Welcome to the 29th Special Issue of the SHAPE Journal.

This Special is somewhat different to our usual offerings of this form in SHAPE Journal. It has a very different purpose! Indeed, the reader may well be immediately aware of its unfinished nature, and take issue with some of its note-like offerings. Good!

For this form is intended to encourage criticism and opposing contributions by other present day Marxists out there. SHAPE gets over 100 hits a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year, and an analysis of the topics accessed (on the SHAPE Blog for example) indicates that it is the philosophical works that are by far the most popular. There are readers of our sites in 120 countries (Sorry, 121 – someone in Guatemala added to the total today), and these include not only the usual “surfing” nations, such as the USA, but also an increasing number from Russia, Ukraine, Romania and many other ex-Soviet nations, as well as literally the whole of South and Central America, and recently France, Germany, Poland and Slovenia have arrived in significant numbers too.

But, when the usual outlets for other Marxists’ work are monitored, they are, to say the least, disappointing. What is needed is a new generation of serious and committed Marxist philosophers – constantly extending and deepening the Marxist View. And, they should be addressing the very areas where the non-Marxists are signally failing to make any real contributions.

This Special, therefore, hopes to get a response from them! Comments and even contributions are welcomed. And, as we don’t usually work within the usual Social Networking methods on the Internet, it is suggested that these should be sent direct to us by email: shape@bild-art.co.uk

If writers permit it, their contributions will be published in a Special Issue, (so say which country you are from), and if we get sufficient this could become a regular feature. None of contributor’s details will be given to anyone else! Use nom de plumes if you want to. This philosopher has written almost 650 papers over the last five years and could do with some help tackling these difficult questions!

Jim Schofield
NOV 2014