ABSTRACT

Renowned American sociologist Charles Derber imagines a surprise encounter with Karl Marx's ghost in London's Highgate cemetery, leading to a night-long conversation about the problems plaguing the world. The economic crisis, climate change, war, the future of capitalism and the 'Arab Spring' are all discussed. The ghost reconsiders his theories as he speaks eloquently about American labour, environmental, gender and anti-racist struggles. The engrossing, funny and provocative conversation, with appearances from other ghosts such as John Maynard Keynes, offers new insights into the relevance and flaws of Marx's thought, indicating how we can get to a better world.

part I|31 pages

I Meet the Ghost

chapter 1|1 pages

Highgate Cemetery

chapter 2|2 pages

The Ghost

chapter 3|3 pages

Marx's Avatar

chapter 5|4 pages

Marx as the Devil

chapter 6|2 pages

Tina

chapter 7|2 pages

TINA Arrives Exactly at the Wrong Time

chapter 8|3 pages

The Ghost Turns Sunny

part II|13 pages

TINA Can't Seduce This Ghost

chapter 12|1 pages

The Story Begins—At Harvard Yard

chapter 13|2 pages

Communism Collapses and History Ends

chapter 14|2 pages

The Globalization of TINA

chapter 15|2 pages

Liberals and TINA

chapter 16|4 pages

Even the Left Has Given Up the Ghost

part III|54 pages

Super-Capitalist Crises and the Regime of Death

chapter 17|1 pages

The Ghost Gets Socratic and Talks History

chapter 19|2 pages

The Ghost Talks Crisis and Systemic Risk

chapter 28|1 pages

Lessons of the Crisis

chapter 31|2 pages

The Time Crunch

chapter 32|1 pages

The War System in an Age of WMD

part V|61 pages

The Revolutions of the Great Transition and the Politics of Life

chapter 45|1 pages

The Spook Turns from Death to Life

chapter 46|2 pages

The Ghost Begins with Europe

chapter 48|2 pages

U.S. Triage versus the European Commons

chapter 52|3 pages

Morales' Bolivia and Indigenous Socialism

chapter 54|2 pages

The Zapatistas and IS in Chiapas

chapter 57|4 pages

Mondragon, Co-ops, and Labor over Capital

chapter 59|3 pages

Social Democracy in America

chapter 60|2 pages

The Co-op Nation, American Style

chapter 65|6 pages

Alter-Globalization and Alter-Capitalism

chapter |2 pages

Epilogue: The Ghost Takes His Leave