Nicos Poulantzas was a Greek-French Marxist political philosopher and sociologist, born in 1936, who moved to France in 1960 and became a leading figure of the structuralist Marxist school in the 1970s. Initially influenced by the existentialist Marxism of Jean-Paul Sartre, he later became associated with the structuralist approach of Louis Althusser. His 1968 book Political Power and Social Classes set out a structuralist theory of the state as relatively autonomous from direct control by the capitalist class, functioning instead as a factor of cohesion holding a social formation together. His later books Fascism and Dictatorship (1970) and Classes in Contemporary Capitalism (1974) extended this framework to exceptional state forms and to the class structure of advanced capitalist societies. He died in 1979.
Facts
Birth DateSourced to the subject's own account Birth YearSourced to the subject's own account Death DateSourced to the subject's own account Death YearSourced to the subject's own account BirthplaceSourced to the subject's own accountAthens, Kingdom of Greece 1 Death PlaceSourced to the subject's own account Nationality / CultureSourced to the subject's own account Defining ContributionSourced to the subject's own accountLeading figure in the structuralist Marxist school in the 1970s, known for his theoretical work on the state, social class, fascism and authoritarianism, and for critiquing traditional communist views in developing a sophisticated Marxist theory of the capitalist state. 1 Notable WorkSourced to the subject's own accountPolitical Power and Social Classes (1968) 1 Connections
Associated With
Poulantzas structuralist Marxism theorized the capitalist state as relatively autonomous from any single class faction while still functioning to secure capitalist reproduction.
Sources
1. Nicos Poulantzas (Wikipedia)
Wikipedialead sentence
Nicos Poulantzas (21 September 1936-3 October 1979) was a Greek-French Marxist political philosopher and sociologist.
Early life and education section, first sentence
Nicos Poulantzas was born in Athens on 21 September 1936 to a well-established family.
lead paragraph, final sentence
He died by suicide in Paris in 1979.
lead paragraph
He is best known for his theoretical work on the state, social class, fascism, and authoritarianism. His work was influential in critiquing traditional communist views
Major works list, first entry
Poulantzas, Nicos. Political Power and Social Classes. NLB, 1973 (orig. 1968).
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