Marx and Lenin in Africa and Asia


Book Description

This volume brings together anthropologists, historians and political scientists from around the world to reflect on how to build up empirical and juridical statehood, how to forge a nation after colonial divide-and-rule, and how to position themselves in an international order not of their making.




Public Libraries and Marxism


Book Description

Public Libraries and Marxism provides a Marxist analytical framework for understanding public libraries and presents a set of proposals for transforming the capitalist libraries of today. Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of this Marxist framework, the authors also provide a critical examination of the history, theory and practice of libraries in the Soviet Union and North Korea. Considering what a Marxist library service would look like in the Western capitalist countries of today, Pateman and Pateman synthesise the insights provided throughout the book into a set of Marxist proposals designed to promote the transformation of contemporary Western public librarianship. These proposals suggest how Western public libraries can change their organisation and practices – their strategies, structures, systems and culture – in order to best serve those with the most needs, particularly as society evolves in response to new challenges. Public Libraries and Marxism will be relevant for scholars and students of library and information science, history, politics and sociology. Outlining the rudiments of a Marxist library service that should be applicable around the world, the book will also appeal to library practitioners who want to develop libraries in a community-led and needs-based direction.




Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century


Book Description

Winner of the first Paul A. Baran-Paul M. Sweezy Memorial Award for an original monograph concerned with the political economy of imperialism, John Smith's Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century is a seminal examination of the relationship between the core capitalist countries and the rest of the world in the age of neoliberal globalization.Deploying a sophisticated Marxist methodology, Smith begins by tracing the production of certain iconic commodities-the T-shirt, the cup of coffee, and the iPhone-and demonstrates how these generate enormous outflows of money from the countries of the Global South to transnational corporations headquartered in the core capitalist nations of the Global North. From there, Smith draws on his empirical findings to powerfully theorize the current shape of imperialism. He argues that the core capitalist countries need no longer rely on military force and colonialism (although these still occur) but increasingly are able to extract profits from workers in the Global South through market mechanisms and, by aggressively favoring places with lower wages, the phenomenon of labor arbitrage. Meticulously researched and forcefully argued, Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century is a major contribution to the theorization and critique of global capitalism.




Lenin150 (Samizdat)


Book Description

Lenin150 (Samizdat) aims to contribute to the re-kindling of the communist attractor by engaging, in the spirit of critical solidarity, with Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov in the year of his 150th anniversary. Conceived out of the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, the book brings together contributions from all continents, ranging in style from the academic to the lyrical. As such, these compelling, and in some cases absolutely urgent, appropriations of (the spectre of) Lenin aspire to be of considerable use-value for the struggles ahead.




Marxism Leninism


Book Description

Discover the essential principles and historical impact of Marxism Leninism in this concise guide, part of the "Political Science" series. This book offers a detailed exploration of the evolution and influence of this pivotal political ideology, crucial for understanding modern political science and its historical context. 1: Marxism–Leninism - Learn the foundational concepts, origins, and its role as a guiding theory for political movements. 2: Communist Party of the Soviet Union - Explore the history, structure, and ideology of the party that shaped Soviet politics. 3: Leninism - Understand Lenin’s interpretation of Marxism and its impact on revolutionary strategies and governance. 4: Stalinism - Examine Stalin’s policies and their enduring impact on the Soviet Union and global communism. 5: Trotskyism - Discover Trotsky’s opposition to Stalinism and his alternative communist vision. 6: Bolshevism - Study the origins and principles of the Bolshevik faction in the Russian Revolution. 7: Communist state - Analyze the characteristics and functioning of states governed by communist principles. 8: History of communism - Trace the development of communist ideology from its inception to the present. 9: Marxism - Revisit core Marxist ideas and their application in various political contexts. 10: Democracy in Marxism - Investigate the complex relationship between Marxist theory and democratic principles. 11: Communism - Gain a broader understanding of communism and its interpretations. 12: National communism - Explore the adaptation of communist principles to national contexts. 13: Ideology of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union - Delve into the specific ideological tenets guiding the Soviet Union. 14: List of communist ideologies - Familiarize yourself with the diverse range of ideologies within the communist movement. 15: Marxist schools of thought - Compare different interpretations and schools within Marxist theory. 16: State socialism - Study the concept and practical implementations of state socialism. 17: Orthodox Marxism - Learn about traditional interpretations of Marxism and their relevance. 18: Socialist state - Examine the features and functioning of socialist states as envisioned by Marxist theorists. 19: Anti-Stalinist left - Understand critiques from leftist groups opposing Stalin’s policies. 20: Proletarian internationalism - Explore the idea of international solidarity among working-class movements. 21: Foundations of Leninism - Summarize key elements of Leninist thought and its foundational role in Marxist-Leninist theory. This book is ideal for professionals, students, and enthusiasts seeking in-depth knowledge of Marxism Leninism, offering invaluable insights beyond basic understanding.




The Dialectical Tradition in South Africa


Book Description

Exploring the defence and articulation of free speech in South Africa, Nash examines Dutch attempts to modernize the legacy of the Enlightenment, the existentialism of a generation of Afrikaners during the 1940s and the renewal of Afrikaans literature.




Contending Ideologies in South Africa


Book Description

This cooperative report from twenty core South African commissioners is a nuanced, scholarly analysis. Commissioned by the South African Council of Churches in the 1980 as the goverment became more oppressive. A stimulating objective contribution to understanding the struggle between ideology and theology.




Politics at a Distance from the State


Book Description

For decades, most anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist movements identified radical transformation with capturing state power. The collapse of these statist projects from the 1970s led to a global crisis of left and working-class politics. But crisis has also opened space for rediscovering alternative society-centered, anti-capitalist modes of bottom-up change, operating at a distance from the state. These have registered important successes in practice, such as the Zapatistas in Mexico, and Rojava in Syria. They have been a key influence on movements from Occupy in United States, to the landless in Latin America, to anti-austerity struggles in Europe and Asia, to urban movements in Africa. Their lineages include anarchism, syndicalism, autonomist Marxism, philosophers like Alain Badiou, and radical popular praxis. This path-breaking volume recovers this understanding of social transformation, long side-lined but now resurgent, like a seed in the soil that keeps breaking through and growing. It provides case studies with reference to South Africa and Zimbabwe, and includes a dossier of key texts from a century of anarchists, syndicalists, insurgent unionists and anti-apartheid activists in South Africa. Originating in an African summit of radical academics, struggle veterans and social movements, the book includes a preface from John Holloway.




Political Science in South Africa


Book Description

In 2013 and in 2014 respectively, the South African Association of Political Studies (SAAPS) and Politikon (the South African Journal of Political Studies) celebrate their 40th anniversary. Also, in April 2014 South Africa celebrates twenty years since the advent of the post-Apartheid democracy, and the birth of the ‘rainbow nation’. This book provides a timely account of the birth and evolution of South African politics over the past four decades, but also of the study of Political Science and International Relations in this country. Fourteen political scientists contribute chapters to this volume, situating the study of politics within its global context and recounting the development of politics as a field of study at South African universities. The fourteen contributions evaluate the state of the discipline(s) and suggest conclusions that are surprising and in many instances unsettling, not only with regards to what and how politics is taught, but also how its study has variously gained and lost pertinence for South Africans’ understanding of their own polity as well as its place in the world. The implications are uncomfortable, and pose interesting challenges for South African scholarship, pedagogy and national self-reflection. This book was published as a special issue of Politikon.