Victor's Children
Victor's Children
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A podcast from so-called Canada talking socialism from below
Available episodes
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Nov 14, 2023
Episode 35: Palestine 101: 75 Years of Colonialism, Imperialism, and Resistance
Palestine 101: 75 years of Colonialism, Imperialism, and Resistance
This episode is made up of presentations from a Nov. 12 online event organized by the Tempest Collective https://www.tempestmag.org, a revolutionary socialist project based in the US that now also accepts members from Canada.
Speakers:
Shireen Akram-Boshar, a contributor to Palestine: A Socialist Introduction
Brian Bean, co-editor of Palestine: A Socialist Introduction
https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1558-palestine-a-socialist-introduction
Sherry Wolf, anti-Zionist Jewish socialist; former press officer for the Russell Tribunal on Palestine
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Nov 6, 2023
Episode 34: Germany 1923: A New Perspective on a Failed Revolution (& a Poem for Palestine)
Germany 1923: A New Perspective on a Failed Revolution (& a Poem for Palestine)
One hundred years ago, a socialist revolution came close to happening in Germany. This episode is an interview with Sean Larson, who has written an article that draws on original research to illuminate what happened and why:
https://spectrejournal.com/germany-1923/
For further reading:
On the revolution of 1918:
https://jacobin.com/2018/11/german-revolution-centennial-rosa-luxemburg-social-democrats
On Germany 1918-1933:
Germany’s Counterrevolution Paved the Way for the Rise of Nazism
https://jacobin.com/2022/02/german-revolution-november-weimar-republic-luxemburg-nazis
On an important German marxist: Ernst Meyer, Theorist of Revolutionary Realpolitik
https://jacobin.com/2019/09/ernst-meyer-germany-weimar-republic-communism-realpolitik-rosa-luxemberg
On the history of the global workers’ movement:
https://salvage.zone/what-happened-to-the-workers-movement/
***Israel's war on Gaza is on our minds and I hope listeners are involved in Palestine solidarity activity wherever you are.***
At this time, I recommend reading the classic document by Palestinian marxist Jabra Nicola: Theses on the revolution in the Arab East
https://matzpen.org/english/1972-09-14/theses-on-the-revolution-in-the-arab-east-a-said-jabra-nicola/
While obviously over-optimistic, and much has changed in the half-century since it was written, Nicola's analysis helps us understand the impasse into which the PLO led the Palestinian struggle, which allowed Hamas's rise to begin, and why ultimately, because of the specific character of Israeli settler-colonialism, the possibility of radical change within Israel depends on the struggles of the masses in the region, outside as well as inside its borders.
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Sep 16, 2023
Episode 33: Chinese Imperialism
Episode 33: Chinese Imperialism
Episode 31 of this podcast looked at the imperialism of the US, which despite its relative decline is still the most powerful component of global capitalism. In this episode Kevin Lin and Ashley Smith look at the rise of China and US-China rivalry.
Suggestions for Reading:
Ashley Smith, "As US-China Tensions Mount, We Must Resist the Push Toward Interimperialist War"
https://truthout.org/articles/as-us-china-tensions-mount-we-must-resist-the-push-toward-interimperialist-war/
Todd Gordon and Jeff Webber, "Complex Stratification in the World System: Capitalist Totality and Geopolitical Fragmentation" in the academic journal, Science and Society(unfortunately paywalled but the file may be findable elsewhere online), isn't an easy read but suggests a better way of understanding imperialism today than the more influential frameworks. https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/siso.2020.84.1.95
Is BRICS+ an Anti-Colonial Formation Worth Cheering From the Left? Far From It.
https://truthout.org/articles/is-brics-an-anti-colonial-formation-worth-cheering-from-the-left-far-from-it/
Taiwan Shouldn't Be Used As A Geopolitical Pawn
https://jacobin.com/2022/11/taiwan-geopolitical-pawn-china-us-international-relations-cold-war-history
Lausan Collective
https://lausancollective.com
New Bloom Magazine -- Radical Perspectives On Taiwan And The Asia Pacific
https://newbloommag.net
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Aug 13, 2023
Episode 32: The War in Ukraine Drags On: A Conversation with a Russian and a Ukrainian Socialist
The War in Ukraine Drags On: A Conversation with a Russian and a Ukrainian Socialist
A year and a half after Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine, the war
goes on and unfortunately the war is still not well understood
by much of the left outside of those countries. Hanna Perekhoda and
Ilya Matveev discuss Putin's war, some common political
ideas about it on the Western left, the situation in Ukraine and Russia
today, and what people on the left elsewhere can do to help
socialists in Ukraine and Russia.
Hanna and Perekhoda and Ilya Matveev will be participating in a
speakers' tour in several US cities in September 2023
sponsored by the Ukraine Solidarity Network. For details see
https://linktr.ee/ukrainesolidaritynetwork
For a list of groups in Ukraine to support, see:
https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/support-the-left-in-ukraine-and
solidarity-with-the-peoples-of-turkey-kurdistan-and-syria/
Posle, a site of the Russian anti-war left with some content in English:
https://posle.media/language/en/about/
On the arrest of Russian socialist Boris Kagarlitsky:
https://newpol.org/im-a-ukrainian-leftist-this-is-why-i-support-boris-kagarlitsky/
A July 2023 article by Gilbert Achcar worth reading:
https://newpol.org/ukraine-and-the-abstraction-of-violence-my-reply-to-tom-dale/
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Jul 14, 2023
Episode 31: U.S. Imperialism Today
Episode 31: U.S. Imperialism Today
Although no longer the world's unchallenged dominant power, the
U.S. remains the most powerful state in the economic and political
system of global capitalism. Ashley Smith discusses U.S. imperialism
from the end of the Cold War to today.
Articles by Ashley Smith:
After Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
https://againstthecurrent.org/atc219/after-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/
Biden’s Chip War With China Is an Imperial Struggle for High-Tech Supremacy
https://truthout.org/articles/bidens-chip-war-with-china-is-an-imperial-struggle-for-high-tech-supremacy/
Biden’s National Security Strategy Is a Defense of US Domination, Not Democracy
https://truthout.org/articles/bidens-national-security-strategy-is-a-defense-of-us-domination-not-democracy/
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Jun 16, 2023
Episode 30: The Politics of the Family, w M.E. O'Brien
The Politics of the Family, w M.E. O'Brien
Families are political -- part of how most people survive under
capitalism, places of love and support as well as often violence, other
forms of oppression, and suffering. ME O'Brien's new book "Family
Abolition: Capitalism and the Communizing of Care" is an important
radical analysis of families in capitalist society and communist politics
of the family from the mid-1800s to today. David thinks it's one of the
best books of marxist theory he's read in a while, and this episode is
an interview with ME O'Brien about the politics of families and care.
Family Abolition Capitalism and the Communizing of Care
by M. E. O'Brien
https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745343846/family-abolition/
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May 17, 2023
Episode 29: Against The Market, w/ David McNally
Against the Market, w/ David McNally
Even though capitalism's problems are becoming increasingly obvious, commitment to fight for an alternative to capitalism – rather than a regulated capitalism -- is still weak. Part of the problem is
the belief that markets are the least-bad way of producing and distributing goods and services. This episode is an interview with David McNally, editor in chief of the journal Spectre, about capitalism, markets and the alternative of democratic planning. 2023 is the 30th anniversary of the publication of his book.
Against the Market
https://www.versobooks.com/en-ca/products/1432-against-the-market
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Apr 20, 2023
Episode 28: The Right vs Trans People: Understanding the Attacks and Fighting Back
The Right vs Trans People: Understanding the Attacks and Fighting Back in the U.S. and Canada
Eric Maroney and Skyler discuss the right-wing forces attacking transgender people in the U.S. and so-called Canada and how to organize to beat back their attacks.
To learn more:
Understanding the big picture:
Misha Falk, “Neither Liberalism Nor Fascism But Trans Liberation and Socialism”
https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/neither-liberalism-nor-fascism-but-trans-liberation-and-socialism
Eric Maroney, “The Alt-Right Anti-Trans Crusades”
https://www.tempestmag.org/2022/10/the-alt-right-anti-trans-crusades/
Episode 12 of Victor’s Children, w/ Jules Joanne Gleason:
https://soundcloud.com/user-737267994/episode-12-transgender-liberation-transgender-marxism
About organizing and the right in the U.S.:
Tempest Magazine coverage of successful drag defence in NYC
https://www.tempestmag.org/2023/03/jackson-heights-defends-drag-story-hour-nyc/
A discussion of organizing against the far right in Ohio
https://www.tempestmag.org/2023/04/were-all-here-for-the-same-reason/
Fundraiser for drag story hour defender arrested in Akron
https://www.gofundme.com/f/rocknroll-humanist-drag-queen-story-hour?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-
sheet&utm_content=undefined&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer&utm_term=undefine
d
Erin Reed, independent journalist tracking anti-trans legislation
https://erininthemorn.substack.com/
Madison Pauly, “Inside the Secret Working Group that Helped Pass Anti-trans Laws Across the Country”
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/03/anti-trans-transgender-health-care-ban-legislation-bill-minors-children-lgbtq/
A resource:
Safety planning for actions
https://www.communitysolidarityottawa.ca/safety-plan
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Mar 18, 2023
Episode 27: About Future On Fire And Victor's Children
About Future on Fire and Victor's Children
André Goulet interviews David about his new book "Future On Fire" and the Victor's Children podcast. This episode is a re-post from the Harbinger Society Presents podcast.
On April 15, 2023 at 1:00 pm Eastern Time, the online magazine Midnight Sun and Haymarket Books present an online discussion: Fighting Capitalism's Ecological Death Cult. For more information and to RSVP:
www.haymarketbooks.org/events/528-fi…al-death-cult
Suggestions for episode topics or guests? Feel free to email victorschildren at gmail.com
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Feb 18, 2023
Episode 26: The Socialism We Need
The Socialism We Need
What kind of society is possible and worth fighting for? What would it take to begin a transition to socialism? What should people who yearn for liberation be doing today? James Graham, Saima Desai and John Clarke join David in a multi-generational conversation.
A few readings relevant to this episode:
A Revolutionary Way of Doing Politics Is Taking Shape in Sudan - New Politics
https://newpol.org/issue_post/a-revolutionary-way-of-doing-politics-is-taking-shape-in-sudan/
Revolution Means Smashing The State
https://www.tempestmag.org/2023/01/revolution-means-smashing-the-state/
A Letter From Canadian Comrades
https://socialistworker.org/2019/03/21/a-letter-from-canadian-comrades
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Jan 13, 2023
Episode 25: The Most Important Strike in Years: the Education Workers Strike in Ontario
The Most Important Strike in Years: the Education Workers Strike in Ontario
The law-defying strike by the 55, 000 workers in CUPE's Ontario School Board Council of Unions in November 2022 was brief but arguably the most important strike in so-called Canada in almost two decades. Peter Hogarth talks about the background to the strike, how it unfolded, why it ended the way it did, and its lessons.
Some articles worth reading:
Peter Hogarth, "Who Killed Bill 28?"
https://springmag.ca/who-killed-bill-28-ontario-workers-and-the-threat-of-a-general-strike
Martin Lukacs and Emma Paling,
The inside story of how education workers beat back Doug Ford
https://breachmedia.ca/the-inside-story-of-how-education-workers-beat-back-doug-ford/
John Clarke, Doug Ford underestimated the power of workers—but so did union leaders
https://breachmedia.ca/doug-ford-underestimated-the-power-of-workersbut-so-did-union-leaders/
John Clarke, Beyond the Rituals of Class Compromise
https://www.midnightsunmag.…
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Dec 10, 2022
Episode 24: Future on Fire: Capitalism and the Politics of Climate Change
Future on Fire: Capitalism and the Politics of Climate Change
On this episode, Sara Birrell, Saima Desai, James Hutt and David Camfield discuss ideas raised by David's Future on Fire: Capitalism and the Politics of Climate Change in an online book launch event hosted by Fiona Jeffries.
In Canada you can order the book from Fernwood Publishing:
https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/future-on-fire
In the UK you can order it from PM Press's UK site:
https://pmpress.org.uk/product/future-on-fire/
Everywhere else, you can order it from PM Press in the US:
https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1263
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Nov 12, 2022
Episode 23: Sexual Violence, Feminism and Socialist Organizing
Sexual Violence, Feminism and Socialist Organizing
A discussion with three thoughtful socialists and feminists, Hazel, Jamie and Sheila, about feminism, the left and sexual violence. How can left activists get better at preventing and responding to sexual violence?
Some readings:
Articles by Hazel
https://www.rs21.org.uk/author/hazel-croft/
Why I Left Fightback by Jamie
https://jamiegraham.substack.com/p/why-i-left-fightback
Jeremy Appel on how the CPC leadership covered up sexual harassment and
expelled critics: What's going on with the Communist Party of Canada?
https://theorchard.substack.com/p/whats-going-on-with-the-communist
An article that briefly discusses how the "micro-party" model of socialist
organization promotes weak responses to oppressive actions by group
members, especially leaders: A letter from Canadian comrades
https://socialistworker.org/2019/03/21/a-letter-from-canadian-comrades
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Oct 2, 2022
Ep 22: Ecosocialism and the Ecological Crisis
Ecosocialism and the Ecological Crisis
Faced with the worsening ecological crisis caused by capitalism, what's the ecosocialism we should aim for and what climate justice reforms should we fight for in the here and now? How should ecosocialists relate to degrowth politics? How should we respond to the immediate concerns of working-class people as the cost of living rises? A discussion of these and other questions with Sabrina Fernandes and Gareth Dale.
Some sources mentioned in the episode and other resources:
Sabrina Fernades' project Tese Onze
https://teseonze.com.br/
Gareth Dale, "Degrowth and the Green New Deal"
https://theecologist.org/2019/oct/28/degrowth-and-green-new-deal
"For an Ecosocialist Degrowth" coauthored by Sabrina Fernandes https://monthlyreview.org/2022/04/01/for-an-ecosocialist-degrowth/
Jack Copley, "Decarbonizing the Downturn: Addressing Climate Change in an Age of Stagnation"
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10245294221120986
Julian Allwood, "…
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Sep 3, 2022
Episode 21: The Labour Front in Canada Today
The Labour Front in Canada Today
The cost of living is rising, unemployment is low, and a recession triggered by the Bank of Canada pushing up interest rates is coming. The number of strikes is also up, with the number of private sector workers who struck in the first half of 2022 being especially noteworthy. What's happening? How can workers take advantage of the moment to win as much as possible? Doug Nesbitt and Tara Olivetree (Ehrcke) discuss these and other questions.
Doug is a cofounder of RankAndFile.ca, where you can find many articles he's written.
https://www.rankandfile.ca
A 2021 article by Tara: Power, Workers, and the Fight for Climate Justice.
https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/power-workers-and-the-fight-for-climate-justice/
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Aug 13, 2022
Episode 20: Moralism, A Problem For The Left
Moralism: A problem for the left
Moralism -- which assumes that moral judgment can change society and thinks about people and what they do as either good or bad -- is a powerful influence today. It's a barrier to thinking about social structures, how change happens, and left strategy. Barnaby Raine and Vanessa Wills dissect what moralism is, how it affects the left, why it's so influential, how socialists should respond to it, and the place of ethics in socialist politics.
Barnaby Raine is an editor of Salvage
https://salvage.zone
Vanessa Wills is an editor of Spectre
https://spectrejournal.com
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Jul 29, 2022
Episode 19: History of the Reproductive Justice Struggle
History of the Reproductive Justice Struggle
The overturning of Roe v Wade in the US puts the spotlight back on the politics of abortion. David speaks with Jocelyn Piercy about the movement organizing that eventually led to the decriminalization of abortion in so-called Canada and defeated the Mulroney Tory government's attempt to recriminalize it, and in particular the work of the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics. This experience is relevant today as we face emboldened right-wing forces intent on replacing
liberal sexual and gender rights with its reactionary sexual hegemony.
Recommended reading:
Jocelyn Piercy, Canada: History and strategies in the fight for reproductive justice
http://links.org.au/canada-history-abortion-rights-campaign
Misha Falk, "Neither Liberalism Nor Fascism But Trans Liberation and Socialism"
https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/neither-liberalism-nor-fascism-but-trans-liberation-and-socialism/
Rebel Girls' Rag, the publication of Toronto Socialist Feminis…
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Jun 21, 2022
Episode 18: The Politics of War from Ukraine to Canada
The Politics of War from Ukraine to Canada
A discussion with Olena Lyubchenko and Dru Oja Jay about Ukraine in the years before Russia's invasion, the impact of the war on politics in so-called Canada, and what the left should do in relation to the war.
To learn more:
Olena Lyubchenko, On the Frontier of Whiteness? Expropriation, War, and Social Reproduction in Ukraine
https://lefteast.org/frontiers-of-whiteness-expropriation-war-social-reproduction-in-ukraine/
Dru Oja Jay, Ukraine’s first assailant—international lenders
https://breachmedia.ca/ukraines-first-assailant-international-lenders/
The March 2022 episode of this podcast is about Russia and the war. You can find it here:
https://soundcloud.com/user-737267994/episode-15-understanding-russia-today?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Marko Bojcun, "Ukrainian Socialists in the Diaspora: Lessons on Cold War Solidarity from Another Era"
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/ukrainian-socialists-i…
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May 12, 2022
Episode 17: Anti-racism and Socialism
Anti-racism and Socialism
The problems with liberal responses to racism are no reason to dismiss or downplay the importance of anti-racist struggle as some on the left do. A discussion with Sharmeen Khan and Teddy Zegeye-Gebrehiwot on the politics of representation, multiculturalism, allyship and other aspects of anti-racist politics from socialist perspectives.
Some writings referred to in this episode:
Emma Dabiri, What White People Can Do Next
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/677949/what-white-people-can-do-next-by-emma-dabiri/9780141996738
Himani Bannerji, The Dark Side of the Nation
https://www.canadianscholars.ca/books/dark-side-of-the-nation
Vanessa Wills, "Marxism and White Privilege" (paywall)
https://spectrejournal.com/marxism-and-white-privilege/
Nick Mitchell, "The View from Nowhere" (paywall)
https://spectrejournal.com/the-view-from-nowhere/
Annie Olaloku-Teriba, "Afro-Pessimism and the (Un)Logic of Anti Blackness"
https://www.historicalmaterialism.org/articl…
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Apr 14, 2022
Episode 16: The Anti-Girlboss Socialist Club
The Anti-Girlboss Socialist Club
This episode is an interview with Paniz and Tamsyn, the hosts of the socialist-feminist podcast The Anti-Girlboss Socialist Club (https://harbingermedianetwork.com/show/the-anti-girlboss-socialist-club/). They discuss topics covered in two episodes of AGSC: the “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Industry” and sexual violence programs at universities.
Sources mentioned by Paniz and Tamsyn or suggested for people who want to learn more:
Jack Fiorito, "Human Resource Management Practices and Worker Desires for Union Representation" (2001) Journal of Labour Research 22:2.
https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA73064849&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=01953613&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7E36766bd
Janet Halley, Prabha Kotiswaran, Rachel Rebouché, and Hila Shamir, Governance Feminism: An Introduction (University of Minnesota Press, 2018)
https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/governance-feminism-1
Sara Ahmed, Complaint (Duk…
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Mar 10, 2022
Episode 15: Understanding Russia Today
Understanding Russia Today, w/ Simon Pirani
Anyone trying to understand Russia in the context of the war unleashed by Putin and co. on Ukraine will find little of use in the mainstream media, and a lot of left media isn't much better. This episode presents an interview with Simon Pirani about capitalism and politics in Russia today. Simon has written extensively on contemporary Russia as well as on the Russian Revolution, and discussed Stalinism on ep. 3 of Victor's Children.
https://soundcloud.com/user-737267994/episode-3-stalinism-and-the-future-of-socialism-part-i?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Simon's website;
https://peopleandnature.wordpress.com
Simon recommends Ilya Matveev's recent article "Between Political and Economic Imperialism: Russia's Shifting Global Strategy"
https://brill.com/view/journals/jlso/aop/article-10.1163-24714607-bja10043/article-10.1163-24714607-bja10043.xml?rskey=tHGbWa&result=1
For discussion of what stance socialists…
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Feb 10, 2022
Episode 14: The Far Right Mobilizes & Workplace Organizing at Canada Post
The Far Right Mobilizes & Workplace Organizing at Canada Post
The far right-led action in Ottawa against pandemic public health measures was the largest mobilization by the far right in so-called Canada since the 1930s, so this episode opens with analysis from Todd Gordon.
Next is an interview with Edmonton CUPW organizer Roland Schmidt about building workplace power among postal workers in that city and some of its broader lessons.
Judy Rebick and Corvin Russell's article, which appeared after the episode of Victor's Children on the politics of the pandemic, helps explain the situation the far right has taken advantage of: The Left is nowhere on COVID. And that’s a big problem.
https://rabble.ca/columnists/the-left-is-nowhere-on-covid-and-thats-a-big-problem/
David's 2018 article on fighting the right is dated in some respects but still relevant:
The far right, the hard right, and our fight against them
https://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/the-far-right-the-hard-right-an…
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Jan 16, 2022
Episode 13: The Politics Of The Pandemic
The Politics of the Pandemic
A discussion with Nora Loreto, Daniel Sarah Karasik and Corvin Russell about the politics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Canadian state, how the NDP and the radical left have responded, and the politics we need going forward.
Nora Loreto (@nolore)'s new book Spin Doctors: How Media and
Politicians Misdiagnosed the COVID-19 Pandemic.
https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/spin-doctors
Daniel Sarah Karasik (@JoyAndDefiance)'s new article "Against Pandemic Realism"
https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/against-pandemic-realism/
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Dec 22, 2021
Episode 12: Transgender Liberation, Transgender Marxism
Transgender Liberation, Transgender Marxism
An interview with Jules Joanne Gleason, co-editor of Transgender Marxism, about gender, the politics of trans liberation and their universal implications, and transgender marxism.
If you're unfamiliar with the subject of this episode, this is worth reading:
Notes on women, men, trans and intersex: "the gender binary does not fit the facts"
https://www.rs21.org.uk/2016/10/24/notes-on-women-men-trans-and-intersex-the-gender-binary-does-not-fit-the-facts/
To learn more:
Transgender Marxism
https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745341668/transgender-marxism/
Shanice McBean, "'I Was Born a Baby, Not a Boy:' Sex, Gender and Trans Liberation"
https://www.rs21.org.uk/2020/07/21/i-was-born-a-baby-not-a-boy-sex-gender-and-trans-liberation-2/
Three essays mentioned by Jules in the episode:
Gayle Rubin, "The Traffic in Women: Notes on the 'Political Economy' of Sex"
https://summermeetings2013.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/rubin-traffic.pdf
Nat Raha, "The…
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Nov 21, 2021
Episode 11: China Today & the Politics of China in Canada w/ Ralf Ruckus and Vincent Wong
China Today & the Politics of China in Canada w/ Ralf Ruckus and Vincent Wong
China's growing power in the world and the worsening rivalry between "Western" states and China make it ever-more important for leftists to understand China. This episode presents an interview with Ralf Ruckus, author of the new book The Communist Road to Capitalism: How Social Unrest and Containment Have Pushed China's (R)evolution Since 1949, about China today.
Ideas about China are becoming more prominent in politics in the Canadian state. Vincent Wong, author of a recent article on China and the left in Canada in Briarpatch, looks at how China is being discussed, anti-Chinese racism, and China and the left.
If you want to learn more:
Ralf Ruckus, The Communist Road to Capitalism: How Social Unrest and Containment Have Pushed China's (R)evolution since 1949
https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1149
Vincent Wong, China, the Canadian left, and countering state capitalist apologia
https://bri…
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Nov 7, 2021
Episode 10: Imperialism, w/Todd Gordon
Imperialism, w/ Todd Gordon
An interview with Todd Gordon about imperialism today and Canadian imperialism. This is a rerelease of a recent episode of the Solidarity Winnipeg Podcast.
Some of Todd's writing on imperialism:
Todd Gordon, Imperialist Canada
https://arpbooks.org/Books/I/Imperialist-Canada
Todd Gordon and Jeffery Webber, Blood of Extraction
https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/blood-of-extraction
Todd Gordon and Jeffery Webber, Complex Stratification in the World System: Capitalist Totality and Geopolitical Fragmentation
https://www.academia.edu/41453902/Complex_Stratification_in_the_World_System_Capitalist_Totality_and_Geopolitical_Fragmentation
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Oct 15, 2021
Episode 9: Dialectics Demystified, w/ David McNally
Dialectics Demystified, w/ David McNally
Marxism is usually associated with the concept of dialectics, but what is dialectics? Is Marxist theory "dialectical materialism"? Should dialectics be rejected as "unscientific," as mainstream academics argue? Or should it be discarded as part of European Enlightenment ideology that makes false claims to universal truth, as others claim? David McNally discusses these issues in a clear and accessible way.
*Producer's Note*
Any audio glitches or dropouts are the result of internet issues at the time of recording. The content of the discussion was not edited or altered in any way.
David McNally's website:
https://www.davidmcnally.org
Suggested reading
If you're interested in reading about the topic, try "The Philosophy of Internal Relations," Chapter 3 of Bertell Ollman's book Alienation.
https://web.archive.org/web/20170706054213/http://www.nyu.edu/projects/ollman/docs/a_ch03.php
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Sep 16, 2021
Episode 8: Is The Enemy of My Enemy My Friend? Campism and Emancipatory Politics Today
Is The Enemy of My Enemy My Friend? Campism and Emancipatory Politics Today, w/Barnaby Raine
In recent years the influence of "campist" politics within the left has grown. Barnaby Raine goes beyond explaining what's wrong with campism by explaining why its influence has grown and discussing what this says about our times and some implications for emancipatory politics today.
Background reading:
John Clarke, "The class struggle and geopolitics"
https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-class-struggle-and-geopolitics
Jason Schulman and Dan La Botz, "Against Campism, for International Working-Class Solidarity"
https://socialistforum.dsausa.org/issues/winter-2020/against-campism-for-international-working-class-solidarity/
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Aug 14, 2021
Episode 7: Should Socialists Take Union Staff Jobs?
Should Socialists Take Union Staff Jobs?
Katherine Grzejszczak, Gene McGuckin and Sherry Wolf, three socialists with a lot of union experience, discuss this question.
If you want to learn more:
Kim Moody's writing on "the rank-and-file strategy" is a must-read for socialists. For a start, check out "In Defense of the Rank-and-File Strategy"
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/06/rank-and-file-strategy-kim-moody-labor-unions
Kate Doyle Griffiths, "The Rank and File Strategy on New Terrain."
https://spectrejournal.com/the-rank-and-file-strategy-on-new-terrain/
On bureaucracy and unions, see David Camfield, "What is Trade Union Bureaucracy? A Theoretical Account."
https://spectrejournal.com/the-rank-and-file-strategy-on-new-terrain/
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Jul 16, 2021
Episode 6: Stalinism and the Future of Socialism (Part II)
In this episode, Alex de Jong discusses Stalinist politics, including Maoism, outside the so-called "Communist" societies, and why it's still important to understand them today.
If you haven't listened to Episode 3: Stalinism and the Future of Socialism (Part I), which deals with the history of the USSR and China, you might want to listen to that first.
By Alex de Jong:
"The Philippine Left in a Changing Land" - New Politics
https://newpol.org/issue_post/the-philippine-left-in-a-changing-land/
If you want to learn more:
A good book on the early years of Stalinist politics outside the USSR is Duncan Hallas, The Comintern. On these politics later in the 20th century, see Ernest Mandel, From Stalinism to Eurocommunism. On Maoism, start with Elliott Liu, Maoism and the Chinese Revolution: A Critical Introduction.
On the Communist Party of Canada, listen to Episode 4 of Victor's
Children.
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Jun 12, 2021
Episode 5: Canadian Nationalism w/ Harsha Walia & Midnight Sun, a Just-Launched Socialist Magazine
An interview with Harsha Walia about the politics of Canadian nationalism, including left-nationalism, followed by a discussion about Midnight Sun, a new online magazine, with Daniel Sarah Karasik, Lina Nasr El Hag Ali, and David.
Harsha Walia's Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism and the Rise of
Racist Nationalism
https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/border-and-rule
Midnight Sun
https://www.midnightsunmag.ca
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May 16, 2021
Episode 4: The Communist Party of Canada, 1921-2021
May 2021 marks the centenary of the formation of the Communist Party of Canada (CPC), so David interviews marxist historian Bryan Palmer about the CPC's history.
If you want to read about the CPC:
David Camfield, "The History and Politics of the Communist Party of Canada: An Overview"
https://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/the-history-and-politics-communist-party-of-canada
Ian Angus, Canadian Bolsheviks
Socialist History Project
https://www.socialisthistory.ca/Publications/pubs.htm
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Apr 16, 2021
Episode 3: Stalinism and the Future of Socialism (Part I)
Stalinism and the Future of Socialism (Part I)
At the end of the 1920s a new social order emerged in the USSR. This Stalinist model later became the basis for reorganizing society in a series of other countries. It was criticized by anti-communists and supported by many people on the left, but other socialists challenged the claim that this was socialism. How socialists today understand what happened in these societies matters a lot.
In this episode Simon Pirani discusses the emergence of the Stalinist social order in the USSR and some of the claims made by its defenders, while Kevin Lin surveys China from the revolution of 1949 to the present.
Links:
Simon Pirani
http://simonpirani.blogspot.com
An interview with Kevin Lin from 2020: How China contained Covid-19 and the dangerous world to come
https://internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article6494
A Marxist analysis of the USSR I recommend:
What was the USSR? Part IV: Towards a theory of the deformation of value
https://libcom.o…
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Mar 22, 2021
Episode 2: Class Struggle Today and Tomorrow
What is class struggle? Why does it matter? What's happened to class
struggle in Canada? What are the implications for socialists? A discussion of these and other questions with Kate Jacobson (Alberta Advantage podcast, in Calgary) and John Clarke (former organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, in Toronto).
Email:
victorschildren at gmail.com
Subscribe:
https://pod.link/1556511995
Alberta Advantage Podcast
https://albertaadvantagepod.com
John Clarke
https://johnclarkeblog.com/
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Feb 28, 2021
Episode 1: Introducing Victor's Children & Victor Serge with Suzi Weissman
Victor's Children is named after Victor Serge, so in this first episode
David introduces the podcast and interviews Suzi Weissman, author of the political biography Victor Serge: The Course is Set on Hope, about this socialist fighter and writer and why Serge matters today.
https://www.versobooks.com/authors/1615-susan-weissman
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