Foucault and Marx

Ambivalences, Legacies, and Future Struggles

International Symposium

18–19 October 2024

University of Vienna, Austria

The symposium aims to explore the tense relationship between Foucault and Marx and, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Foucault’s death in 2024, to put it into perspective with regard to Foucault’s intellectual legacy. Foucault is generally perceived as a harsh critic of Marxism, both in terms of its analytical possibilities and political dangers. This contrasts strongly not only with Foucault’s repeated emphasis on the centrality of Marx, but also with clear theoretical parallels. The subject of the symposium is therefore the question of how this ambivalence is to be understood, what it means for possible continuations of the Foucauldian project and to what extent the Foucault-Marx connection can be made fruitful for current and future questions. 

The event takes place at the Department of Philosophy of the University of Vienna and is part of the World Congress Foucault: 40 years after which is coordinating over 50 events worldwide to mark the 40th anniversary of Foucault’s death in 2024.