Towards an ontology of struggle: The Marxist-Humanist theory of social transformation in the work of Raya Dunayevskaya

This article outlines Dunayevskaya's original but underappreciated contribution to Marxism as a body of theory and practice. Focusing specifically on her Marxist-Humanist 'ontology of struggle' in its various dimensions, it draws out her engagement with Marx such that a new, vitalised account of social transformation is elaborated. From her critique of labour and state capitalism to her account of the dual movement between practice and theory, to her attentiveness to the 'voices from below' and to the 'new passions and forces that develop in the bosom of society', a theory is elaborated that expands the traditional Marxian dialectic to the struggles of racialised groups, women and other minorities. In so doing, it offers a basis from which to re-appraise liberatory politics, and to renew the emancipatory thrust of Marx's writings.