The Theological Metaphors of Marx by Enrique Dussel

In The Theological Metaphors of Marx, Enrique Dussel provides a groundbreaking combination of Marxology, theology, and ethical theory. Dussel shows that Marx unveils the theology of capitalism in his critique of commodity fetishization. Capitalism constitutes an idolatry of the commodity that undergirds the capitalist expropriation of labor. Dussel examines Marx’s early writings on religion and fetishism and proceeds through what Dussel refers to as the four major drafts of Capital, ultimately situating Marx’s philosophical, economic, ethical, and historical insights in relation to the theological problems of his time. Dussel notes a shift in Marx’s underlying theological schema from a political critique of the state to an economic critique of the commodity fetish as the Devil, or anti-God, of modernity. Marx’s thought, impact, and influence cannot be fully understood without Dussel’s historic reinterpretation of the theological origins and implications of Marx’s critiques of political economy and politics.

Praise
“Originally written in 1993, Enrique Dussel’s The Theological Metaphors of Marx could not be more relevant today. Drawing from Marx’s less-known and mature work, Dussel reveals how theology became a cog of capitalism and colonial domination, and, relatedly, how theology-based criticism becomes a critique of politics and human existence past-present. A crucial text for understanding the rapid rise of the Christian Right throughout the world and for undertaking theological decolonization as an ethics of liberation.” — Catherine E. Walsh, author of Rising Up, Living On: Re-existences, Sowings, and Decolonial Cracks

“Enrique Dussel provides an exemplary methodology to navigate the rising critique of the secular and appeals to post-secularity. He offers a sophisticated exploration of the extent to which Christian theology, biblical narratives, and Christian discourses served as both references and scaffolding for nineteenth-century philosophy and political economy and a strong argument for a Christian theology that is informed and infused by Marx’s critique of capitalism. Dussel’s deep knowledge of the history of Christianity and the history of modern philosophy and his acute hermeneutical abilities are in full display in this text.” — Nelson Maldonado-Torres, author of Against War: Views from the Underside of Modernity