Historical specificity and social form: Political Marxism and Open Marxism in conversation

This is the introductory article to the special issue on the convergences and divergences in Political and Open Marxism. It traces the historical and intellectual origins of these traditions and their original contributions to the theorisation of capitalism. It explores how their shared concern with the historical specificity of capitalism’s social forms challenged the established dogmas of Orthodox Marxism. The article also sheds light on their methodological differences as well as their respective approach to the post-1970s trajectory of accumulation. Finally, it presents the five contributions to the special issue.