In June 2019, David Harvey, the well-known Marxist, gave an interview to Arnau Barquer, an editor of Catarsi magazine in Spain. His interview was later republished by Jacobin. The title of the script of the interview was “Karl Marx Is Useful for Our Time, Not Just His.” In the interview, Harvey says that “Marx is more relevant today than ever before.” I entirely agree with Harvey on this.

　　This interview raises many important issues concerning both capitalism and Marxist thought. These issues should be critically discussed. Non-Marxists think that Marxism is one homogeneous dogmatic body of thinking. It is not. Marxism believes in Marx’s principle of ruthless criticism of the world and of the ideas about it. It is in this spirit that I engage in a comradely critique of Harvey’s interview, but in a manner that is not strictly academic.

　　I select specific points that Harvey makes in the interview, to which I then respond. The original lines from Harvey’s interview are provided in smaller front. Harvey’s ideas and my comments are organized under several main themes, although this is not how the interview was organized. . . .

　　The remainder of this essay apart from the conclusion is divided into five main sections which deal with the main themes from Harvey’s interview: the nature of the working class; uneven development; crisis of capitalist profitability; Left politics and theory; and finally, the meaning of Marxist theory. I explain what Harvey says about these important issues in this major interview. I also direct the reader to what Harvey has to say about these topics in his major writings, although I do not discuss these writings in this article. I then show how it is that many of his views are mistaken, both intellectually and in terms of revolutionary socialist practice. In doing so, I contextualize his ideas in relation to some of the existing Marxist work, including Marx’s thought and the Lenin legacy.

　　From: Critical Sociology 2023 49 (7-8)

　　Editor: Wang Yi