Gabriel Rockhill - Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism?

This episode is a talk by Gabriel Rockhill to mark the publication of his new book, titled “Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism?” For Rockhill, an American philosopher, writer, cultural critic, and Professor of Philosophy at Villanova University, the term "Western Marxism" is not simply a geographic label or a neutral academic category. IInstead it denotes an ideological formation that depoliticizes Marxism and detaches it from revolutionary struggle, transforming it into a politically defanged cultural-philosophical discourse. In his view, Western universities, foundations, cultural institutions, Cold War anti-communism, and state and corporate funding structures all helped shape a form of Marxism that was safe, non-revolutionary, compatible with liberal capitalist societies, and “critical” but not politically threatening. His goal is to redirect Marxist theory back toward revolutionary praxis, global anti-imperialist movements, and material political struggle. Gabriel Rockhill spoke on December 11, 2025 in a panel discussion sponsored by Critical Theory Workshop. https://criticaltheoryworkshop.com