Portside

It is tempting to harness “Civilization and Its Discontents” as a guide to our contemporary political morass, but doing so may obscure its most valuable message.

This new book, says Peter E. Gordon, argues that "ever since the fall of communism, a culture of defeat has characterized the left’s understanding of political history and theoretical critique." Gordon guides us through the intricacies of the case author Enzo Traverso makes in this volume.