists in both hemispheres to consider how state contradictions can be harnessed for transformative social change, emphasizing that the state’s contradictions are not merely theoretical but deeply embedded in the lived realities of global capitalism.