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On today's show we talk with journalists, activists, and political commentators, Liza Featherstone and Doug Henwood about the recent Presidential elections. We try to make sense of the fact that a convicted felon, proud misogynist, outright racist, authoritarian figure, and known liar whose first term put nearly all those characteristics on display for four years, will be the most powerful person in the world again. Much of our discussion takes the Democratic party, and Kamala Harris in particular, to task, for proving once again that it is entirely beholden to the donor class, and incapable of recognizing the immense suffering, alienation, and cynicism of much of the United States. We pay particular attention to exactly those things Harris chose not to emphasize—the economy, Gaza, and climate change. We end by trying to see what kinds of progressive possibilities might be nurtured, and how we can lean on each other in the next several years.Liza Featherstone is the author of Divining Desire: Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation, published by O/R Books in 2018, as well as Selling Women Short: the Landmark Battle for Workers' Rights at Walmart (Basic Books, 2004). She co-authored Students Against Sweatshops (Verso, 2002) and is editor of False Choices: the Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton (Verso, 2016). She's currently editing a collection of Alexandra Kollontai 's work for O/R Books and International Publishers and writing the introduction to that volume.Featherstone's work has been published in Lux, TV Guide, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Ms., the American Prospect, Columbia Journalism Review, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Dissent, the Guardian, In These Times, and many other publications. Liza teachers at NYU 's Literary Reportage Program as well as at Columbia University School for International and Public Affairs. She is proud to be an active member of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America and of UAW local 7902. Doug Henwood is a Brooklyn-based journalist and broadcaster specializing in economics and politics. He edited Left Business Observer, a newsletter, from 1986–2013, and has been host of Behind the News, a weekly radio show/podcast that originates on KPFA, Berkeley, since 1995. He is the author of Wall Street: How It Works and for Whom (Verso, 1997), After the New Economy (New Press, 2004), and My Turn: Hillary Clinton Targets the Presidency (OR Books, 2016). He's written for numerous periodicals including Harper's, The New Republic, The Nation, The Baffler, and Jacobin. He's been working on a book about the rot of the US ruling class for way too long and needs to acquire the self-discipline to finish it.
Today we speak with journalists and political commentators Liza Featherstone and Doug Henwood about the state of the US Presidential elections. Recorded just after the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, we muse about Kamala Harris's ascension, her choice of running mate, the strangely abiding popularity of Donald Trump, and the Democratic political calculation to downplay and even ignore our country's complicity in Israel's genocidal attacks on Palestine, and to likewise table any serious discussion of our environmental crisis.Liza Featherstone is the author of Divining Desire: Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation, published by O/R Books in 2018, as well as Selling Women Short: the Landmark Battle for Workers' Rights at Walmart (Basic Books, 2004). She co-authored Students Against Sweatshops (Verso, 2002) and is editor of False Choices: the Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton (Verso, 2016). She's currently editing a collection of Alexandra Kollontai 's work for O/R Books and International Publishers and writing the introduction to that volume.Featherstone's work has been published in Lux, TV Guide, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Ms., the American Prospect, Columbia Journalism Review, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Dissent, the Guardian, In These Times, and many other publications. Liza teachers at NYU 's Literary Reportage Program as well as at Columbia University School for International and Public Affairs. She is proud to be an active member of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America and of UAW local 7902.Doug Henwood is a Brooklyn-based journalist and broadcaster specializing in economics and politics. He edited Left Business Observer, a newsletter, from 1986–2013, and has been host of Behind the News, a weekly radio show/podcast that originates on KPFA, Berkeley, since 1995. He is the author of Wall Street: How It Works and for Whom (Verso, 1997), After the New Economy (New Press, 2004), and My Turn: Hillary Clinton Targets the Presidency (OR Books, 2016). He's written for numerous periodicals including Harper's, The New Republic, The Nation, The Baffler, and Jacobin. He's been working on a book about the rot of the US ruling class for way too long and needs to acquire the self-discipline to finish it.
The Best of 2023 concludes with listener-favorite historian Gerald Horne, on his new book “Revolting Capital: Racism & Radicalism in Washington, D.C., 1900-2000” (International Publishers). Check out Gerald's book here: https://www.intpubnyc.com/browse/revolting-capital-racism-radicalism-in-washington-d-c-1900-2000/ Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell
First part of a 6 / 7 part lecture series on the Russian Revolution going from the Enlightenment to the Paris Commune. 07:27: My bad explanation of Kant ends. 14:20: My bad explanation of Hegel ends. I think I was sick of recording towards the end, you can hear it in my voice a bit. Further Reading Davis, Mike. Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World. Verso, 2018. Engels, Friedrich. Anti-Dühring. Wellred Books, 2017. ——. The Origin of Private Property, Family and the State. Penguin, 2010. Hibbert, Christopher. The French Revolution. Penguin, 1980. Hobsbawm, Eric. The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789 - 1848. Abacus, 2010. Kołakowski, Leszek. Main Currents of Marxism: The Founders, the Golden Age, the Breakdown. W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. Liedman, Sven-Eric. A World to Win: The Life and Works of Karl Marx. Verso, 2018. Mandel, Ernest. The Formation of the Economic Thought of Karl Marx 1843 to Capital. Verso, 2015. Marx, Karl. Capital: Volume I. Penguin, 1990. ——. Capital: Volume II. Penguin, 1991. ——. Capital: Volume III. Penguin, 1992. ——. Civil War in France: The Paris Commune. International Publishers, 2008. ——. Class Struggles in France 1848 - 1850. International Publishers, 1997. Wilson, Edmund. To The Finland Station. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012.
"We have passed the Build Public Renewables Act which mandates and requires the state's power authority the New York State Power Authority to build its own publicly funded renewables: renewable energy, wind, and solar. And this was a long, long hard hard-fought victory. And to say how it happened, we need to think back to the early Bernie days just after the Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. Obviously, people were very disappointed that Bernie Sanders didn't win, but a lot of people were also very politicized by that campaign and by that moment. And so a lot of people were joining DSA (Democratic Socialists of America). At the same time, a lot of young people were becoming very aware and very anxious, disturbed, and deeply depressed by the climate crisis."In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liu interviews Liza Featherstone about Build Public Renewables Act. It's a huge victory for ecosocialists, and for everybody in New York, that came with the passage of a bold piece of legislation, the Build Public Renewables Act, or BPRA. Featherstone explains the genesis of the bill, and the specific wrk that activists put into its passage. What obstacles did they confront, how did they work together to overcome those obstacles, and what can other environmental activists learn from this historic moment?Liza Featherstone is the author of Divining Desire: Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation, published by O/R Books in 2018, as well as Selling Women Short: the Landmark Battle for Workers' Rights at Walmart (Basic Books, 2004). She co-authored Students Against Sweatshops (Verso, 2002) and is editor of False Choices: the Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton (Verso, 2016). She's currently editing a collection of Alexandra Kollontai 's work for O/R Books and International Publishers and writing the introduction to that volume.Featherstone's work has been published in Lux, TV Guide, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Ms., the American Prospect, Columbia Journalism Review, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Dissent, the Guardian, In These Times, and many other publications. Liza teaches at NYU's Literary Reportage Program as well as at Columbia University School for International and Public Affairs. She is proud to be an active member of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America and of UAW local 7902.https://publicpowerny.org/legislationwww.orbooks.com/catalog/divining-desire-liza-featherstonehttps://twitter.com/lfeatherzwww.palumbo-liu.com https://speakingoutofplace.comhttps://twitter.com/palumboliu?s=20
In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liu interviews Liza Featherstone about Build Public Renewables Act. It's a huge victory for ecosocialists, and for everybody in New York, that came with the passage of a bold piece of legislation, the Build Public Renewables Act, or BPRA. Featherstone explains the genesis of the bill, and the specific wrk that activists put into its passage. What obstacles did they confront, how did they work together to overcome those obstacles, and what can other environmental activists learn from this historic moment?Liza Featherstone is the author of Divining Desire: Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation, published by O/R Books in 2018, as well as Selling Women Short: the Landmark Battle for Workers' Rights at Walmart (Basic Books, 2004). She co-authored Students Against Sweatshops (Verso, 2002) and is editor of False Choices: the Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton (Verso, 2016). She's currently editing a collection of Alexandra Kollontai 's work for O/R Books and International Publishers and writing the introduction to that volume.Featherstone's work has been published in Lux, TV Guide, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Ms., the American Prospect, Columbia Journalism Review, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Dissent, the Guardian, In These Times, and many other publications. Liza teaches at NYU's Literary Reportage Program as well as at Columbia University School for International and Public Affairs. She is proud to be an active member of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America and of UAW local 7902."We have passed the Build Public Renewables Act which mandates and requires the state's power authority the New York State Power Authority to build its own publicly funded renewables: renewable energy, wind, and solar. And this was a long, long hard hard-fought victory. And to say how it happened, we need to think back to the early Bernie days just after the Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. Obviously, people were very disappointed that Bernie Sanders didn't win, but a lot of people were also very politicized by that campaign and by that moment. And so a lot of people were joining DSA (Democratic Socialists of America). At the same time, a lot of young people were becoming very aware and very anxious, disturbed, and deeply depressed by the climate crisis."https://publicpowerny.org/legislationwww.orbooks.com/catalog/divining-desire-liza-featherstonehttps://twitter.com/lfeatherzwww.palumbo-liu.com https://speakingoutofplace.comhttps://twitter.com/palumboliu?s=20
In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liu interviews Liza Featherstone about Build Public Renewables Act. It's a huge victory for ecosocialists, and for everybody in New York, that came with the passage of a bold piece of legislation, the Build Public Renewables Act, or BPRA. Featherstone explains the genesis of the bill, and the specific wrk that activists put into its passage. What obstacles did they confront, how did they work together to overcome those obstacles, and what can other environmental activists learn from this historic moment?Liza Featherstone is the author of Divining Desire: Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation, published by O/R Books in 2018, as well as Selling Women Short: the Landmark Battle for Workers' Rights at Walmart (Basic Books, 2004). She co-authored Students Against Sweatshops (Verso, 2002) and is editor of False Choices: the Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton (Verso, 2016). She's currently editing a collection of Alexandra Kollontai 's work for O/R Books and International Publishers and writing the introduction to that volume.Featherstone's work has been published in Lux, TV Guide, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Ms., the American Prospect, Columbia Journalism Review, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Dissent, the Guardian, In These Times, and many other publications. Liza teaches at NYU's Literary Reportage Program as well as at Columbia University School for International and Public Affairs. She is proud to be an active member of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America and of UAW local 7902."We have passed the Build Public Renewables Act which mandates and requires the state's power authority the New York State Power Authority to build its own publicly funded renewables: renewable energy, wind, and solar. And this was a long, long hard hard-fought victory. And to say how it happened, we need to think back to the early Bernie days just after the Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. Obviously, people were very disappointed that Bernie Sanders didn't win, but a lot of people were also very politicized by that campaign and by that moment. And so a lot of people were joining DSA (Democratic Socialists of America). At the same time, a lot of young people were becoming very aware and very anxious, disturbed, and deeply depressed by the climate crisis."https://publicpowerny.org/legislationwww.orbooks.com/catalog/divining-desire-liza-featherstonehttps://twitter.com/lfeatherzwww.palumbo-liu.com https://speakingoutofplace.comhttps://twitter.com/palumboliu?s=20
In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liu interviews Liza Featherstone about Build Public Renewables Act. It's a huge victory for ecosocialists, and for everybody in New York, that came with the passage of a bold piece of legislation, the Build Public Renewables Act, or BPRA. Featherstone explains the genesis of the bill, and the specific wrk that activists put into its passage. What obstacles did they confront, how did they work together to overcome those obstacles, and what can other environmental activists learn from this historic moment?Liza Featherstone is the author of Divining Desire: Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation, published by O/R Books in 2018, as well as Selling Women Short: the Landmark Battle for Workers' Rights at Walmart (Basic Books, 2004). She co-authored Students Against Sweatshops (Verso, 2002) and is editor of False Choices: the Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton (Verso, 2016). She's currently editing a collection of Alexandra Kollontai 's work for O/R Books and International Publishers and writing the introduction to that volume.Featherstone's work has been published in Lux, TV Guide, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Ms., the American Prospect, Columbia Journalism Review, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Dissent, the Guardian, In These Times, and many other publications. Liza teaches at NYU's Literary Reportage Program as well as at Columbia University School for International and Public Affairs. She is proud to be an active member of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America and of UAW local 7902."We have passed the Build Public Renewables Act which mandates and requires the state's power authority the New York State Power Authority to build its own publicly funded renewables: renewable energy, wind, and solar. And this was a long, long hard hard-fought victory. And to say how it happened, we need to think back to the early Bernie days just after the Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. Obviously, people were very disappointed that Bernie Sanders didn't win, but a lot of people were also very politicized by that campaign and by that moment. And so a lot of people were joining DSA (Democratic Socialists of America). At the same time, a lot of young people were becoming very aware and very anxious, disturbed, and deeply depressed by the climate crisis."https://publicpowerny.org/legislationwww.orbooks.com/catalog/divining-desire-liza-featherstonehttps://twitter.com/lfeatherzwww.palumbo-liu.com https://speakingoutofplace.comhttps://twitter.com/palumboliu?s=20
In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liu interviews Liza Featherstone about Build Public Renewables Act. It's a huge victory for ecosocialists, and for everybody in New York, that came with the passage of a bold piece of legislation, the Build Public Renewables Act, or BPRA. Featherstone explains the genesis of the bill, and the specific wrk that activists put into its passage. What obstacles did they confront, how did they work together to overcome those obstacles, and what can other environmental activists learn from this historic moment?Liza Featherstone is the author of Divining Desire: Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation, published by O/R Books in 2018, as well as Selling Women Short: the Landmark Battle for Workers' Rights at Walmart (Basic Books, 2004). She co-authored Students Against Sweatshops (Verso, 2002) and is editor of False Choices: the Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton (Verso, 2016). She's currently editing a collection of Alexandra Kollontai 's work for O/R Books and International Publishers and writing the introduction to that volume.Featherstone's work has been published in Lux, TV Guide, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Ms., the American Prospect, Columbia Journalism Review, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Dissent, the Guardian, In These Times, and many other publications. Liza teaches at NYU's Literary Reportage Program as well as at Columbia University School for International and Public Affairs. She is proud to be an active member of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America and of UAW local 7902."We have passed the Build Public Renewables Act which mandates and requires the state's power authority the New York State Power Authority to build its own publicly funded renewables: renewable energy, wind, and solar. And this was a long, long hard hard-fought victory. And to say how it happened, we need to think back to the early Bernie days just after the Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. Obviously, people were very disappointed that Bernie Sanders didn't win, but a lot of people were also very politicized by that campaign and by that moment. And so a lot of people were joining DSA (Democratic Socialists of America). At the same time, a lot of young people were becoming very aware and very anxious, disturbed, and deeply depressed by the climate crisis."https://publicpowerny.org/legislationwww.orbooks.com/catalog/divining-desire-liza-featherstonehttps://twitter.com/lfeatherzwww.palumbo-liu.com https://speakingoutofplace.comhttps://twitter.com/palumboliu?s=20
Today we talk with Liza Featherstone about this huge victory for ecosocialists, and for everybody actually, in New York, that came with the passage of a bold piece of legislation, the Build Public Renewables Act, or BPRA. Featherstone explains the genesis of the bill, and the specific wrk that activists put into its passage. What obstacles did they confront, how did they work together to overcome those obstacles, and what can other environmental activists learn from this historic moment?Liza Featherstone is the author of Divining Desire: Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation, published by O/R Books in 2018, as well as Selling Women Short: the Landmark Battle for Workers' Rights at Walmart (Basic Books, 2004). She co-authored Students Against Sweatshops (Verso, 2002) and is editor of False Choices: the Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton (Verso, 2016). She's currently editing a collection of Alexandra Kollontai 's work for O/R Books and International Publishers and writing the introduction to that volume. Featherstone's work has been published in Lux, TV Guide, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Ms., the American Prospect, Columbia Journalism Review, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Dissent, the Guardian, In These Times, and many other publications. Liza teaches at NYU's Literary Reportage Program as well as at Columbia University School for International and Public Affairs. She is proud to be an active member of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America and of UAW local 7902.
We return to Hell today with Gerald Horne, on his new book “Revolting Capital: Racism & Radicalism in Washington, D.C., 1900-2000” (International Publishers, 2023).
Chuck interviews historian Gerald Horne on his 2022 book from International Publishers, The Counter-Revolution of 1836: Texas Slavery, Jim Crow, and the Roots of U.S. Fascism.
Historian Gerald Horne on the intertwined histories of boxing and Black men under the long reach of slavery, White supremacy and capitalist exploitation in the American 20th century, and his book The Bittersweet Science: Racism, Racketeering and the Political Economy of Boxing from International Publishers.
Historian Gerald Horne explores the intersection of White supremacy, Cold War politics and global liberation movements in southern Africa - as the struggle against colonialism and apartheid oriented itself within the larger conflict between capitalist and socialist states, the ANC and solidarity movements won major (but compromised and incomplete) victories against regimes of racial and economic exploitation. Gerald is author of White Supremacy Confronted: U.S. Imperialism and Anti-Communism vs. the Liberation of Southern Africa from Rhodes to Mandela from International Publishers.
We return to Hell today with Gerald Horne, on his new book “Revolting Capital: Racism & Radicalism in Washington, D.C., 1900-2000” (International Publishers). Sebastian Wüpper also returns with a 'Past Inside the Present.' Find Gerald's book here (and as a raffle prize at our listener appreciation party): https://www.intpubnyc.com/.../revolting-capital-racism.../ Dr. Horne holds the Moores Professorship of History and African American Studies. His research has addressed issues of racism in a variety of relations involving labor, politics, civil rights, international relations and war. He has also written extensively about the film industry. Dr. Horne received his Ph.D. in history from Columbia University and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and his B.A. from Princeton University.
Chris Townsend joins Adam to discuss a wide array of books that have been republished recently about labor's history, why he's working on this, what they say, and what we should take from them. Shout out to International Publishers for getting these titles out, see more here: https://www.intpubnyc.com/✦ ABOUT ✦The Valley Labor Report is the only union talk radio show in Alabama, elevating struggles for justice and fairness on the job, educating folks about how they can do the same, and bringing relevant news to workers in Alabama and beyond.Our single largest source of revenue *is our listeners* so your support really matters and helps us stay on the air!Make a one time donation or become a monthly donor on our website or patreon:TVLR.FMPatreon.com/thevalleylaborreportVisit our official website for more info on the show, membership, our sponsors, merch, and more: https://www.tvlr.fmFollow TVLR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheValleyLab...Follow TVLR on Twitter: @LaborReportersFollow Jacob on Twitter: @JacobM_ALFollow TVLR Co-Creator David Story on Twitter: @RadiclUnionist✦ CONTACT US ✦Our phone number is 844-899-TVLR (8857), call or text us live on air, or leave us a voicemail and we might play it during the show!✦ OUR ADVERTISERS KEEP US ON THE AIR! ✦Support them if you can.The attorneys at MAPLES, TUCKER, AND JACOB fight for working people. Let them represent you in your workplace injury claim. Mtandj.com; (855) 617-9333The MACHINISTS UNION represents workers in several industries including healthcare, the defense industry, woodworking, and more. iamaw44.org (256) 286-3704 / organize@iamaw44.orgDo you need good union laborers on your construction site, or do you want a union construction job? Reach out to the IRONWORKERS LOCAL 477. Ironworkers477.org 256-383-3334 (Jeb Miles) / local477@bellsouth.netThe NORTH ALABAMA DSA is looking for folks to work for a better North Alabama, fighting for liberty and justice for all. Contact / Join: DSANorthAlabama@gmail.comIBEW LOCAL 136 is a group of over 900 electricians and electrical workers providing our area with the finest workforce in the construction industry. You belong here. ibew136.org Contact: (205) 833-0909IFPTE - We are engineers, scientists, nonprofit employees, technicians, lawyers, and many other professions who have joined together to have a greater voice in our careers. With over 80,000 members spread across the U.S. and Canada, we invite you and your colleagues to consider the benefits of engaging in collective bargaining. IFPTE.org Contact: (202) 239-4880THE HUNTSVILLE INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD is a union open to any and all working people. Call or email them today to begin organizing your workplace - wherever it is. On the Web: https://hsviww.org/ Contact: (256) 651-6707 / organize@hsviww.orgENERGY ALABAMA is accelerating Alabama's transition to sustainable energy. We are a nonprofit membership-based organization that has advocated for clean energy in Alabama since 2014. Our work is based on three pillars: education, advocacy, and technical assistance. Energy Alabama on the Web: https://alcse.org/ Contact: (256) 812-1431 / dtait@energyalabama.orgThe Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union represents in a wide range of industries, including but not limited to retail, grocery stores, poultry processing, dairy processing, cereal processing, soda bottlers, bakeries, health care, hotels, manufacturing, public sector workers like crossing guards, sanitation, and highway workers, warehouses, building services, and distribution. Learn more at RWDSU.infoThe American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union proudly representing 700,000 federal and D.C. government workers nationwide and overseas. Learn more at AFGE.orgAre you looking for a better future, a career that can have you set for life, and to be a part of something that's bigger than yourself? Consider a skilled trades apprenticeship with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. Learn more at IUPAT.orgUnionly is a union-focused company created specifically to support organized labor. We believe that providing online payments should be simple, safe, and secure. Visit https://unionly.io/ to learn more.Hometown Action envisions inclusive, revitalized, and sustainable communities built through multiracial working class organizing and leadership development at the local and state level to create opportunities for all people to thrive. Learn more at hometownaction.orgMembers of IBEW have some of the best wages and benefits in North Alabama. Find out more and join their team at ibew558.org ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Episode 134:This week we're continuing with Post-Scarcity Anarchism by Murray Bookchin.You can find the book here:https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/murray-bookchin-post-scarcity-anarchism-book[Part 1 - 4]Post-Scarcity AnarchismEcology and Revolutionary Thought[Part 5 - 8]Towards a Liberatory Technology[Part 9 - 10]The Forms of Freedom-The Mediation of Social Relations[Part 12 - 13]Listen, Marxist!-The Historical Limits of Marxism-The Myth of the Proletariat-The Myth of the Party[Part 14 - This Week]Listen, Marxist!-The Two Traditions - 0:36Discussion - 29:42[Part 15?]Listen, Marxist!Footnotes:56) 15:17The term “anarchist” is a generic word like the term “socialist,” and there are probably as many different kinds of anarchists as there are socialists. In both cases, the spectrum ranges from individuals whose views derive from an extension of liberalism (the “individualist anarchists,” the social-democrats) to revolutionary communists (the anarcho-communists, the revolutionary Marxists, Leninists and Trotskyists). 57) 24:18It is this goal, we may add, that motivates anarchist dadaism, the anrchist flipout that produces the creases of consternation on the wooden faces of PLP types. The anarchist flipout attempts to shatter the internal values inherited from hierarchical society, to explode the rigidities instilled by the bourgeois socialization process. In short, it is an attempt to break down the superego that exercises such a paralyzing effect upon spontaneity, imagination and sensibility and to restore a sense of desire, possibility and the marvelous—of revolution as a liberating, joyous festival.Citations:35) 2:35Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, Selected Correspondence (International Publishers; New York, 1942), p. 292. 36) 3:31 Frederick Engels, Herr Eugen Dühring's Revolution in Science (Anti-Dühring) (International Publishers; New York, 1939),p. 323.
Episode 133:This week we're continuing with Post-Scarcity Anarchism by Murray Bookchin.You can find the book here:https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/murray-bookchin-post-scarcity-anarchism-book[Part 1 - 4]Post-Scarcity AnarchismEcology and Revolutionary Thought[Part 5 - 8]Towards a Liberatory Technology[Part 9 - 10]The Forms of Freedom-The Mediation of Social Relations[Part 12]Listen, Marxist!-The Historical Limits of Marxism-The Myth of the Proletariat[Part 13 - This Week]Listen, Marxist!-The Myth of the Party - 0:28[Part 14 - 15?]Listen, Marxist!Footnotes:50) 1:50A fact which Trotsky never understood. He never followed through the consequences of his own concept of “combined development” to its logical conclusions. He saw (quite correctly) that czarist Russia, the latecomer in the European bourgeois development, necessarily acquired the most advanced industrial and class forms instead of recapitulating the entire bourgeois development from its beginnings. He neglected to consider that Russia, torn by tremendous internal upheaval, might even run ahead of the capitalist development elsewhere in Europe. Hypnotized by the formula “nationalized property equals socialism,” he failed to recognize that monopoly capitalism itself tends to amalgamate with the state by its own inner dialectic. The Bolsheviks, having cleared away the traditional forms of bourgeois social organization (which still act as a rein on the state capitalist development in Europe and America), inadvertently prepared the ground for a “pure” state capitalist development in which the state finally becomes the ruling class. Lacking support from a technologically advanced Europe, the Russian Revolution became an internal counterrevolution; Soviet Russia became a form of state capitalism that does not “benefit the whole people.” Lenin's analogy between “socialism” and state capitalism became a terrifying reality under Stalin. Despite its humanistic core, Marxism failed to comprehend how much its concept of “socialism” approximates a later stage of capitalism itself—the return to mercantile forms on a higher industrial level. The failure to understand this development led to devastating theoretical confusion in the contemporary revolutionary movement, as witness the splits among the Trotskyists over this question. 51) 5:12The March 22nd Movement functioned as a catalytic agent in the events, not as a leadership. It did not command; it instigated, leaving a free play to the events. This free play, which allowed the students to push ahead on their own momentum, was indispensable to the dialectic of the uprising, for without it there would have been no barricades on May 10, which in turn triggered off the general strike of the workers. 52) 6:45See “The Forms of Freedom”. 53) 7:23With a sublime arrogance that is attributable partly to ignorance, a number of Marxist groups were to dub virtually all of the above forms of self-management as “soviets.” The attempt to bring all of these different forms under a single rubric is not only misleading but willfully obscurantist. The actual soviets were the least democratic of the revolutionary forms and the Bolsheviks shrewdly used them to transfer the power to their own party. The soviets were not based on face-to-face democracy, like the Parisian sections or the student assemblies of 1968. Nor were they based on economic self-management, like the Spanish anarchist factory committees. The soviets actually formed a workers' parliament, hierarchically organized, which drew its representation from factories and later from military units and peasant villages. 54) 19:02V. I. Lenin, “The Immediate Tasks of the Soviet Government,” in Selected Works, vol. 7 (International Publishers; New York, 1943), p. 342. In this harsh article, published in April 1918, Lenin completely abandoned the liberatarian perspective he had advanced the year before in State and Revolution. The main themes of the article are the needs for “discipline,” for authoritarian control over the factories, and for the institution of the Taylor system (a system Lenin had denounced before the revolution as enslaving men to the machine). The article was written during a comparatively peaceful period of Bolshevik rule some two months after the signing of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty and a month before the revolt of the Czech Legion in the Urals—the revolt that started the civil war on a wide scale and opened the period of direct Allied intervention in Russia. Finally, the article was written nearly a year before the defeat of the German revolution. It would be difficult to account for the “Immediate Tasks” merely in terms of the Russian civil war and the failure of the European revolution. 55) 34:04In interpreting this elemental movement of the Russian workers and peasants as a series of “White Guard conspiracies,” “acts of kulak resistance,” and “plots of international capital,” the Bolsheviks reached an incredible theoretical low and deceived no one but themselves. A spiritual erosion developed within the party that paved the way for the politics of the secret police, for character assassination, and finally for the Moscow trials and the annihilation of the Old Bolshevik cadre. One sees the return of this odious mentality in PL articles like “Marcuse: Cop-out or Cop?”—the theme of which is to establish Marcuse as an agent of the CIA. (See Progressive Labor, February 1969.) The article has a caption under a photograph of demonstrating Parisians which reads: “Marcuse got to Paris too late to stop the May action.” Opponents of the PLP are invariably described by this rag as “redbaiters” and as “anti-worker.” If the American left does not repudiate this police approach and character assassination it will pay bitterly in the years to come.Citations:30) 4:01Quoted in Leon Trotsky, The History of the Russian Revolution (Simon & Schuster; New York, 1932), vol. 1, p. 144. 31) 19:34V. V. Osinsky, “On the Building of Socialism,” Kommunist, no. 2, April 1918, quoted in R. V. Daniels, The Conscience of the Revolution (Harvard University Press; Cambridge, 1960), pp. 85–86, 32) 23:13Robert G. Wesson, Soviet Communes (Rutgers University Press; New Brunswick, N.J., 1963), p. 110. 33) 26:30R. V. Daniels, op. cit., p. 145. 34) 30:27Mosche Lewin, Lenin's Last Struggle (Pantheon; New York, 1968), p. 122.
Liza is a columnist at Jacobin and The New Republic, as well as a contributing writer at The Nation. In this podcast, Featherstone explains the structural challenges Democrats must overcome in order to meet the needs of ordinary people who are hurting—we discuss issues of crime, homelessness, childcare, and labor, taking Biden to task for folding on sick pay for rail workers, and seeing what positives can be derived from things like the Inflation Reduction Act and the surge in progressive young voters.Liza Featherstone is the author of Divining Desire: Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation, published by O/R Books in 2018, as well as Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Workers' Rights at Wal-Mart (Basic Books, 2004).She co-authored Students Against Sweatshops (Verso, 2002) and editor of False Choices: The Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton (Verso, 2016). She's currently editing a collection of Alexandra Kollontai's work for OR Books and International Publishers, and writing the introduction to that volume.Featherstone's work has been published in Lux, TV Guide, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Ms., The American Prospect, Columbia Journalism Review, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Dissent, The Guardian, In These Times and many other publications.Liza teaches in NYU's Literary Reportage program as well as at Columbia University's School for International and Public Affairs.She is proud to be an active member of New York City Democratic Socialists of America and of UAW Local 7902.
Texans revolted against Mexico's rule in 1836—because Mexico was moving to abolish slavery. The fascist element in the state has links into modern day, and the history of Texas is crucial as this decade unfolds. Brian is joined by Dr. Gerald Horne, who holds the Moores Professorship of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston and is the author of many books. His newly published book, “The Counter Revolution of 1836: Texas slavery & Jim Crow and the roots of American Fascism,” is available through International Publishers. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
Episode 80:This week we're starting On Practice and Contradiction by Mao ZedongThe two halves of the book are available online here:https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-1/mswv1_16.htmhttps://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-1/mswv1_17.htmThe previous episode that already covered chapter 2 of this book can be found here:https://www.abnormalmapping.com/leftist-reading-rss/2020/8/31/guest-leftist-reading-oppose-book-worship[Part 1]1. A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire[Bonus 1, from the archives]2. Oppose Book Worship[Part 2]3. On Practice: On the Relation between Knowledge and Practice, between Knowing and Doing[Part 3]4. On ContradictionSection [i]Section [ii][Part 4 - This Week]4. On ContradictionSection [iii] - 00:49[Part 5?]4. On Contradiction[Part 6]5. Combat Liberalism6. The Chinese People Cannot Be Cowed by the Atom Bomb7. US Imperialism Is a Paper Tiger[Part 7]8. Concerning Stalin's Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR9. Critique of Stalin's Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR[Part 8-10?]10. On the Correct Handling of Contradictions among the People[Part 11?]11. Where Do Correct Ideas Come From?12. Talk on Questions of PhilosophyFootnotes:10) 11:52[See ‘Problems of Strategy in China's Revolutionary War', Selected Works, vol. I, p. 251, n. 10.]11) 13:53[See ibid., p. 249 n.]12) 13:59[Wei Cheng (AD 580–643) was a statesman and historian of the Tang dynasty.]13) 14:24[Shui Hu Chuan (Heroes of the Marshes), a famous fourteenth-century Chinese novel, describes a peasant war towards the end of the Northern Sung dynasty. Chu Village was in the vicinity of Liangshanpo, where Sung Chiang, leader of the peasant uprising and hero of the novel, established his base. Chu Chao-feng, the head of this village, was a despotic landlord.]14) 15:21V. I. Lenin, ‘Once Again on the Trade Unions, the Present Situation and the Mistakes of Trotsky and Bukharin', Selected Works, New York, International Publishers, 1943, vol. IX, p. 66.
In this final episode of our series on the Paris Commune, we witness the aftermath of the Commune and learn the fates of those who fought for it and against it. Additionally, we examine the far-reaching effects the events of 1871 had on the history of France and of socialism. Email me Follow me on Twitter Like the show on Facebook Visit the Ebay store Support the show on Patreon Works Cited: Abidor, Mitchell. “Communards: The Story of the Paris Commune of 1871, as Told by Those Who Fought for It.” Marxists Internet Archive, 2010. Christiansen, Rupert. “Paris Babylon: the Story of the Paris Commune.” Penguin Books, 1996. Horne, Alistair. “The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune 1870-71.” Penguin, 2007. Lissagaray, Prosper-Olivier. “History of the Paris Commune of 1871.” Red and Black Publishers, 2007 Marx, Karl, and Lenin, Vladimir. “The Civil War In France: The Paris Commune.” International Publishers, 2016.
In this episode of our series on the Paris Commune, we watch as the Commune desperately fights for its survival against the hostile new French government based in Versailles. Email me Follow me on Twitter Like the show on Facebook Visit the Ebay store Support the show on Patreon Works Cited: Abidor, Mitchell. “Communards: The Story of the Paris Commune of 1871, as Told by Those Who Fought for It.” Marxists Internet Archive, 2010. Christiansen, Rupert. “Paris Babylon: the Story of the Paris Commune.” Penguin Books, 1996. Horne, Alistair. “The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune 1870-71.” Penguin, 2007. Lissagaray, Prosper-Olivier. “History of the Paris Commune of 1871.” Red and Black Publishers, 2007 Marx, Karl, and Lenin, Vladimir. “The Civil War In France: The Paris Commune.” International Publishers, 2016.
This is the last podcast episode I am recording before the end of this crazy, intense, and just straight out tough year that 2020 turned out to be. So I just wanted to say thank you to the guests of all 26 episodes I've recorded so far. I really appreciate that you set aside some of your precious time to talk with me, sometimes during quite stressful moments. This was especially the case for the episodes I recorded early on in the pandemic, when there was so much more uncertainty than there is now. I also wanted to say thank you to all you listeners. On the day I am publishing this episode (December 22nd), we are approaching no less than 6,000 plays! It's been an amazing journey and I've learned so much. Recording these podcast episodes has turned out to be the second best thing to meeting people at international book fairs, which I do hope we can go back to again very soon in the New Year as I miss seeing you all... Now, on to today's episode, on which I'm joined by Rubén Padilla of the Guadalajara International Book Fair, also known as the FIL. This book fair was one of the last, if not the last of the year and as many events that took place this year, it went fully digital. I was curious to hear Rubén's impressions and experiences, especially since the FIL is very much a public fair, besides providing a trade program for international publishing professionals. In fact I learned during the interview that it was created for the public, to give people an opportunity to buy books, as the city of Guadalajara was lacking bookstores at the time. Having a chat with Rubén was a wonderful way to end this year and I hope you'll enjoy it too! Show Notes Rubén's book recommendations – Cometierra by Dolores Reyes (Sigilo for the Spanish (ex USA) edition; to be published as Eartheater in English, translated by Julia Sanches, with HarperVia in September 2021) – Un corazón demasiado grande by Eider Rodriguez (Literatura Random House for the Spanish edition, we didn't find information on a possible forthcoming English edition at the time this episode was published) – Las Malas by Camila Sosa (Tusquets for the Spanish edition, we didn't find information on a possible forthcoming English edition at the time this episode was published) About Rubén Graduated in International Business Management, Rubén works as General Coordinator of Professionals at the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL). Among his main tasks, he develops the content of programs such as the International Publishers and Book Professionals Forum, the International Forum of University and Academic Presses and the International Forum of Editorial Design. He is also in charge of the FIL Rights Exchange, the fellowship program of FIL for publishers and editors interested in Spanish-speaking authors. Jury of the 9th Iberoamerican Illustrated Catalog in 2018, he has participated as a speaker in various forums and professional training activities of the publishing industry in the Book Fairs of Bologna (Italy), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Festilus (Chile), LéaLA (USA), Taipei (Taiwan), Bogotá (Colombia), Medellin (Colombia), Oaxaca (Mexico), as well as in specialized meetings such as Festilus (Chile), TLA Annual Conference (USA) and FILI (Finland). He participated in the Istanbul Fellowship Program in 2020.
In this episode of our series on the Paris Commune, we watch as the siege of Paris grinds to a halt. Discontent with France's new conservative government finally reaches a breaking point, and the people of Paris rise up in rebellion. Email me Follow me on Twitter Like the show on Facebook Visit the Ebay store Support the show on Patreon Works Cited: Abidor, Mitchell. “Communards: The Story of the Paris Commune of 1871, as Told by Those Who Fought for It.” Marxists Internet Archive, 2010. Christiansen, Rupert. “Paris Babylon: the Story of the Paris Commune.” Penguin Books, 1996. Horne, Alistair. “The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune 1870-71.” Penguin, 2007. Lissagaray, Prosper-Olivier. “History of the Paris Commune of 1871.” Red and Black Publishers, 2007 Marx, Karl, and Lenin, Vladimir. “The Civil War In France: The Paris Commune.” International Publishers, 2016.
In this first episode in our new series on the Paris Commune, we take a deep dive into the politics and society of mid-19th-century France to better understand the circumstances that led to the fall of the Second French Empire and the rise of the Paris Commune. Email me Follow me on Twitter Like the show on Facebook Visit the Ebay store Support the show on Patreon Works Cited: Abidor, Mitchell. “Communards: The Story of the Paris Commune of 1871, as Told by Those Who Fought for It.” Marxists Internet Archive, 2010. Christiansen, Rupert. “Paris Babylon: the Story of the Paris Commune.” Penguin Books, 1996. Horne, Alistair. “The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune 1870-71.” Penguin, 2007. Lissagaray, Prosper-Olivier. “History of the Paris Commune of 1871.” Red and Black Publishers, 2007 Marx, Karl, and Lenin, Vladimir. “The Civil War In France: The Paris Commune.” International Publishers, 2016.
On today's show, Alex and Ben speak with Dr. Bret Vukoder about his recently defended dissertation, an investigation into the United States Information Agency's (USIA) filmic and televisual propaganda output during the Cold War. Due to a domestic production ban, the massive archive of over 20,000 films has been relatively unknown in media scholarship, until now.To investigate this rich but little known archive, we begin our conversation discussing a sub-genre of USIA propaganda, which Bret refers to as “thesis films” - in short, films that are explicitly about the USIA's film-making and information-dissemination processes. We turn our attention to clips from some of these original films to examine how they use a meta-textual attention to “process” as a propaganda strategy for showcasing the “transparency” and “ethics” of the U.S.'s foreign information apparatus. In talking through these examples and others that Bret has analyzed, we critically interrogate the ways that aesthetic and stylistic elements impact the USIA's political messages being communicated to foreign audiences. Finally, we apply some of Bret's heuristic tools to examine an example of interventionist foreign policy propaganda from New York Times - Joanna Hausmann's “Venezuela's Crisis: What My Fellow Liberals Don't Understand.”Works and Concepts Cited in this EpisodeResources from / about the Media Ecology Project at DartmouthInformation on the MEP's USIA Pilot StudyGramsci, A. (1971). Selections from the prison notebooks of Antonio Gramsci. International Publishers.Gharabaghi, H. (2018) “American mice grow big”: The Syracuse audiovisual mission in Iran and the rise of documentary diplomacy. Dissertation for New York University, Department of Cinema Studies.Kim, H. S. (2019). Who Views Whom through Whose Lenses?: The Gazes in USIS Film Propaganda in South Korea. In The Cold War and Asian Cinemas (pp. 284-304). Routledge.Luce, H. (1941, 17 Feb.). The American century. Life Magazine. (Digital version available at: https://news.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/luce.pdf)Hausman, J. (2019). “What my fellow liberals don't get about Venezuela.” The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/vKVakhcm5koWilliams, M. & Vukoder, B. (forthcoming). The great war at scale: New opportunities for provenance in World War I collections at the National Archives (NARA). In Provenance and Early Cinema: Preservation, Circulation, and Repurposing (P. Cherchi Usai, J. Bernardi, T. Williams, & J. Yumibe, eds.). Indiana University Press.Williams, M. & Vukoder, B. (2020). Local insights, global networked scholarship: The Media Ecology Project USIA pilot. In Nuevas aproximaciones al cine documental. Un estado de la cuestión contemporáneo (J. Campo, T. Crowder-Taraborrelli, C. Garavelli, P. Piedras, & K. Wilson, eds.). Prometeo Press.*Watch this space!* Forthcoming special issue in the Journal of E-Media Studies, co-edited by Dr. Vukoder and Dr. Hadi Gharabaghi:https://journals.dartmouth.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Journals.woa/xmlpage/4/issue
In 2017, We Charge Genocide: The Crime of Government Against the Negro People, the historic petition authored by William L. Patterson, was published in its third edition. It has been nearly 70 years since Patterson, who passed away in 1980, and Paul Roberson, who passed away in 1976, presented the petition to the United Nations General Assembly, charging the United States government with genocide under the United National Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. William L. Patterson was born in San Francisco on August 27th, 1891. He died in New York City in 1980. Jarvis Tyner, executive vice chair of the Communist Party USA, and active public spokesperson against racism, imperialism and war, joins me to discuss his prologue to the third edition of We Charge Genocide, as well as its history and ongoing relevance today. Jeff Bachman is a Senior Lecturer in Human Rights at American University's School of International Service in Washington, DC. He is the author of The United States and Genocide: (Re)Defining the Relationship and editor of the volume Cultural Genocide: Law, Politics, and Global Manifestations. He is currently working on a new book, The Politics of Genocide: From the Genocide Convention to the Responsibility to Protect, contracted by Rutgers University Press for its Genocide, Political Violence, Human Rights series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and work of the Argentinian master of the short story, Jorge Luis Borges. Borges is one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century, best known for his intriguing short stories that play with philosophical ideas, such as identity, reality and language. His work, which includes poetry, essays, and reviews of imaginary books, has had great influence on magical realism and literary theory. He viewed the realist novel as over-rated and deluded, revelling instead in fable and imaginary worlds. He declared "people think life is the thing but I prefer reading".Translation formed an important part of his work, writing a Spanish language version of an Oscar Wilde story when aged around 9. He went on to introduce other key writers such as Faulkner and Kafka to Latin America, liberally making changes to the original work which went far beyond what was, strictly speaking, translation.He lived most of his life in obscurity, finding recognition only in his sixties when he was awarded the International Publishers' Prize which he shared with Samuel Beckett. By this point he was blind but continued to write, composing poetry in his head and reciting from memory.So how has Borges' work informed ideas about our experience of the world through language? How much was his writing shaped by his travel abroad and an unrequited love? And how has his legacy inspired the next generation of great Latin American authors such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Mario Vargas Llosa?With Edwin Williamson, Professor of Spanish Studies at Oxford University; Efraín Kristal, Professor of Comparative Literature at University of California, Los Angeles; Evelyn Fishburn, Professor Emeritus at London Metropolitan University and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University College London.