George C Comninel
Professor Emeritus
Office: Ross Building, S646
Phone: (416) 736-2100 Ext: 88831
Email: comninel@yorku.ca
Primary website: http://www.yorku.ca/comninel/
Degrees
PhD, York UniversityMA, York University
BA, Cornell University
Professional Leadership
Editorial Board, Socialism and Democracy; Editorial Board, Socialist Register; Editorial Board, Historical Materialism
Community Contributions
Chair of University Senate
Research Interests
Current Research Projects
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Summary:
An examination of continuities and discontinuities between Rome and early medieval Europe; the origin of feudal society on the Continent; the divergence of English forms of state and society; and the parallel but different paths of modern social and political development leading to Absolutist society in France and capitalism in England.
-
Summary:
An exploration of the contributions of Karl Marx to internationalism in modern capitalist society.
Alienation and Emancipation in the Work of Karl Marx, New York: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2018.
The International after 150 Years: Labor vs Capital, Then and Now, co-editor with Marcello Musto and Victor Wallis (London-New York: Routledge, 2015)
Rethinking the French Revolution: Marxism and the Revisionist Challenge, (London: Verso Books, 1987).
“Capital as Political Theory.” Forthcoming, in Marcello Musto, (ed.), Marx’s Capital After 150 Years: Critique and Alternative to Capitalism, New York: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2018.
“Materialismo histórico y capital” [Abridged translation of “Capital and Historical Materialism,” Marxism 21, vol. 9, n. 4, Winter 2012, above.] In Elvira Concheiro and José Gandarilla (eds.), Marx re-visitado: posiciones encontradas
[Marx Revisited: Encountered Positions ], México, D.F.: CEIICH-UNAM, 2016 (7900 words).
“Marx, la teoría social y la libertad humana.” In Marcello Musto, (ed.), De regresso a Marx [Back to Marx], Buenos Aires: Editorial Octubre, 2015, pp. 127-152 (7600 words).
“Feudalism.” In Ben Fine and Alfredo Saad Filho, (eds.) Elgar Companion to Marxist Economics, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2012.
"Marxism and History.” In Ben Fine and Alfredo Saad Filho, (eds.) Elgar Companion to Marxist Economics, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2012.
“Emancipation in Marx’s Early Work.” In Marcello Musto, (ed.), Marx for Today, London-New York: Routledge, 2012.
“Historical Materialist Sociology and Revolutions.” In Gerard Delanty and Engin Isin, (eds.), Handbook of Historical Sociology, London: Sage, 2003.
“Revolution in History: The Communist Manifesto in Context.” In Douglas Moggach and Paul Leduc Browne (eds.), The Revolutions of 1848: A Contested Legacy, Ottawa: University of Ottawa, 2000.
“Den politiska bakgrunden till den folkliga rörelsen under franska revolutionen,” in Bengt Ankarloo (ed.), Franska revolutionen, Lund: Studentlitteratur, 1992.
“The Political Context of the Popular Movement in the French Revolution,” in Frederick Krantz (ed.), History From Below, London: Basil Blackwell, 1988.
Marcello Musto, ed., Workers Unite! The International 150 Years Later (London: Bloomsbury, 2014), Socialism and Democracy, July 2014, vol. 28, n. 2, pp. 215-220 (3000 words).
“Marx and the Politics of the First International.” Socialism and Democracy, vol. 28, n. 2, July 2014, pp. 59-82.
“«Accumulation initiale» et mode de production capitaliste [‘Primitive Accumulation’ and the Capitalist Mode of Production]”. La Pensée, n. 377, janvier-mars 2014, pp. 83-95.
“Critical Thinking and Class Analysis.” Socialism and Democracy, 27:1, March 2013, pp. 19-56.
“Die Anatomie des Affen verstehen: Historischer Materialismus und die Spezifik des Kapitalismus [Historical Materialism and the Specificity of Capitalism: Recognizing the Anatomy of the Ape].” Z. Zeitschrift Marxistische Erneuerung, n. 84, December 2010, pp. 104-115.
“English Feudalism and the Origins of Capitalism.” Journal of Peasant Studies, vol. 27, n. 4, July 2000.
“Marx’s Context.” History of Political Thought, vol. XXI, n. 3, Autumn 2000.
“Quatre-Vingt-Neuf Revisited: Social Interests and Political Conflict in the French Revolution.” Historical Papers / Communications historique, 1989
“Capital as Political Theory.” Marx’s Capital After 150 Years: Critique and Alternative to
Capitalism. York University, May 25, 2017.
“History and Class Struggle.” Plenary paper, Marx e o Marxismo 2015: Insurreições, passado e
presente. Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil, August 25, 2015.
“The People in Revolution: Popular Movements and Social Revolution.” Keynote address to “Revolution, Rebellion, and Radical Change,” the 3rd Annual Waterloo Political Science Graduate Students Conference, Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo, March 7, 2014.
“Bourgeois Right and Proletarian Revolution.” The Left Forum 2013, Pace University, New York, June 9, 2013.
“An Overview of ‘Marx’s Theory of Economic Crisis: A Worldwide Bibliography, 1989-2011’.” Marx and Crises of Capitalism: Interpretations and Interventions, a conference hosted by the International Collaborative Network for Development of Digital Archival Resources on Marxian Crisis Theory, at Kanagawa University, Yokohama, February 19, 2012.
“Marx and the French Revolution, Yet Again.” The Left Forum 2012, Pace University, New
York, March 18, 2012.
“Capital and Historical Materialism.” La Actualidad de Karl Marx, a conference sponsored by the Instituto de Investigaciones Economicas, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, December 12, 2011.
“Emancipation in Marx’s Early Work, Redux.” The Left Forum 2011, Pace University, New York, March 20, 2011.
“Historical Materialism and Pre-capitalist Modes of Production in the Grundrisse.” The Left Forum 2011, Pace University, New York, March 19, 2011.
“Spectres of Marx: From The Communist Manifesto to Occupy Wall Street.” Marx Hoy: Nuevas Lecturas de Marx a Luz de los Trabajos de la MEGA2, a conference organized by Centro de Investigaciones Interdisciplinarias en Ciencias y Humanidades (CEIICH), Mexico City, December 9, 2011.
“The concept and organization of the International Contemporary Bibliography on Marxian Crisis Theory.” The First Workshop of the International Collaborative Network for Development of Digital Archival Resources on Marxian Crisis Theory, Tohuko University, Sendai, Japan, October 15, 2011.
“Alienation, Emancipation, and the Critique of Political Economy in Marx's 1844 Manuscripts.” The Resumption of the Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe (MEGA²), a conference hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China, July 22, 2010.
“Capital as Power.” Crisis of Capital, Crisis of Theory, a conference organized by The Forum on Capital as Power, York University, October 29, 2010.
“Historical Materialism and Precapitalist Modes of Production in the Grundrisse.” Karl Marx’s Grundrisse: Foundations of the Critique of Political Economy 150 Years Later, a conference hosted by the Central Compilation & Translation Bureau, Beijing, China, July 25, 2010.
“Historical Materialism and the Specificity of Capitalism: Recognizing the Anatomy of the Ape.” Conference on Reading Marx’s Grundrisse Today, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China, July 28, 2010.
“The Limits of Exploitation and Potential for Emancipation: Capitalism as the Apex of Social Property Relations.” Marx and Contemporary Social Theory, a conference hosted by The National Research Base for World Marxism and Theory Trends, The School of Philosophy, and The Center for Contemporary Marxism Abroad, Fudan University, Shanghai, China, July 17,
2010.
“Capital and Historical Materialism.” Keynote address presented to Dialectics in Question: Revisiting Capital &/In Crisis, conference organized by the Critical Social Research Collaborative, Carleton University, March 13, 2009.
“Historical Materialism and Pre-Capitalist Modes of Production in the Grundrisse.” Seventh International Conference of Rethinking Marxism: New Marxian Times, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, November 7, 2009.
“Marx and the French Revolution.” Seventh International Conference of Rethinking Marxism: New Marxian Times, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, November 6, 2009.
“Sociologie historique et transition(s) au(x) capitalisme(s).” Keynote address presented to 77e Congrès de l'Acfas (Association francophone pour le savoir), University of Ottawa, May 13, 2009.
“The Feudal Foundations of Modern Society: From the Origin of Feudal Class Society, to the Divergence of its Legacies.” Capital, Empire and Revolution, conference organized by Historical Materialism, the Socialist Register, and the Isaac and Tamara Deutscher Memorial Prize Committee, Birkbeck College, University of London, October 10, 2004.
“Capital as a Social Relation.” International METU Conference on Economics, Economic Research Center, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, September 8, 2003.
“A Debate: Marxism and the Ancients.” With Stefanos Kourkoulakos (York University) and David Bedford (University of New Brunswick), York University, March 21, 2014. [Video at: https://www.academia.edu/6626130/_Marxism_and_the_Ancients_featuring_George_Comninel Stefanos_Kourkoulakos_and_David_Bedford]
“The State Debate Today: Unresolved Problems, Avenues for Innovation.” Recorded panel
discussion, Department of Political Science, York University, February 11, 2013. [Video at
https://vimeo.com/60895880.
Respondent: Isaac and Tamara Deutscher Memorial Prize Lecture, Birkbeck College, University
of London, UK, October 9, 2004.
Vice-Coordinator: Associação Internacional das Trabalhadoras e dos Trabalhadores, 150 Anos Depois, October 24 – November 3, 2014, Brazil. Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Universidade de São Paulo, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia - Salvador, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. http://ait150anos.wix.com/ait150anos.
Commentator: “Labour and the International, Part 2: Now.” The Left Forum 2014, John Jay
College of Criminal Justice (CUNY), New York, May 31, 2014.
“Marx and the First International.” The Left Forum 2014, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY), New York, May 31, 2014.
“Marx and the Politics of the First International.” Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil,
October 29, 2014
“Socialism and Democracy in the First International.” Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil,
October 30, 2014.
Panel Participant: “The Importance of Socialist Journals, Yesterday and Today.” Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, October 30, 2014.
Session Chair: “The International Then and Today.” Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, November 3, 2014.
Panel Chair and Commentator: “MEGA(2) and the Revolution in The Philosophy of Marx.” The
Left Forum 2013, Pace University, New York, June 9, 2013.
Panel Chair: “The Making of Marx’s Theory of Crisis.” Marx and Crises of Capitalism: Interpretations and Interventions, a conference hosted by the International Collaborative Network for Development of Digital Archival Resources on Marxian Crisis Theory, at Kanagawa University, Yokohama, February 18, 2012.
Panel Chair and Commentator: “Marx vs. Engels.” The Left Forum 2012, Pace University, New
York, March 17, 2012.
Panel Chair: “China and Marxism: Theory and Practice in Transition.” The Left Forum 2011.
Pace University, New York, March 20, 2011.
Roundtable Chair: “The Return of Marx.” Seventh International Conference of Rethinking Marxism: New Marxian Times, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, November 8, 2009.
Panel Participant: “Forum on Globalization and Imperialism: What Is To Be Done?” International METU Conference on Economics, Economic Research Center, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, September 9, 2003.
Panel Chair and Commentator: “The Imperial Economy.” International METU Conference on Economics, Economic Research Center, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, September 9, 2003
The Feudal Foundations of Modern Europe (expected publication, 2019).
Degrees
PhD, York UniversityMA, York University
BA, Cornell University
Professional Leadership
Editorial Board, Socialism and Democracy; Editorial Board, Socialist Register; Editorial Board, Historical Materialism
Community Contributions
Chair of University Senate
Research Interests
Current Research Projects
-
Summary:
An examination of continuities and discontinuities between Rome and early medieval Europe; the origin of feudal society on the Continent; the divergence of English forms of state and society; and the parallel but different paths of modern social and political development leading to Absolutist society in France and capitalism in England.
Project Type: Self-Funded-
Summary:
An exploration of the contributions of Karl Marx to internationalism in modern capitalist society.
All Publications
“Capital as Political Theory.” Forthcoming, in Marcello Musto, (ed.), Marx’s Capital After 150 Years: Critique and Alternative to Capitalism, New York: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2018.
“Materialismo histórico y capital” [Abridged translation of “Capital and Historical Materialism,” Marxism 21, vol. 9, n. 4, Winter 2012, above.] In Elvira Concheiro and José Gandarilla (eds.), Marx re-visitado: posiciones encontradas
[Marx Revisited: Encountered Positions ], México, D.F.: CEIICH-UNAM, 2016 (7900 words).
“Marx, la teoría social y la libertad humana.” In Marcello Musto, (ed.), De regresso a Marx [Back to Marx], Buenos Aires: Editorial Octubre, 2015, pp. 127-152 (7600 words).
“Feudalism.” In Ben Fine and Alfredo Saad Filho, (eds.) Elgar Companion to Marxist Economics, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2012.
"Marxism and History.” In Ben Fine and Alfredo Saad Filho, (eds.) Elgar Companion to Marxist Economics, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2012.
“Emancipation in Marx’s Early Work.” In Marcello Musto, (ed.), Marx for Today, London-New York: Routledge, 2012.
“Historical Materialist Sociology and Revolutions.” In Gerard Delanty and Engin Isin, (eds.), Handbook of Historical Sociology, London: Sage, 2003.
“Revolution in History: The Communist Manifesto in Context.” In Douglas Moggach and Paul Leduc Browne (eds.), The Revolutions of 1848: A Contested Legacy, Ottawa: University of Ottawa, 2000.
“Den politiska bakgrunden till den folkliga rörelsen under franska revolutionen,” in Bengt Ankarloo (ed.), Franska revolutionen, Lund: Studentlitteratur, 1992.
“The Political Context of the Popular Movement in the French Revolution,” in Frederick Krantz (ed.), History From Below, London: Basil Blackwell, 1988.
Marcello Musto, ed., Workers Unite! The International 150 Years Later (London: Bloomsbury, 2014), Socialism and Democracy, July 2014, vol. 28, n. 2, pp. 215-220 (3000 words).
Alienation and Emancipation in the Work of Karl Marx, New York: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2018.
The International after 150 Years: Labor vs Capital, Then and Now, co-editor with Marcello Musto and Victor Wallis (London-New York: Routledge, 2015)
Rethinking the French Revolution: Marxism and the Revisionist Challenge, (London: Verso Books, 1987).
“Marx and the Politics of the First International.” Socialism and Democracy, vol. 28, n. 2, July 2014, pp. 59-82.
“«Accumulation initiale» et mode de production capitaliste [‘Primitive Accumulation’ and the Capitalist Mode of Production]”. La Pensée, n. 377, janvier-mars 2014, pp. 83-95.
“Critical Thinking and Class Analysis.” Socialism and Democracy, 27:1, March 2013, pp. 19-56.
“Die Anatomie des Affen verstehen: Historischer Materialismus und die Spezifik des Kapitalismus [Historical Materialism and the Specificity of Capitalism: Recognizing the Anatomy of the Ape].” Z. Zeitschrift Marxistische Erneuerung, n. 84, December 2010, pp. 104-115.
“English Feudalism and the Origins of Capitalism.” Journal of Peasant Studies, vol. 27, n. 4, July 2000.
“Marx’s Context.” History of Political Thought, vol. XXI, n. 3, Autumn 2000.
“Quatre-Vingt-Neuf Revisited: Social Interests and Political Conflict in the French Revolution.” Historical Papers / Communications historique, 1989
“Capital as Political Theory.” Marx’s Capital After 150 Years: Critique and Alternative to
Capitalism. York University, May 25, 2017.
“History and Class Struggle.” Plenary paper, Marx e o Marxismo 2015: Insurreições, passado e
presente. Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil, August 25, 2015.
“The People in Revolution: Popular Movements and Social Revolution.” Keynote address to “Revolution, Rebellion, and Radical Change,” the 3rd Annual Waterloo Political Science Graduate Students Conference, Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo, March 7, 2014.
“Bourgeois Right and Proletarian Revolution.” The Left Forum 2013, Pace University, New York, June 9, 2013.
“An Overview of ‘Marx’s Theory of Economic Crisis: A Worldwide Bibliography, 1989-2011’.” Marx and Crises of Capitalism: Interpretations and Interventions, a conference hosted by the International Collaborative Network for Development of Digital Archival Resources on Marxian Crisis Theory, at Kanagawa University, Yokohama, February 19, 2012.
“Marx and the French Revolution, Yet Again.” The Left Forum 2012, Pace University, New
York, March 18, 2012.
“Capital and Historical Materialism.” La Actualidad de Karl Marx, a conference sponsored by the Instituto de Investigaciones Economicas, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, December 12, 2011.
“Emancipation in Marx’s Early Work, Redux.” The Left Forum 2011, Pace University, New York, March 20, 2011.
“Historical Materialism and Pre-capitalist Modes of Production in the Grundrisse.” The Left Forum 2011, Pace University, New York, March 19, 2011.
“Spectres of Marx: From The Communist Manifesto to Occupy Wall Street.” Marx Hoy: Nuevas Lecturas de Marx a Luz de los Trabajos de la MEGA2, a conference organized by Centro de Investigaciones Interdisciplinarias en Ciencias y Humanidades (CEIICH), Mexico City, December 9, 2011.
“The concept and organization of the International Contemporary Bibliography on Marxian Crisis Theory.” The First Workshop of the International Collaborative Network for Development of Digital Archival Resources on Marxian Crisis Theory, Tohuko University, Sendai, Japan, October 15, 2011.
“Alienation, Emancipation, and the Critique of Political Economy in Marx's 1844 Manuscripts.” The Resumption of the Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe (MEGA²), a conference hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China, July 22, 2010.
“Capital as Power.” Crisis of Capital, Crisis of Theory, a conference organized by The Forum on Capital as Power, York University, October 29, 2010.
“Historical Materialism and Precapitalist Modes of Production in the Grundrisse.” Karl Marx’s Grundrisse: Foundations of the Critique of Political Economy 150 Years Later, a conference hosted by the Central Compilation & Translation Bureau, Beijing, China, July 25, 2010.
“Historical Materialism and the Specificity of Capitalism: Recognizing the Anatomy of the Ape.” Conference on Reading Marx’s Grundrisse Today, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China, July 28, 2010.
“The Limits of Exploitation and Potential for Emancipation: Capitalism as the Apex of Social Property Relations.” Marx and Contemporary Social Theory, a conference hosted by The National Research Base for World Marxism and Theory Trends, The School of Philosophy, and The Center for Contemporary Marxism Abroad, Fudan University, Shanghai, China, July 17,
2010.
“Capital and Historical Materialism.” Keynote address presented to Dialectics in Question: Revisiting Capital &/In Crisis, conference organized by the Critical Social Research Collaborative, Carleton University, March 13, 2009.
“Historical Materialism and Pre-Capitalist Modes of Production in the Grundrisse.” Seventh International Conference of Rethinking Marxism: New Marxian Times, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, November 7, 2009.
“Marx and the French Revolution.” Seventh International Conference of Rethinking Marxism: New Marxian Times, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, November 6, 2009.
“Sociologie historique et transition(s) au(x) capitalisme(s).” Keynote address presented to 77e Congrès de l'Acfas (Association francophone pour le savoir), University of Ottawa, May 13, 2009.
“The Feudal Foundations of Modern Society: From the Origin of Feudal Class Society, to the Divergence of its Legacies.” Capital, Empire and Revolution, conference organized by Historical Materialism, the Socialist Register, and the Isaac and Tamara Deutscher Memorial Prize Committee, Birkbeck College, University of London, October 10, 2004.
“Capital as a Social Relation.” International METU Conference on Economics, Economic Research Center, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, September 8, 2003.
“A Debate: Marxism and the Ancients.” With Stefanos Kourkoulakos (York University) and David Bedford (University of New Brunswick), York University, March 21, 2014. [Video at: https://www.academia.edu/6626130/_Marxism_and_the_Ancients_featuring_George_Comninel Stefanos_Kourkoulakos_and_David_Bedford]
“The State Debate Today: Unresolved Problems, Avenues for Innovation.” Recorded panel
discussion, Department of Political Science, York University, February 11, 2013. [Video at
https://vimeo.com/60895880.
Respondent: Isaac and Tamara Deutscher Memorial Prize Lecture, Birkbeck College, University
of London, UK, October 9, 2004.
Vice-Coordinator: Associação Internacional das Trabalhadoras e dos Trabalhadores, 150 Anos Depois, October 24 – November 3, 2014, Brazil. Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Universidade de São Paulo, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia - Salvador, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. http://ait150anos.wix.com/ait150anos.
Commentator: “Labour and the International, Part 2: Now.” The Left Forum 2014, John Jay
College of Criminal Justice (CUNY), New York, May 31, 2014.
“Marx and the First International.” The Left Forum 2014, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY), New York, May 31, 2014.
“Marx and the Politics of the First International.” Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil,
October 29, 2014
“Socialism and Democracy in the First International.” Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil,
October 30, 2014.
Panel Participant: “The Importance of Socialist Journals, Yesterday and Today.” Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, October 30, 2014.
Session Chair: “The International Then and Today.” Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, November 3, 2014.
Panel Chair and Commentator: “MEGA(2) and the Revolution in The Philosophy of Marx.” The
Left Forum 2013, Pace University, New York, June 9, 2013.
Panel Chair: “The Making of Marx’s Theory of Crisis.” Marx and Crises of Capitalism: Interpretations and Interventions, a conference hosted by the International Collaborative Network for Development of Digital Archival Resources on Marxian Crisis Theory, at Kanagawa University, Yokohama, February 18, 2012.
Panel Chair and Commentator: “Marx vs. Engels.” The Left Forum 2012, Pace University, New
York, March 17, 2012.
Panel Chair: “China and Marxism: Theory and Practice in Transition.” The Left Forum 2011.
Pace University, New York, March 20, 2011.
Roundtable Chair: “The Return of Marx.” Seventh International Conference of Rethinking Marxism: New Marxian Times, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, November 8, 2009.
Panel Participant: “Forum on Globalization and Imperialism: What Is To Be Done?” International METU Conference on Economics, Economic Research Center, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, September 9, 2003.
Panel Chair and Commentator: “The Imperial Economy.” International METU Conference on Economics, Economic Research Center, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, September 9, 2003
The Feudal Foundations of Modern Europe (expected publication, 2019).
