Abstract In The Myth of the Global Market: A Marxist Critique of Neoliberalism (2024), Giulia Palermo offers an incisive analysis of the methodological and ontological presuppositions underpinning both the neoclassical school and various heterodox schools of economic thought. In so doing, he provides a welcome reminder of the political role that university professors and other ‘traditional’ intellectuals play in the context of the global capitalist order. Despite its focus on economic theory, Palermo’s book also presents a vision for a post-capitalist society that touches on aspects of Marxist State Theory and the related debates about revolutionary strategy, but which are insufficiently developed. The result is a tension between the conception of the State that is implicit in Palermo’s normative conclusions and his ontological presuppositions. Engaging with these issues directly, this article seeks to enrich Palermo’s analysis, highlighting some of the important strategic issues with which intellectuals, like Palermo, will have to grapple if their intellectual work is to contribute meaningfully to the struggle to create the sort of post-capitalist society envisaged.
Z O E ADAMS (2026) studied this question.