Marx wrote in The German Ideology that the ruling ideas of any epoch are the ideas of the ruling class. Is such a notion obsolete today? The provocative Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek argues that ideology, understood in the Marxist sense, is alive and well. He explores the concept through the lens of the Hollywood film "I Am Legend," the legacies of 1968, and the phenomenon of Sarah Palin.

Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman has fascinated audiences and readers for 60 years. Could this play, about the downward spiral of Willy Loman and his family, illustrate and illuminate politically radical themes and ideas? Richard Lichtman presents his detailed analysis of Salesman, bringing in Marxist and psychoanalytic ideas and concepts.

We're bombarded with daily media reports about violence done by individuals, groups, or nations. Slavoj Žižek, cultural critic and provocateur, would have us look behind the visible, overt violence to what lurks beneath. In Violence, Žižek discusses violence in the context of ideology, capitalism, language, and mainstream discussions of tolerance.