Theoretical Challenges to Marxism: A Review of Main Ideas of Critical Theory, Post Structuralism and Post Modernism

The paper reviews the main ideas of three contemporary theoretical debates in politics, aesthetics and women studies and in other branches of social sciences. These are Critical Theory, Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism. The review is not extensive but is limited only to highlight the criticism these theories leveled against Marxism as a doctrine of revolution. Marxism is subjected to severe criticism by the western liberal thinkers, but what is surprising is that Marxism has been criticized by the later Marxists. These theories address literary and cultural issues rather than issues of politics. Their originality lies in the leftist tradition but is opposed to the Marxist notion of positivism. They are concerned with the problems of the existing social system, but are little worried of the irregularities of the capitalist economy.