Socio-Political Prerequisites of the Class Approach: A Review of Interpretations

Abstract

The article examines the genesis of the class approach to science within Marxist theory, based on a materialist understanding of history. Two key cases are considered: (1) the initial formation of the approach in Marxism and (2) its universalization in the USSR, where it became the methodological principle of all science. Various interpretations of the reasons for the emergence of the class approach are discussed: from a tool for defending the socialist project (Mannheim) to a means of overcoming capitalist ideology (Lukács). The Soviet experience is examined through various concepts: the exclusion of “incorrect” ideas (Firsov) or scientists (Malinkin/Lekur), but their criticism ignores the reality of ideological class struggle. Particular attention is paid to the transformation of the approach after Stalin's criticism of Marr's theory, which led to a performative shift and imitation of class analysis. An alternative is offered by the UCF-ml theory, which explains the failures by the alienation of science from the proletariat in the USSR while maintaining the party principle. The question is raised about the subject applying the class approach.