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Maja Krüger receives the David Rjazanov Prize: Insight into Marx's story!
Dr. Maja Krüger will receive the David Rjazanov Prize in 2025 for her analysis of Marx and Wittfogel at the European University Viadrina.
Maja Krüger receives the David Rjazanov Prize: Insight into Marx's story!
On June 3, 2025, Dr. Maja Krüger, a renowned literary scholar at the European University Viadrina, was awarded the David Rjazanov Prize. [europa-uni.de] reports that the award was given to her essay "The promise of knowledge in troubling times. Karl August Wittfogel edited Karl Marx, 1979 - 1981". Krüger highlights the interest in publishing a Marx text that is more than 120 years old and is part of a series that exclusively includes German-language and translated first editions.
In her essay she analyzes the selection of Karl August Wittfogel by Suhrkamp Verlag to publish this text. Wittfogel, a former member of the USPD and KPD, resigned from the KPD in 1939 and incriminated former colleagues at a meeting of the McCarran Committee in 1951. Krüger states that the text edited by Wittfogel represents a translated first edition and connects Wittfogel's biography with the development of his relationship to Marx's work in the context of the 20th century.
Scientific recognition
The David Rjazanov Prize, which is awarded every two to three years by the Berlin Association for the Promotion of the MEGA Edition, is endowed with 500 euros and honors young scientists who pursue innovative approaches to Marx's and Engels' writings. For Krüger, this prize represents significant recognition of her work on the history of collaboration between the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research and the Moscow Marx-Engels Institute.
Her essay is published in the anthology "Karl Marx in History. Origin and Reception of Marx's Criticism" and offers valuable insights into the reception history of Marxist texts. Maja Krüger is currently a research assistant at the Axel Springer Chair for German-Jewish Literary and Cultural History.
The Marx-Engels works in context
The Marx-Engels-Werke (MEW) is an important study edition of the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. [de.m.wikipedia.org] describes that this edition includes 44 volumes, published since 1956. The publishers are the Institute for Marxism-Leninism at the Central Committee of the SED and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, which has taken over the editorship since 1999. The MEW contains around 1,700 writings and 4,170 letters and is the most comprehensive edition of the literary estate of Marx and Engels in German.
The production of these volumes is politically influenced, and access to these works was restricted for political prisoners in the GDR. However, the MEW is important not only for scholars, but also for the general public, as it represents an important basis for the study of Marxism.
In addition, the Marxists’ Internet Archive, which offers a German-language section, plays a crucial role in providing access to classic Marxist texts. [marxists.org] showcases the diversity and depth of the archive, which aims to advance the understanding of Marxism and the labor movement. This platform contains numerous classics and is continually being expanded.
Overall, the award from Dr. Maja Krüger not only contributes to her personal success, but also reflects on the continued relevance of Marx's and Engels' writings in today's scientific discussion and the importance of their exploration and interpretation by new generations of researchers.