Reading Group: Marxism and Politics

Marxism is a tradition that has developed over 150 years around the world. On the one hand, Marxism is a respectable academic strand of social research. On the other hand, it is a practical, revolutionary tradition of political struggle aimed at changing reality.

The task of our Reading Group is to learn how to use the Marxist method as a tool for analyzing current political processes. To do this, we must learn to treat Marxism neither as an outdated intellectual fad nor as a cult. Today, we need to rediscover it as a living intellectual and political tradition. In our classes we will encounter classic and contemporary texts by Marxist sociologists, political scientists, and economists. And we will realize that modern politics cannot be understood without them.

We will carefully read texts on the major political events and processes of our time. These texts, written by Marxists, will make it possible to understand why the great revolutions of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries happened and how they differ from the current (including the “colored”) revolutions. Why socialist and communist parties arose in Europe in the 20th century, why they are in decline today, and what is coming to replace them. Why did the Soviet Union emerge and collapse. Why wars, ethnic cleansing, and fascism have shaken and continue to shake the world in parallel with the development of culture, science, and technology.