It doesn’t take much imagination to associate climate change with revolution. If the planetary order upon which all societies are built starts breaking down, how can they possibly remain stable? Various more or less horrifying scenarios of upheaval have long been extrapolated from soaring temperatures. Keep reading »

Hungarian writer and historian György Dalos described his relationship to Marx in a short, reflective piece that appeared in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung on 25 October 2017. In it, he claims that Marx drew upon that age-old human ideal of a society living in wealth and security and without fear of violence or retribution; and … Keep reading »

India is experiencing something like a national emergency. This is in the form of persistent, nation-wide attacks on the basic democratic rights of ordinary citizens, by hyper-nationalist and communal forces which are supporting, and which are supported by, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They are especially targeting religious minorities, secularists, Leftists, as well as dalits. No … Keep reading »

In June 1983, after returning home from my shift in a machine shop in Brampton, Ontario, I received a visit from two leaders of the New York-based socialist publisher Pathfinder Press, Mary-Alice Waters and Barry Sheppard. They asked me to head up a full-time project to translate, edit, and publish the record of world revolutionary … Keep reading »

The multiple crises of capitalism go hand in hand with the multiple crises of the left. And amidst these crises, we find ourselves commemorating the 200th birthday of Karl Marx and the 150th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of Capital. But how are we to treat Marx and his works? How important … Keep reading »

On the Reality Asserts Itself program of The RealNews network, Prof. Leo Panitch is interviewed by host Paul Jay. This is a four-part interview – recorded in March 2018. Watch video »

The 2018 Phyllis Clarke Memorial Lecture presented by Jodi Dean: “Four Theses on the Comrade.” Recorded in Toronto, 16 February 2018. Watch video »

The current period in the U.S. remains defined by the 2008 crisis and the economic policies and political forces it set in motion. This has now evolved into a growing crisis between the forms of governance, strategy, and administration that have defined the U.S.-led period of globalization and the state mechanisms of representation. Keep reading »

The antagonism between liberalism and democratic processes is increasingly visible amidst the contradictions of capitalist globalization today. This is seen in authoritarian measures being adopted by so many states, as well as in concepts like post-democracy gaining currency in theoretical and political debate. The 2018 volume of the Socialist Register on Rethinking Democracy was conceived … Watch video »

The crisis of social democracy is being debated throughout Europe. Several of the historically strong labour parties have almost been wiped out in elections while others seem unable to recover from defeat. In the last few years, a number of social democratic parties have ended up with only one-digit election results (Greece, Ireland, Iceland, The … Keep reading »

Karl Marx’s concept of sustainability is connected to his concepts of metabolism and reproduction. While the first connection is well recognized in recent literature (famously in the work of Paul Burkett, John Bellamy Foster and many others), the second connection is not. Moreover, sustainability is potentially connected to another crucial concept in Marx’s thinking – … Keep reading »

Session 6 of the Transcending Pessimism, Reimagining Democracy conference: Renewals and Transitions: Socialist Practice and Vision. Presentations by Michalis Spourdalakis, Sam Gindin, Bhaskar Sunkara and Saeed Rahnema. Recorded in Toronto, 7 October 2017. Watch video »