nonMarxist

Non-Marxist is a label used to describe individuals, theories, or movements that do not adopt Karl Marx's theoretical framework. In academic and political discourse, the term serves to contrast analyses of capitalism, society, and change that are not based on Marx's concepts of historical materialism, class struggle, and dialectical development. It is not a single, unified school, but a broad umbrella for diverse positions that reject or fall outside Marxist methodology.

The scope of non-Marxist thought is wide. It can include classical liberalism, conservatism, and other liberal-democratic traditions that emphasize rights, markets, and institutions rather than a Marxian class analysis. It also covers reformist or evolutionary socialist currents that seek to improve capitalism through gradual reform rather than revolutionary overthrow, as well as various strands of anarchism, liberal socialism, or post-Marxist theories that reinterpret or move beyond Marxian premises.

Historically, the term has appeared in debates within socialist movements. Orthodox Marxists have sometimes labeled Bernsteinian revisionism or other reformist currents as non-Marxist in contrast to revolutionary Marxism. In political science and sociology, non-Marxist approaches are used to study capitalism by focusing on factors such as institutions, culture, political power, or individual rights instead of purely economic determinism.

Critics warn that the label can be imprecise given the internal diversity of non-Marxist currents and that it may obscure overlap or dialogue with Marxist theory. See also Marxism, liberalism, conservatism, reformism, anarchism.