New Books in Critical Theory Agustín Santella and Adrián Piva, "Marxism, Social Movements and Collective Action" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023)
Feb 16, 2026
Agustín Santella, Argentine sociologist and UBA professor specializing in Marxist theory and social movements. He explores how diverse collective struggles—strikes, protests, uprisings—might be united into a coherent theory. He discusses class formation, limits of classical Marxism, neoliberal individualization, and rethinking labor and social reproduction.
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Theory Must Bridge Antagonism And Forms
- A theory of class struggle must bridge class antagonism and diverse forms of collective action like strikes and revolutions.
- Agustín Santella argues Marxism lacks a unified theory explaining mechanisms across these varied struggles.
Classical Marxism Was Fragmented
- Early Marxists developed fragmentary concepts (imperialism, dual power) tied to partisan strategy rather than a cohesive theory of struggle.
- Santella says these contributions informed later work but did not yield a systematic theory.
Two Generations, Complementary Strengths
- The New Left emphasized methodology and theory while earlier Marxists focused on concrete political strategy.
- Santella positions both generations as necessary starting points for rebuilding Marxist theory today.
