<em>&ldquo;Separating the promise of communism from the disasters of thetwentieth century is no easy task. But it feels necessary. Already weknow that choices will have to be made and sides taken. Impendingecological disaster suggests that this could be our last chance to doso. If another world is possible, it will happen in action, not abstracttheory. The first choice is very simple: to begin.&rdquo;</em>&mdash;<em>The Guardian</em><br /><br />Contributors Slavoj Zizek, Alain Badiou, Antoni Negri, Michael Hardt,Jacques Rancière, Terry Eagleton, Jean-Luc Nancy, Susan Buck-Morss, BrunoBosteels, Peter Hallward, Alberto Toscano, Wang Hui and others took part ina landmark conference in London on the idea of communism in 2009. Thisvolume brings together their discussions on the philosophical and politicalimport of the communist idea, highlighting both its continuing significanceand the need to reconfigure the concept within a world marked by havocand crisis.