On June 16, 2026, at the conference Theory and Practice at Square One of the Marxist Literary Group’s Institute on Culture and Society 2026 at the University of California, Berkeley, I will present a paper with the title above. Here, I document the abstract:
The paper presents Hans-Jürgen Krahl, PhD candidate of Adorno and leading theorist of the West German 1968 movement, as a break with Western Marxism. Perry Anderson, in Considerations on Western Marxism, saw in the 1968 movement the possibility for a new unity of theory and practice and thus a renewal of revolutionary Marxism. While Anderson mentions Nicos Poulantzas regarding this renewed Marxism, I argue that Krahl, as part of a broader Marxist current of 1968, also represents this break as sketched by Anderson.
While a student of Frankfurt School critical theory, Krahl developed a critique of Lukács, Adorno, and Marcuse. Anderson characterizes Western Marxism as a structural divorce of theory from revolutionary practice and the proletarian masses, as well as a thematic shift away from economics, politics, and strategy. Nevertheless, this lopsidedness enabled certain theoretical achievements, especially in philosophy, methodology, and cultural theory. Krahl did not dismiss these achievements but sought to square them with classical Marxist theory, while also criticizing the latter, contra Anderson.
This paper elaborates Krahl’s vision for the unity of theory and practice on the basis of Andersons’ characterization of Western Marxism: Firstly by contextualizing Krahl’s activism and organizational work, particularly his concept of the intermediation of theory and practice via Lukács‘ theory of the revolutionary organization. A summary of Krahl’s PhD thesis follows, which sought to analyze contemporary capitalist economy. Lastly, his critical appropriation of Western Marxism’s methodological reflection and cultural critique is discussed, regarding two texts: Krahl’s article „On the Logic of Essence in Marx’s Analysis of the Commodity“ analyzes the laws of capitalism as fetishistic as well as human relations.
Whereas this draws heavily on Western Marxism’s reading of Marx (not least Adorno’s), it also aims at a critique of Adorno who, in his claim of universal reification, ultimately disregards the constitution by human relations. At the same time, Krahl’s elaboration of the new emancipation principles of 1968 on the basis of Marcuse’s work reflects his engagement with Frankfurt School cultural critique, which he sought to give practical meaning. The presentation concludes with a reassessment of the aftermath of the 1968 movement: the break with Western Marxism that Krahl and his comrades sought did not succeed. Instead, Western Marxism prevailed; reapproaching Krahl’s work may offer promising resources to overcome its continued antinomies.