Neue Marx-Lektüre

The Neue Marx-Lektüre (German for "New Marx Reading") is a school of thought in Marxist theory that originated in West Germany in the mid-1960s. It proposes a reconstruction of Karl Marx's critique of political economy by returning to his original texts and breaking with the interpretations of Marxism–Leninism and, to a lesser extent, Western Marxism. Key figures associated with its development include Hans-Georg Backhaus and Helmut Reichelt. The movement is characterized by its focus on what it terms the "esoteric" dimension of Marx's work—particularly his critique of fundamental economic forms such as value, money, and capital—as opposed to the "exoteric" dimension that appears compatible with traditional political economy.

The Neue Marx-Lektüre gained prominence in the context of the German student movement and the subsequent academic institutionalization of Marxist theory. Its central argument is that traditional Marxism misunderstood Marx's project, reducing his critique of social forms to a deterministic and transhistorical political economy. In contrast, the Neue Marx-Lektüre emphasizes the monetary character of value, the logical (rather than historical) structure of Das Kapital, the theory of state derivation (Staatsableitung), and a critical reappraisal of traditional revolutionary theories centered on class struggle. Although it originated in German-speaking academia, its influence has extended internationally, particularly in debates on value theory, the critique of political economy, and related critical currents such as Wertkritik (value-critique) and communisation theory.

Etymology and definition

The term Neue Marx-Lektüre was likely first used by Hans-Georg Backhaus in the 1970s and was later popularized by his students, such as Michael Heinrich. It designates a specific intellectual current that distinguishes itself from other contemporary interpretations like Neo-Marxism, "critical Marxism", or "capital-logical" Marxism by its specific methodological approach to reconstructing Karl Marx's theory.