Category: Theory
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Eternal Builder of Dreams and Hopes: Marta Harnecker (1937 – 2019)
“Well, friends, that’s it for today. You have to live in uncertainty and get ahead no matter what it takes. A hug as always, full of dreams and hopes.” – Marta With these words Marta Harnecker bade farewell to all her friends in her last mail on April 24th, after giving us her last brave … Keep reading »
Manifestos and Socialisms for the 21st Century
A review of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality. Keep reading »
Socialist Strategy and the Capitalist Democratic State
Analysis of the Leninist and the social democratic conceptions of the state, and the need to develop a democratic socialist politics for the 21st century. Keep reading »
The Strategic Question Revisited: Ten Theses
In 2006 Daniel Bensaïd made a very important call to reopen the debate on the ‘politico-strategic’ question. This call was made amidst a series of discussions within the European anticapitalist Left at a moment when signs of hope, such as the new wave of militancy associated with the anti-globalization movement, were combined with strategic contradictions, … Keep reading »
Far-Right Identity Politics and the Task for the Left
Identity politics is a key problem of our age, but the problem is typically misunderstood. Usually the left is vilified by the right for encouraging divisive politics rooted in the grievances of different minority groups. These groups are denounced for pursuing selfish agendas that harm the unity of the nation. The right then portrays itself … Keep reading »
The Strange Workings of Identity and Adolph Reed Jr.’s Thought
In recent years, Adolph Reed has come to be known for his contributions to the debate about the politics of identity. Reed’s criticisms of ‘left identitarianism’ have become a significant source of controversy among leftists. Keep reading »
Book launch: The People’s Republic of Walmart
Launch of Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski’s new book The People’s Republic of Walmart. Moderated by Rawan Abdelbaki; discussants Pam Frache and Sam Gindin. Recorded in Toronto, 8 April 2019. Watch video »
Race, Class, and the Left w/ Adolph Reed Jr.
Oats for Breakfast talks to Adolph Reed Jr. about race and class. We begin the interview with a discussion about the legacies (and baggage) of the Black Power period. Listen to audio »
Socialist Register 2019: The World Turned Upside Down
The Toronto launch of the Socialist Register 2019: The World Turned Upside Down, with Sam Gindin, Nicole Aschoff, Colin Leys, and co-editors Greg Albo and Leo Panitch. Watch video »
The American Left Resurgent: Prospects and Tensions
The American political system is experiencing a crisis of hegemony. The moderate, bipartisan center that had been the mythical linchpin of American politics during the “long Cold War” is facing the possibility of a terminal decline. Donald Trump’s election has put this crisis into stark relief, having turned the Republican Party’s decades long flirtations with … Keep reading »
A Political Instrument Appropriate for Each Reality
A. Why Is a Political Organization Necessary? 1. The recent mobilizations occurring in Latin America and in the world confirm what Lenin wrote in 1914: “Without organization the masses lack unity of will” and without that they cannot struggle against the “powerful terrorist military organization” of the Capitalist states. 2. In order for political action to … Keep reading »
The Socialization of Society
One hundred years ago this month, on January 15, 1919, the great revolutionary thinker and anti-war activist, Rosa Luxemburg, was murdered in Berlin by the Freikorps paramilitary group, with her body dumped into the Landwehr Canal. Her comrade in opposition to the Social Democratic Party of Germany support for German involvement in World War 1, … Keep reading »