Karl Marx and the History of Capitalism

Capitalism has become a topic of renewed scholarly attention and public discussion in the past decade.  Interest in Karl Marx has grown noticeably as well. How are these two discourses related? Marx decisively contributed to the analysis of capitalism in the second third of the nineteenth century. But economic and social relations have fundamentally changed since then. Which of Marx' insights have remained relevant? Which need to be abandoned when it comes to writing a history of capitalism?  What does it mean to "historicize" Marx?  Why is he still - or once again - important?

Jürgen Kocka is Professor Emeritus of History at Freie Universität Berlin and former President of the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). This keynote lecture is part of the symposium “Marx at 200” taking place at the GHI on April 12, 2018.