Marxist contributions to International Relations: trends and debates

Abstract

In recent years, the Marxist perspective has sparked a series of crucial debates regarding the future of International Relations as a discipline. The contributions have been so significant that, in some cases, an ontological shift is being promoted to position this discipline on par with Sociology, Economics or Political Science, without being theoretically subordinated to any of them, as has often been the case. Similarly, it has managed to establish a research program that, together with Historical Sociology, has problematized the origin of the modern international order and the historical narrative upon which this event has been consolidated. Despite the importance of this in the Spanish-speaking context, these debates have remained tied to the English-speaking academy, preventing their diffusion among students and scholars of the discipline in our context. Based on this, the present work aims to bring these debates closer to the reader through a brief but concise exposition of two of the most notable Marxist theoretical perspectives, namely: uneven and combined development and political Marxism. The objective is to make these ideas and debates more accessible to the La­tin American audience, specifically within the Mexican context.