Igor Shoikhedbrod is an Assistant Professor of Political Theory in the Department of Political Science at St. Francis Xavier University, Canada. He is the author of Revisiting Marx’s Critique of Liberalism: Rethinking Justice, Legality and Rights (2019) and many other publications on Marxist theory and human rights discourses beyond a narrowly conceived liberal tradition. This seminar is co-organised by Human Rights Studies and the Faculty of Law.

Igor Shoikhedbrod on “Alternative Futures of Right(s) in Three ‘Heterodox Marxists’:  Pashukanis, Kojeve, and Bloch”

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in critical theories of law and rights, with continued inspiration from Karl Marx’s early and middle work. Less attention has been given to the imaginative contributions of such critical and heterodox Marxist theorists as Evgeny Pashukanis, Ernst Bloch, and Alexandre Kojève. In this talk, Igor critically examines the alternative “futures” of right(s) that were elaborated in the pioneering works of Pashukanis, Kojève, and Bloch, and show their continued relevance. Each of these thinkers engaged in a critical analysis of law and theorized the nature, function, and future of law and rights under emancipatory social conditions. It is high time that we revisit the contributions of these largely neglected thinkers. 

Find out more about Igor Shoikhedbrod here.