Marx and the Accusations of Antisemitism, Racism, and Eurocentrism: An Introduction

The question whether the founding father of scientific communism and universal emancipation himself was antisemitic, racist, and Eurocentric is highly explosive for obvious reasons. Dogmatics has tended to wipe away all accusations as they were seen almost heretical. Reactionaries have simultaneously taken those quotations to prove the hypocrisy of revolutionary Marxists, who claim to fight for universal emancipation, while worshipping an old racist. However, things are way more complex. Neither should all accusations be rejected dogmatically nor can they be affirmed. Both sides tend to ignore the fact, that Marx himself underwent several crucial epistemic breaks and theoretical learnings. The article tries to give a brief introduction in three main points of discussion. It cannot be understood as a detailed analysis, but merely as an overview about the ambiguities in play. The aim therefore is not to completely free Marx from all reproaches or to completely condemn him but to stress his own ambiguities and thereafter argue for an undogmatic treatment of this highly ambivalent heritage of socialist theory.