Repetition, negation, and ideology: Marx, Hegel, and the problem of the subject

Abstract

This article starts with an analysis of the influence of Hegel on the construction of the concepts of capital and ideology in Marx’s work. To this end, we analyze the transition from Marx’s first humanist writings to his later theory. Due to the break achieved by Marx in relation to his early works, a problem arises: the determination of the revolutionary subject once the initial humanist perspective has been abandoned. Our thesis is that when Marx leaves Hegel, he paradoxically ends up encountering problems (such as the question of the critique of ideology) that can only be resolved by Hegelian dialectics,. We argue this by means of an analysis of the role of negativity in Hegel.