Could Kautilya’s emphasis on economic provision be interpreted as a mechanism of political control that legitimizes hierarchical authority through material dependence? Analysing this through a Frankfurt School or neo-Marxist lens.

Kautilya’s Emphasis on Economic Provision as Political Control: A Frankfurt School / Neo-Marxist Reading Introduction Kautilya’s Arthashastra—the canonical treatise of ancient Indian statecraft—places economic provision, revenue mobilisation, and material management at the heart of political technique. The ruler is an economic manager: ensuring supply, administering land and taxes, provisioning the army and officials, maintaining granaries, … Continue reading Could Kautilya’s emphasis on economic provision be interpreted as a mechanism of political control that legitimizes hierarchical authority through material dependence? Analysing this through a Frankfurt School or neo-Marxist lens.

How can Marxist theory of the state be critically examined in relation to the concept of the dictatorship of the proletariat, and what does this reveal about the dialectical tensions between class power, state structures, and the prospects of socialist transformation?

Marxist Theory of the State, Dictatorship of the Proletariat, and the Dialectics of Socialist Transformation The Marxist theory of the state occupies a central, yet deeply contested, position within political theory. Its conceptual edifice rests on the conviction that the state is not a neutral arbiter of social interests, but an instrument and expression of … Continue reading How can Marxist theory of the state be critically examined in relation to the concept of the dictatorship of the proletariat, and what does this reveal about the dialectical tensions between class power, state structures, and the prospects of socialist transformation?