I have just been reading 'Introducing Sociology' by Richard Osborne and Borin Van Loon. I was struck by the arguments for Neo Marxism that make Marxist analysis of society relevant to the modern consumerist society. My own personal analysis of society is an anarchist one. I think there should be more democracy in all areas of society from the workplace to the community. I am interested in these contemporary Marxisms and wonder what the latest thinking is (this book was published in 2007). I notice on the reclaim the streets website they eschew 'post-modernism' for example http://rts.gn.apc.org/ideas.htm for making capitalism seem more acceptable. To me a Marxist analysis of society is exciting and relevant. I always remember how my A level geography teacher taught us about Andre Gunder Frank and Underdevelopment. I still think a Marxist analysis of society is relevant but how is it possible to build class conciousness in a privatised, atomised and consumer driven society?
Neo Marxism
- Thread starter Shevek
- Start date
Cheers. I am a little confused. I like a lot of this academic stuff (I want to be an academic) but I also suspect it of being a little bit elitist/authoritarian. I have been reading the reclaim the streets website and like a lot of the attitudes on there. One of the things I am struck by is how we have such a 'private' as opposed to 'public' culture in the United Kingdom. People are sequestered away in their private domains watching TV. The idea I take from reclaim the streets is that we have to re-occupy public space and create a true public realm rather than hyper-real soaps and synthesised community. I am pretty new to activism. I stood as a Liberal Democrat in Salford at the last local elections but I really feel more affinity with anarchist ideas.
dennisr
the acceptable face
Fedayn
Well-Known Member
It isn't, thank fuck.
Next
Who let you out of nursery, fuck off when there's adults talking eh?!
Das Uberdog
remembers the alamo
[treelover] please sir, please! [waves arm around frantically]
[Shevek] yesWHAAAAAT
[treelover] butchersapron knows the answer!
Having been on the recieving end of such deferent referencing, I can tell you now it's fucking irritating. Stop It.
[Shevek] yesWHAAAAAT
[treelover] butchersapron knows the answer!
Having been on the recieving end of such deferent referencing, I can tell you now it's fucking irritating. Stop It.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
Shevek! wasnt it you who couldnt decide whether to be a Lib Dem or an Anarchist?
indecision being a charactarisation of liberal democrats, the thread op sort of answered itself
Mummy, we NEED communism otherwise it isn't FAIR
Random
Ethnic nalgocrat
What attracted you to the LibDems in the first place?
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Shevek! wasnt it you who couldnt decide whether to be a Lib Dem or an Anarchist?
Uh-huh.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Mummy, we NEED communism otherwise it isn't FAIR
Please don't project your own Oedipal impulses onto other posters.
Thanks very much!
Idris2002
canadian girlfriend
You're making a very big mistake son.
dennisr
the acceptable face
Yes I came on before to explain how I was confused between Lib Demmery and Anarchism. The reason I am involved in the Lib Dems is mainly because of my partner who has been a Lib Dem for 15 years. I keep telling my partner I am an anarchist. He acknowledges me but still invites me to Lib Dem meetings and I don't have the heart to say no. The point of this thread was to try and ask other people what they thought of Marxism and whether it is still relevant to the modern day.
dennisr
the acceptable face
you are going to have to tougthen up if you are ever going to make it to full anarchist status shevek
Fedayn
Well-Known Member
Mummy, we NEED communism otherwise it isn't FAIR
Nurse..... He's out of bed again.
Fedayn
Well-Known Member
Blagsta
Minimum cage, maximum cage
Depends what you mean by Marxism. It's often shorthand for Marxist-Leninism, which I'm not a fan of. However, Marx's analysis of capitalism is definitely very relevant.
whats the difference between Marxist-Leninism and Marxist analysis of capitalism? There is a piece on the reclaim the streets website which uses a Marxist analysis of society that I think is quite good but left me with more questions than it answered, which is partly why I posted this thread. It is called the reproduction of everyday life http://www.spunk.org/library/writers/perlman/sp001702/repro.html
Also how do Marxist analyses of capitalism rub up against post-modern theories, the simulacrum and the hypereal.
Also how do Marxist analyses of capitalism rub up against post-modern theories, the simulacrum and the hypereal.
Spion
I hear ya
As far as an analysis of capitalism goes, not much AFAIK.
Lenin lived several decades later and in a different place from Marx. He is most notable for developing ideas on:
The need for and nature of the party as a tool for overthrowing capitalism
The attitude of communists towards national liberation struggles
The attitude of communists towards inter-imperialist wars (World War 1 was the one that drove this)
And the nature of capitalism as it entered the 20th century (a sort of update on the period in which Marx wrote)
At a general level that's an answer to your question
Oh, it probably best to add that most who call themselves Marxist-Leninists are usually some form of later Stalinoid flavour of 'Marxism'.
Is that all clear now?
glenquagmire
Rightwing NuLab apologist
Also, Marxism-Leninism is often used to mean Stalinism or Maoism.
