As austerity measures are put into place the world over and global restructuring is acknowledged by all as an attempt to bolster the economic system that lead to the crash, there is a great need to come to grips with the economic, political and philosophical legacy of Marx. Of particular interest are Marx's analyses of alienation and the cycles of boom and bust thought to be integral to the functioning of capitalism. Moreover, as the Cold War drifts into the history books, it is possible to reconsider the lasting impact of Marx's analyses without the shadows cast by the Soviet version of communism. Equally, though, scholars are increasingly turning to Marx for insight into the rise of religion and the corresponding demise of political ideologies that seems to mark the contemporary age. Are we witnessing 'the return of Marx'?Few scholars have done as much to tease out the intricacies of Marx, ideology and religion and their overlapping concerns as the eminent writer and Marx biographer, Professor David McLellan. This book brings together a group of internationally renowned academics to reflect upon, develop and criticise McLellan's analyses of these three themes with a view to contributing more broadly to scholarly debates in these fields. This exciting and timely analysis will be of interest to scholars of political theory, the history of political thought (including historical methodology), Marx and Marxism, sociology of knowledge (particularly in relation to discussions of ideology), religion and theology more widely.

Contents: Introduction David Bates, Iain MacKenzie and Sean Sayers Chapter 1: McLellan, Marx, and Method David Bates Chapter 2: McLellan's Marx: Interpreting Thought, Changing Life Terrell Carver Chapter 3: The Concept of Alienation and the Development of Marx's Thought Sean Sayers Chapter 4: David McLellan and Continuity in Marx Mark Cowling Chapter 5: Marx's confrontation with free market dogma: the latent moral argument in Capital Lawrence Wilde Chapter 6: Why Marxist Humanism is Wrong Alistair McLeish Chapter 7: Beyond the Narrow Horizon of Bourgeois Right Lord Bhikhu Parekh Chapter 8: Simone Weil Lord Rowan Williams Chapter 9: Marx and Atheism Charles Devellennes Chapter 10: Ideology, Ideologies and Ideologues Iain MacKenzie Chapter 11: Replies and Concluding Remarks David McLellan