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reading list from McCaine, reposted from C-SPAM's favorite tankie: McCaine, by way of Homework Explainer posted: this isn't the complete list (found here). i removed most of the non-essentials and some of the essentials, too. because sadly, we can't all be academics. i'll put a next to the really really important stuff so you know what's a Top Pick from your old pal, the homework explainer as far as "what should be read first," i would start with the basics i.e. marx and engels. go for the manifesto then maybe socialism utopian or scientific, then have at whatever. i started closer readings of marxist texts on the subjects most interesting to me, namely film, theater and literature and have since moved into histories and revolutionary theory. there isn't a "right path" for reading or texts and nobody but the most vulgar of dorks will look down on you for not having read something, because no one and i mean no one has read all this stuff. A Very Personal Communist Bibliography Works by Marx and Engels The Condition of the Working Class in England (Friedrich Engels) Classic of Engels; early political economy, lively description of, well, the condition of the working class in Manchester and elsewhere in 1844. The German Ideology & Theses on Feuerbach (Marx/Engels) Don't originally belong together but are often combined. First "Marxist" book, programmatic statement of historical materialism. Manifesto of the Communist Party (Marx/ Engels) Needs no introduction. Preface to a Contribution to a Critique of Political Economy (Karl Marx) Very brief, abstract, but famous summary of historical materialism. Only half a page. Capital (3 vols) (Karl Marx) Get the Penguin editions. Marx's critique of political economy. Socialism: Utopian or Scientific? (Friedrich Engels) A summary of the Anti-Dόhring, classic statement of the significance of scientific socialism. The Civil War in France (Karl Marx) Marx's interpretation of the Paris Commune. Critique of the Gotha Programme (Karl Marx) Programmatic statement of the differences between Marx and Engels' views and those of state-oriented (left) social-democrats. The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (Karl Marx) Not as essential perhaps, but a classic of Marx's own history-writing, and thereby an example of what he and Engels considered good political history. Many memorable quotes. The Origins of the Family, Private Property, and the State (Friedrich Engels) An anthropological, historical materialist view of the early societies and the origins of the various structures of oppression and exploitation out of them. Perhaps the first feminist ideas in Marxism also. Grundrisse (Karl Marx) Again, get the Penguin edition. Marx's drafts, notes, and outtakes for Capital, as well as various musings on technology, political economy, labour, and so forth. Essential for the deeper level grounding. Political Works by major Marxist politicians and secondary literature on the thought of major Marxist politicians The Essential Works of Lenin (Lenin; ed. Henry Christman) Cheap Dover edition of Lenin's main works in their standard English translations. Includes "The Development of Capitalism in Russia;" "What is to be Done?;" "Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism;" "State and Revolution." These are Lenin's canonically major theoretical publications on political topics in his own lifetime. On Practice and Contradiction (Mao Zedong; ed. Slavoj Zizek) Mao's two main early texts on his theory of contradictions and their resolution in political practice. See also "On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People" and Combat Liberalism. and here's a Homework Explainer Top Tip: don't read zizek's introduction to the texts if you opt for this edition. it'll gently caress up your understanding of mao big time! Selections from the Prison Notebooks (Antonio Gramsci) Selection of Gramsci's ideas on hegemony, ideological struggle, politics, etc. The Black Panthers Speak (ed. Philip Foner) Collection of the major texts of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. (note: revolutionary suicide is also cool.) The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Malcolm Little; ed. Alex Haley) Major political autobiography by a great American revolutionary. Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder (Lenin) Lengthy polemic, in the form of a series of thematic essays, by Lenin. Aimed against his Left Communist opponents, in particular in Germany and the Netherlands. On Guerrilla Warfare (Mao Tse-Tung) Mao on waging people's war. Rather abstracted and probably not of great use for most First Worlders, but still. Thomas Sankara Speaks (Thomas Sankara; ed. Michael Prairie) Collection of the (few) speeches and statements by Sankara, revolutionary leader of Burkina Faso, on anti-imperialism and the like. it's not on the original list, but i'd also recommend "on the opposition" and "anarchism or socialism?" by one j.v. stalin. Marxist (and other useful) political economy, history of economics, and the like The Limits to Capital (David Harvey) Lengthy analysis of the nature of capital and capitalism based on Marx's "Capital," with a particular focus on uneven development and geographical distribution. A Companion to Marx's Capital (David Harvey) Based on his YouTube lectures, a guide to the reading of Capital, mainly vol. 1. Strong on the conceptual structure of the book and the contradictions inherent in capitalist accumulation, including money and finance, but not as good a guide on value theory. Debt: The First 5000 Years (David Graeber) Anarchist anthropologist Graeber's magnum opus on debt, money, obligation, and the history of economic institutions. Rewards a careful and critical reading. Not a Marxist text and by no means wholly reliable, but very stimulating and original, destined to be a classic. Reclaiming Marx's Capital (Andrew Kliman) Important, if technical, work on Marx's value theory. Refutes 99% of all the objections to it you'll ever hear or read. History, historiography, etc., except of topics specified elsewhere Late Victorian Holocausts (Mike Davis) A provocative title, but don't let that put you off. Brilliantly puts the liberal political economy of 19th and early 20th century imperialism and colonialism in context, shows its murderous implications many times worse than the "monsters" of communism, and relates all this to the emerging science of systems theory besides. Will make you hate economic liberalism, however nice sounding, forever. Settlers: Mythology of the White Proletariat (J. Sakai) Essential classic of Third Worldist theory and the Marxist theory of settlerism. Not reliable on every detail, but a revolutionary work in every sense of the word. Labour Aristocracy: Mass Base of Social-Democracy (H.W. Edwards) Another major text of the Third Worldist viewpoint. Makes the crucial argument for the origins and nature of social-democracy as arising out of imperialist rent. Age of Revolution 1789-1848, Age of Capital 1848-1875, Age of Empire 1875-1914 and Age of Extremes 1914-1989 (Eric Hobsbawm) Perhaps the authoritative Marxist history of the modern age in four successive parts. An essential reference point for debates in Marxist interpretation of the recent past. Open Veins of Latin America (Eduardo Galeano) Essential reading on the colonization and underdevelopment of Latin America. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (Ilan Pappι) Not Marxist per se, but a standard work on the origins and nature of the settler state Israel and their oppression and exclusion of the Palestinians, with of course major repercussions in global politics. King Leopold's Ghost (Adam Hochschild) Popular anti-imperialist history of Belgian colonialism and the colonial debates. Philosophy and Theory Aesthetics and Politics (Adorno, Benjamin, Bloch, Brecht, and Lukαcs) - Great Verso collection of the debates between these major Marxist philosophers before the war on aesthetic and political topics. The Dialectic of Enlightenment (Adorno and Horkheimer) - Fundamental text of the Frankfurter Schule: reflections on fascism, liberalism, and technology in the wake of the Holocaust. The Society of the Spectacle (Guy Debord) Perhaps the central text of the Situationist movement and in some ways the most serious theoretical reflection on the worldview of 1968 (it was written in 1967). See also Comments on the Society of the Spectacle, though this is not as interesting. Orientalism and Culture and Imperialism (Edward Said) Not at all Marxist, but obligatory classics on understanding Eurocentrism and orientalism in culture and ideology at a conceptual level. Postmodernism: The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism (Fredric Jameson) Difficult, but rewarding classic on postmodern culture from a Marxist viewpoint. Jean-Paul Sartre: Basic Writings (Jean-Paul Sartre; ed. Stephen Priest) The father of Marxist existentialism on freedom, art, politics, etc. Lenin and Philosophy and Other Essays (Louis Althusser) Can't stand him personally (note: smdh), but by many Althusser is considered a major figure in postwar Marxist history and philosophy. Liberalism: A Counter-History (Domenico Losurdo) - Excellent historical analysis of liberal thought from a Marxist perspective, showing its essence, strengths, and limitations. Illuminations: Essays and Reflections (Walter Benjamin; ed. Hannah Arendt) Selection from the best essays by the great messianic Marxist thinker Benjamin, including his essential pieces The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction and Theses on the Philosophy of History." Top Tip: you only really need to read the two named essays, which i . namaste. The Wretched of the Earth (Frantz Fanon) Classic statement of anti-colonial Marxism, on the need for revolutionary violence against colonialism, etc. See also "A Dying Colonialism." Black Skin, White Masks (Frantz Fanon) Fanon on racism and the psychology of colonialism. On the USSR Farm to Factory (Robert C. Allen) Brilliant work by a major liberal economic historian demonstrating the enormous superiority of the Soviet planning policies of the 1920s and 1930s, up to Khrushchev's time, compared to any realistic alternative. Will shock your worldview if you're used to the Western portrayal of Soviet economic policy as hopeless from the start. Ten Days That Shook the World (John Reed) The canonical novelization of the experience of the Russian Revolution. not on the original list, but "is the red flag flying?" and "human rights in the ussr" by al szymanski and "socialism betrayed" by roger keeran and thomas kenny are also what i'd consider essentials. On China and Korea The Transformation of Chinese Socialism (Lin Chun) Great book on the attempts to build socialism, development, and national unity in the Maoist period, and the changed aims and methods in how these are dealt with in the Deng period and since. The Rise of China and the Demise of the Capitalist World Economy (Li Minqi) Marxisant world systems analysis of the rise of capitalist China and how this not only reorients the world system towards Asia, but also further contributes to the decline in the rate of profit and thereby forces capitalism to the limits of its ability to expand. Fanshen and Shenfan (William Hinton) In-depth, personal chronicle of the transformation of a Chinese village during the Maoist period and after. Race to the Swift (Jung-En Woo) On Korean development, and why it had everything to do with planning and imperialism and little with miracles of the market. The Korean War (Bruce Cumings) Progressive standard work on the forgotten war. Red Star Over China (Edgar Snow) Popular and readable narrative of the Communist struggle in China against the KMT, landlordism, and the Japanese in the 1930s. Somebody fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Sep 26, 2021 |
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Jan 20, 2016 09:51
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Under the vegetable posted:i didnt click but are they at least nominating someone legally old enough to be president this year not just eligible but eminently so: https://twitter.com/GloriaLaRiva/status/688926167265624064 https://twitter.com/GloriaLaRiva/status/687047977437794305
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Jan 20, 2016 19:04
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https://twitter.com/VotePSL/status/688930011710029825
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Jan 20, 2016 19:13
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Aliquid posted:Assad not a butcher? Are they in the "but Putin stands up to US imperialism!" camp? um of course The Saurus posted:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bernie_Sanders_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016 see a lot of fake socialists on that list, re-education for all
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Jan 20, 2016 20:20
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Jewel Repetition posted:Horseshoe theory riddle of the day: they want to literally kill an entire group of people just for who they are, even if they haven't done anything wrong. Am I talking about fascists and blacks/jews or socialists and the bourgeoisie? by definition the bourgeoisie have done something wrong
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Jan 22, 2016 20:31
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to be honest i'd rather re-educate your strawman bougie than kill them, but w/e
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Jan 22, 2016 20:46
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Bro Dad posted:im only voting psl if they agree to change the flag to the bitchin victoria 2 communist one dude vicky 2 had bitchin communist flags
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Jan 26, 2016 00:18
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Mar 1, 2016 03:26
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Sheng-ji Yang posted:now that bernie has lost the PSL has won my vote. i cannot wait until they win this election and communism sweeps the reactionaries and capitalists from the globe same
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Mar 7, 2016 18:41
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i'm sorry, but can't we all agree that capitalism is wrong??!?!?!
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Oct 3, 2016 07:13
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hi comrades, your checked-out op here, just wanted to say i voted for peace and freedom for president
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Nov 9, 2016 01:29
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Homework Explainer posted:this is gonna radicalize a lot of loving people both ways. we gotta get our poo poo together and fast good luck fam
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Nov 9, 2016 08:16
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Zoran posted:I'm glad I voted for PSL
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Nov 9, 2016 10:08
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1 of 8,420 this is in a county of 10 million tho
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Nov 9, 2016 10:35
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hey if anyone has organizing links or materials they want to have inserted into the OP, post them here the anti-bernie joke has definitely run its course, and in its place it might be a good idea to actually have some real info there
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Nov 10, 2016 00:53
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Homework Explainer posted:click through to get the list. inline quotes aren't allowed for some reason pm me the formatted list, i'll stick in in the OP
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Nov 11, 2016 03:27
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SSJ_naruto_2003 posted:does anyone have some good examples of socialist literature I can print out and give to people/talk about? I'm in the suburban/rural South so it's mostly poor white people exactly like you talked about ^ 
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Nov 13, 2016 03:31
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Karl Barks posted:DSA has a lead on amount of infrastructure built that is really important for growing membership. the jacobin is pretty much their propaganda arm, and it has national reach. I've been debating making a thread that includes both PSL and DSA info in the OP, because I think there are a lot of DSA members floating around. Do it, I started this thread as a not-very-funny joke back during the primaries and ever since it's been used as a dumping ground for general socialism arguments anyway. Anyone who wants to take more than 5 minutes to put together an OP is welcome to do so.
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Nov 14, 2016 02:57
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i was gonna go to a zizek speech tonite instead of watching president smoothbrain, but it turns out my body decided being violently ill was way better than soviet bloc philosophy
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Mar 1, 2017 01:42
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Sep 26, 2018 01:40
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