Red Book Club
By RBC
Red Book ClubApr 24, 2019
Fighting Fascism - Clara Zetkin
“Fascism is the strongest, most concentrated, and classic expression at this time of the world bourgeoisie’s general offensive. It is urgently necessary that it be brought down."
As fascism continues to become more violent and brazen internationally, the question of how to fight it becomes ever more urgent. In Fighting Fascism: How To Struggle and How To Win by Clara Zetkin the esteemed German Communist delivers her 1923 address to the Third Plenum of the Communist International which included her defintion of fascism, an analysis of its origins and what social, economic and political conditions led to the rise of fascism in Italy, tragically accurate and prescient warnings about the development of fascism in Germany, why the fight against fascism must be taken up by the entire proletariat and more. We also comment on fascism in the USA, discuss how to struggle against and overcome fascism and why we can never forget the devastating impact that fascism has had on the world.
Please note that this episode was recorded before the racist murder of George Floyd by members of the Minneapolis Police Department and it is for this reason that this and the subsequent uprisings and protests that followed aren't discussed in this episode.
This episode is part of our series on Marxist-feminists. As Mao and Thomas Sankara have said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present that we possibly can; therefore we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod or www.twitter.com/RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions. You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join or support the book club, you can find us on Patreon as Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub including access to our Red Book Club discord server, early access to our episodes and more.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
And a special thanks to our patrons for their support in helping us to create the podcast.
Our logo was designed by Rob, you can find his work on Instagram @roobmmm
Outro music: Song of Choice - Peggy Seeger
Witches, Witch-Hunting and Women (Part 2 - New Forms of Capital Accumulation and Witch-Hunting in Our Time) - Silvia Federici
"We are witnessing an escalation of violence against women, especially African-descendant and Native-American women, because 'globalisation' is a process of political recolonisation intended to give capital uncontested control over the world's natural wealth and human labour, and this cannot be achieved without attacking women, who are directly responsible for the reproduction of their communities."
In our second and final episode on Witches, Witch-Hunting and Women by Silvia Federici, our attention moves to the second part of the book, which begins with 'Globalisation, Capital Accumulation and Violence Against Women: An International and Historical Perspective' and concludes with 'Witch-Hunting, Globalisation and Feminist Solidarity in Africa Today'. These two brilliant essays lead us into discussions on how mental health systems have been oppressive to and dismissive of women and used to institutionalise, gaslight and punish them for their sexuality. Domestic violence and the punishment of women for leaving the house and working, how the witch-hunts legitimised women's subordination to men and gave control over their reproductive capacity to the state, the institutionalisation and normalisation of violence which started with primitive accumulation, why cops are domestic abusers and don't leave their violent behaviour behind when they finish work. We also tackle themes such as how abuse is weaponised against feminism, how debt crisis, structural adjustments and currency devaluation caused the witch-hunts, dowry murders in India and the resistance against them, Ghanaian witch camps and female solidarity, the capitalist and colonialist causes of the modern day witchhunts and the IMF, World Bank and the inherent violence of 'structural adjustment'.
This episode is part of our series on Marxist-feminists. As Mao and Thomas Sankara have said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present that we possibly can; therefore we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions. You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join or support the book club, you can find us on Patreon as Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub including access to our Red Book Club discord server, early access to our episodes and more.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
And a special thanks to our patrons for their support in helping us to create the podcast.
Our logo was designed by Rob, you can find his work on Instagram @roobmmm
Outro music: 'Sibere Sibere' and 'Tora Rora Yambi' - Traditional Dagomba Women's Music From Ghana
Witches, Witch-Hunting and Women (Part 1 - Revisiting Capital Accumulation and the European Witch Hunt) - Silvia Federici
‘Every town has its witch, and every parish its trolls. We will keep them from life with the fire of joy.’
In the first of a two-part episode on 'Witches, Witch-Hunting and Women' by Silvia Federici, we discover how historical distortions of the witch-hunts lead to dangerous misunderstandings of women and their history in modern times and how women are not now gaining their rights for the first time, but regaining them after centuries of disenfranchisement and oppression.
Part one of the book ‘Revisiting Capital Accumulation and the European Witch Hunt’ consists of one song and four essays: ‘Midsommervisen - Vi Elsker Vort Land’, ‘Why Speak of the Witch Hunts Again?’, ‘Witch Hunts, Enclosures, and the Demise of Communal Property Relations’, ‘Witch-Hunting and the Fear of the Power of Women’ and ‘On the Meaning of ‘Gossip’’. In these insightful and thought-provoking pieces we discuss the Danish annual tradition of burning the effigy of a witch on ‘Sankt Hans Aften’ and how this practice makes light of one of the most violent time-periods that women have ever encountered; how the witch-hunts are finally being re-evaluated and recognised as the historical subjugation of women and as a means of accumulating profit off the labour of women; how restudying the witch hunts destroys the belief that capitalism was once a carrier of social progress; the destruction of the magical conception of the body and how female sexuality was exorcised of its subversive potential through the witch hunts; the links between witch hunts, McCarthyism and the war on terror; how a science of pain and torture was developed upon the bodies of women; and we study the example of the word ‘gossip’ to show how even our language has been changed in order sew discord in the place of women’s solidarity and to accommodate their oppression as well as asking ‘Do women really have it better now than ever?’
This episode is part of our series on Marxist-feminists. As Mao and Thomas Sankara have said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present that we possibly can; therefore we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions. You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join or support the book club, you can find us on Patreon as Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub including access to our Red Book Club discord server, early access to our episodes and more.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
And a special thanks to our patrons for their support in helping us to create the podcast.
Our logo was designed by Rob, you can find his work on Instagram @roobmmm
Intro Music: Vi Elsker Vort Land (Midsommervisen) - Danmarks Radios Pigekor
Outro music: Gossiper Scandal Monger - Julie Coker
A Great Love (Part 2) - Alexandra Kollontai
This week we're once again collaborating with our comrades from The Tolerant Left podcast to bring the second of our two part episode covering 'A Great Love' by Alexandra Kollontai.
The second half of the book deals with an intensification of Semyon's abuse, his neglect of her needs, the belittling of Natasha's intelligence, how Senya's actions provoke self doubt and anxiety in her, Natasha's frustration and eventual disillusionment with their relationship and how after becoming jaded with Semyon's incorrigibility she courageously asserts her autonomy and finally breaks free. We also chat about 'crazy ex-girlfriends', how women are kept as toys and why drunkenness isn't an excuse for misogyny.
In our first time discussing a work of fiction we found no lack of important subject matter to be gleaned from the text. Considered by many to be a representation of a relationship between Inessa Armand and Vladimir Lenin, this essential and heart-breaking text gives us a deep insight into the physical and emotional reality of women revolutionaries before the October revolution and the harmful and misogynistic behaviour of men which remains unchanged to the present day.
This book, set in the world of revolutionaries exiled following the 1905 revolution, tells us the story of Natasha, an intelligent and dedicated party organiser, and her relationship with Semyon Semyonovich, a highly respected but deeply abusive official within the same party. Drawing from biographical experiences and those of her fellow comrades Kollontai paints a vivid picture of the profound pain and frustration which women suffered and suffer through in left-wing organising circles. From emotional abuse, dismissiveness and the downplaying of achievements to the ideas of transactional relationships, control in the institution of marriage and more.
This episode features our amazing comrades from The Tolerant Left podcast, an essential voice for non-men on the left https://twitter.com/tolerantleftpod
This episode is part of our series on Marxist-feminists. As Mao and Thomas Sankara have said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present that we possibly can; therefore we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions. You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join or support the book club, you can find us on Patreon as Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub including access to our Red Book Club discord server, early access to our episodes and more.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
And a special thanks to our patrons for their support in helping us to create the podcast.
Our logo was designed by Rob, you can find his work on Instagram @roobmmm
Outro music: Tears Dry On Their Own - Amy Whinehouse
A Great Love (Part 1) - Alexandra Kollontai
“All she wanted was to stand between him and the world, relieve him of his worries, help him bear his cross.”
This week we're collaborating with our comrades from The Tolerant Left podcast to bring the first of two episodes covering 'A Great Love' by Alexandra Kollontai.
In our first time discussing a work of fiction we found no lack of important subject matter to be gleaned from the text. Considered by many to be a representation of a relationship between Inessa Armand and Vladimir Lenin, this essential and heart-breaking text gives us a deep insight into the physical and emotional reality of women revolutionaries before the October revolution and the harmful and misogynistic behaviour of men which remains unchanged to the present day.
This book, set in the world of revolutionaries exiled following the 1905 revolution, tells us the story of Natasha, an intelligent and dedicated party organiser, and her relationship with Semyon Semyonovich, a highly respected but deeply abusive official within the same party. Drawing from biographical experiences and those of her fellow comrades Kollontai paints a vivid picture of the profound pain and frustration which women suffered and suffer through in left-wing organising circles. From emotional abuse, dismissiveness and the downplaying of achievements to the ideas of transactional relationships, control in the institution of marriage and more.
Kollontai's moving text gives us space to investigate our own participants' experiences of abuse and left-wing misogyny as well offering a chance to create ways to overcome problems such as abuse on the left, how to deal with the work of historically problematic men and how we can acknowledge our faults in order to learn and grow.
This episode features our amazing comrades from The Tolerant Left podcast, an essential voice for non-men on the left https://twitter.com/tolerantleftpod
This episode is part of our series on Marxist-feminists. As Mao and Thomas Sankara have said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present that we possibly can; therefore we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions. You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join or support the book club, you can find us on Patreon as Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub including access to our Red Book Club discord server, early access to our episodes and more.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
And a special thanks to our patrons for their support in helping us to create the podcast.
Our logo was designed by Rob, you can find his work on Instagram @roobmmm
Outro music: It's Not Me, It's You - Solution Hours
https://solutionhours.bandcamp.com/
Caliban and the Witch (Chapter 5 - Colonisation and Christianisation) - Silvia Federici
In our fifth and final installment of our readings from Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici we focus on 'Chapter 5 - Colonisation and Christianisation: Caliban and Witches in the New World', in it we discuss the indigenous resistance of the Taki Unquy millenarian movement, the connection between colonisation throughout America and the witch-hunts in Europe, the introduction of prostitution, how Spaniards brought over the misogyny necessary to introduce a patriarchal capitalist order, our final thoughts on the piece and more.
This episode is part of our series on Marxist-feminists. As Mao and Thomas Sankara have said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present that we possibly can; therefore we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions. You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join or support the book club, you can find us on Patreon as Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub including access to our Red Book Club discord server, early access to our episodes and more.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
And a special thanks to our patrons for their support in helping us to create the podcast.
Our logo was designed by Rob, you can find his work on Instagram @roobmmm
Outro music: Taki Onqoy II - Mercedes Sosa
Caliban and the Witch (Chapter 4 - The Great Witch-Hunt in Europe) - Silvia Federici
As we delve deepter into Silvia Federici's 'Caliban and the Witch', we learn about the origins of the banning of reproductive sex and the demonisation of homosexuality, how women were pushed out of the workforce, the environment of acceptance around violence on the bodies of women, the attacks on women's intergenerational knowledge, elite magicians of the bourgeoisie, how class war and not enlightenment caused the end of the witch trials, links between Nazism and the witch-hunts and an overview of Malthusianism. Join us for our episode on chapter 4 of Caliban and the Witch - 'The Great Witch-Hunt in Europe' for insight into all these topics and more.
This episode is part of our series on Marxist-feminists. As Mao and Thomas Sankara have said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present that we possibly can; therefore we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions. You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join or support the book club, you can find us on Patreon as Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub including access to our Red Book Club discord server, early access to our episodes and more.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
And a special thanks to our patrons for their support in helping us to create the podcast.
Our logo was designed by Rob, you can find his work on Instagram @roobmmm
Outro music: Witchcraft - The Lovely Eggs
My Answer to an American Questionnaire - Pasha Angelina
“How did you become what you are, Pasha?”
Praskovya Angelina, affectionately known as Pasha Angelina, takes issue with an American Encyclopaedia's recognition of her as being a 'distinguished person'. In this autobiographical piece she lays out the story of her life from peasant farmer to deputy of the Supreme Soviet and takes us on a journey through collectivisation and the Soviet psyche during some of the most hopeful, and the most desperate times of modern human history.
Join us as we discuss Pasha Angelina's 'My Answer to an American Questionnaire', in which we learn the about the strength and humility of this Hero of Socialist Labour, contrast the mindsets of people living under socialism with those living under capitalism, discover the indomitable spirit of the Soviet people and learn how one of the most distinguished citizens of her era understood the concept fame.
This episode is part of our series on Marxist feminists. As Mao and Thomas Sankara said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present as we possibly can; so we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society.
Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions.
You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join or support the book club, you can find us on Patreon at Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub where you can gain access to our Red Book Club server and more.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Special thank you to each of our patrons, we greatly appreciate your support.
Outro music: Марш женских бригад - Женского хора и оркестра ГАБТ СССР
[March of the Women's Brigades - Female Choir and Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre of the USSR]
Caliban and the Witch - Silvia Federici (Chapter 3 - The Great Caliban: The Struggle Against The Rebel Body)
How were we transformed from humans into machines? In this third installement of Silvia Federici's 'Caliban and the Witch' we discuss 'Chapter 3 - The Great Caliban: The Struggle Against The Rebel Body' and learn about the origins of the mechanisation of the workforce, the new social conceptualisation of the body, magical corpses, the philosophical battle between Descartes and Hobbes and the introduction of shame of the body.
This episode is part of our series on Marxist feminists. As Mao said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present as we possibly can; so we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions. You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join or support the book club, you can find us on Patreon as Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub including access to our Red Book Club discord server and more.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Outro music: Lover Nature - Terra Soror
https://terrasoror.bandcamp.com
Caliban and the Witch - Federici (Chapter 2 - The Accumulation of Labor and Degradation of Women)
Communism and the Family - Alexandra Kollontai
This episode is part of our series on Marxist feminists. As Thomas Sankara said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present as we possibly can; so we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions.
You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join the book club, you can support us through patreon at www.patreon.com/redbookclub membership includes access to our Red Book Club server and more.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Outro music: Working Class Woman - Barbara Dane
Caliban and the Witch - Silvia Federici (Chapter I - All the World Needs a Jolt)
Join us in the first of our readings on 'Caliban and the Witch', a groundbreaking book which tells the hidden history of the role of women in relation to the birth of capitalism, augments Marx's theory of primitive accumulation and teaches us to look afresh at both colonisation and the witch trials.
In this first episode we will be looking at heretic movements, the very real class struggles waged by the peasants during capital's violent reaction against feudalism, the effect of the black death upon power relations and how the ruling class began trying to reduce women to nothing more than the reproducers of the labour force.
This episode is part of our series on Marxist feminists. As Thomas Sankara said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present as we possibly can; so we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions.
You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join the book club, you can join our podcast's discord server Red Book Club: www.patreon.com/redbookclub including access to our Red Book Club server and more.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Outro music: Aborto di stato - Il Canzoniere Femminista
How Lenin Studied Marx - Nadezhda Krupskaya
"In moments of greatest difficulty and danger, when many stronger comrades lost heart and succumbed to doubt, Nadezhda Krupskaya remained always the same, totally convinced of the rightness of the cause and of its certain victory. She radiated unshakable faith, and this staunchness of spirit, concealed behind a rare modesty, always had a cheering effect upon all who came into contact with the companion of the great leader of the October Revolution."
In this episode we discuss 'How Lenin Studied Marx' by Nadezhda Kruspkaya. In this vital work Krupskaya uses her unique insight into Lenin's life to illustrate how he 'consulted' Marx as well as his method and the true depth of his understanding of the great thinker. Often dismissed merely as 'the wife of Lenin', Krupskaya shows here her profound understanding of Marxism and we talk about why she was such an important figure in the development of the USSR.
This episode is part of our series on Marxist feminists. As Mao and Thomas Sankara said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present as we possibly can; so we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions.
You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join the book club, you can join our podcast's discord server Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub including access to our Red Book Club server and more.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Outro music: Надежда - Анна Герман - [Nadezhda - Anna German]
Reform or Revolution - Rosa Luxemburg
Reform or Revolution? Why is one doomed to fail while the other is the only path capable of delivering us from capitalism and bringing about the vital changes necessary to tackle the manifold problems of our age? In the wake of the confusion and disillusionment caused for many by the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses we decided to read Rosa Luxemburg's classic piece 'Reform or Revolution'. With eerily familiar parralels to the present moment this piece is as relevant as the day it was written over 120 years ago, join us as we witness how Luxemburg deals a devastating hammer blow to the idea that reformism is a possible path to social revolution. This episode also marks the first episode from our series on Marxist feminists. As Thomas Sankara said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” The book club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present as we possibly can; so we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions. You can also find us on our new site at www.prolesbookclub.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join the book club, you can join our podcast's discord server Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub including access to our Red Book Club server and more. Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord! Outro music: Chopping Block - Sheer Mag https://sheermag.bandcamp.com/
Capital #16 - Primitive Accumulation (ch. 26-33)
Join us for our final episode on Karl Marx's 'Capital - Volume I' where we discuss all of 'Section 8 - So Called Primitive Accumulation', containing: 'Chapter 26 - The Secret History of Primitive Accumulation', 'Chapter 27 - The Expropriation of the Agricultural Population from the Land', 'Chapter 28 - Bloody Legislation against the Expropriated since the End of the Fifteenth Century. The Forcing Down of Wages by Act of Parliament', Chapter 29 - The Genesis of the Capitalist Farmer', 'Chapter 30 - Impact of the Agricultural Revolution on Industry. The Creation of a Home Market for Industrial Capital', 'Chapter 31 - The Genesis of the Industrial Capitalist', 'Chapter 32 - The Historical Tendency of Capitalist Accumulation' and 'Chapter 33 - The Modern Theory of Colonization'.
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions.
If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Our comrades are making brilliant communist content, check out www.prolespod.com/ussp for more podcasts.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Outro Music: 'Die Internationale - Hannes Wader'.
Capital #15 - The Process of Accumulation of Capital (ch. 23-25)
Capital #14 - Production of Absolute and Relative Surplus-Value; and Wages (ch. 16-22)
As we go through chapters 16-22 covering all of 'Part 6 - Absolute and Relative Surplus-Value' and 'Part 7 -Wages' from 'Capital - Volume I' by Karl Marx, you can expect more of Marx's usual, spicy takes and profound insights, and we accidentally go off on a conspiracy theory tangent.
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources or have any questions.
If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Our comrades are making brilliant communist content, check out www.prolespod.com/ussp for more podcasts.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Capital #13 Bonus
Capital #13 - Machinery and Large-Scale Industry (Part 2 - ch. 15 continued)
We're joined in this episode by Nathan from Marx Madness Pod and new guest Erin to discuss the displacement of workers, the gruesome working conditions that existed in Marx's time, right up to the present day, women and children joining the workforce, education, modern examples of how machinery is used against us (and for capital) and one of the heaviest and most depressing chapters so far in 'Capital'.
Welcome back as we continue and finish off the enormous 'Chapter 15 - Machinery and Large-Scale Industry' from 'Capital - Volume I' by Karl Marx.
If you're looking to brush up on your understanding of dialectics in preparation for this chapter, feel free to check out our previous episode on 'Dialectical and Historical Materialism' by Stalin.
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources or have any questions.
If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Our comrades are making brilliant communist content, check out www.prolespod.com/ussp for more podcasts.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Capital #12 - Bonus
In this bonus session we take a break from talking about books to talk about.. other books, and a couple of movies.
Books mentioned: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion - J. R. R. Tolkien, Enders Game Series - Orson Scott Card, Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson, The Remembrance of Earth's Past Trilogy - Cixin Liu, Red Rising - Pierce Brown, The Morning Deluge, Wind in the Tower - Han Suyin, My Life - Fidel Castro.
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources.
If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: https://www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Capital #12 - Machinery and Large-Scale Industry (ch. 15)
This time we're talking about the development of machinery, the effects of machinery on the lives of the workers and their families, automation, class struggle and Marx's acknowledgment of domestic labour.
Join us as we take on the enormous 'Chapter 15 - Machinery and Large-Scale Industry' from 'Capital - Volume I' by Karl Marx.
If you're looking to brush up on your understanding of dialectics in preparation of this chapter, feel free to check out our previous episode on 'Dialectical and Historical Materialism' by Stalin.
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources or have any questions. If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod Our comrades are making brilliant communist content, check out www.prolespod.com/ussp for more podcasts. Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Dialectical and Historical Materialism - Bonus
Dialectical and Historical Materialism - Stalin
Join us as we discuss the extremely concise and approachable 'Dialectical and Historical Materialism' by Joseph Stalin.
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources.
If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Capital #11 - Surplus Value, Co-operation and the Division of Labour (ch. 11-14)
In this episode the Proles dive into 'Chapter 11 - The Rate and Mass of Surplus Value', 'Chapter 12 - The Concept of Relative Surplus-Value', 'Chapter 13 - Co-operation' and 'Chapter 14 - The Division of Labour and Manufacture' from 'Capital - Volume I' by Karl Marx.
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources or have any questions. If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Our comrades are out there making brilliant communist content, check out www.prolespod.com/ussp for more podcasts.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Resources: The Marxist Project - Fundamentals of Marx: Surplus Labour and Value youtu.be/xzqm9QHls60
Capital #10 - The Working Day (ch. 10)
Listen to the Proles as they take on 'Chapter 10 - The Working Day' from 'Capital - Volume I' by Karl Marx.
Diagram mentioned:
Working-day 1: A–––B–C.
Working-day 2: A–––B––C.
Working-day 3: A–––B–––C.
Works and writers mentioned: Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation - Silvia Federici; Alexandra Kollontai; Leslie Feinberg; Breaking the Chains - A Socialist Perspective on Women's Liberation; Capitalist Realism - Mark Fisher; The Condition of the Working Class in England - Friedrich Engels.
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources. If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
On Protracted War - Mao
In this episode we discuss Mao's analysis, the contradictions in Chinese society at the time, how we can apply Mao's teachings to struggles in the present day and the contemporary People's Republic of China.
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources. If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Capital #9 - Constant and Variable Capital; and the Rate of Surplus Value (ch. 8-9)
Join the Proles and listen in to this week's discussion on 'Chapter 8 - Constant and Variable Capital', and 'Chapter 9 - The Rate of Surplus-Value' of 'Capital - Volume I' by Karl Marx.
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources.
If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Capital #8 - The Labour Process and the Valorization Process (ch. 7)
The workers built the world! Join us in our lengthy discussion on how human beings impose their will on the natural world and how how our old friend Mr. Moneybags expropriates the surplus value that we create. Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources. If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Capital #7 - Bonus
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources. If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Capital #7 - The Buying and Selling of Labour-Power (ch. 6)
This week we finish up Part 2 of Capital: "Transformation of Money into Capital".
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources. If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Capital #6 - The General Formula for Capital (ch. 4-5)
In this episode we continue on our journey through Karl Marx's masterpiece 'Capital Volume I' and we take on 'Chapter 4: The General Formula for Capital' and 'Chapter 5: Contradictions in the General Formula'.
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources.
If you would like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join the discord server of our parent podcast, Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us record these on Discord!
Combat Liberalism - Mao
We look at how these ideas applied to their own historical context, to our current times as well as challenging each other to confront our own personal liberalisms.
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources. If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
Capital #5 - Bonus
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub, and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources. If you want to join us, chip in a buck to join the discord for our parent podcast, Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us record these on Discord!
Read Marx, Read Lenin!
Capital #5 - Money continued (ch. 3)
Have faith! If you can make it through this chapter, the rest of the book becomes much more manageable!
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources. If you would like to join the book club, you can chip in a buck to join the discord server of our parent podcast, Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us record these on Discord!
Capital #4 - Bonus
Like always, there's some bonus talk in this session. Enjoy!
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub, and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources. If you want to join us, chip in a buck to join the discord for our parent podcast, Proles of the Round Table: https://www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us record these on Discord!
Read Marx, Read Lenin!
Capital #4 - Money (ch. 3)
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources. If you want to join us, chip in a buck to join the discord for our parent podcast, Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us record these on Discord!
Capital #3 - Bonus
Like always, there's some bonus talk in this session. Enjoy!
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub, and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources. If you want to join us, chip in a buck to join the discord for our parent podcast, Proles of the Round Table: https://www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us record these on Discord!
Read Marx, Read Lenin!
Capital #3 – Exchange (ch. 2)
Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub, and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources. If you want to join us, chip in a buck to join the discord for our parent podcast, Proles of the Round Table: www.patreon.com/prolespod
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us record these on Discord!
Capital #2 – Bonus
Some more sweet bonus content for our lovely comrades!
The session was edited by Tadici.
Intro/Outro music based on "Proles Pod Theme" by Ransom Notes
READ MARX READ LENIN
Listen to Proles of the Roundtable
Solidarity forever
Capital #2 – The Commodity, continued (ch. 1)
This time we discuss the evolution from the elemantary or accidental form of value to the money form and commodity fetishism.
Here are companion books, podcasts, reading guides and stuff we mentioned in the episode:
David Harvey's "Reading Marx's Capital" lectures and his companion book
Ben Fine and Alfredo Saad-Filho's Marx's Capital
David and Nathan's podcast Marx Madness and their first episode
Robert Paul Wolff's lectures on Marx
David Graeber's Debt: The First 5000 Years
Rosa Luxemburg's The Accumulation of Capital - Chapter 04
Corrections:
We meant the Palau people, when the Tonga were mentioned.
There was a misquote from Harvey's companion about Adam Smith, so here is the right one:
"In Smith's ideal world, the state would create the institutional framework for perfectly functioning markets and private property and then watch the wealth of the state and the welfare of the citizenry rapidly improve as individual initiative and entrepreneurialism coordinated through the hidden hand of the market would produce a result that was beneficial to all. In such a world, Smith thought, the intentions and motivations of individuals (varying from greed to social mission) did not matter, because the hidden hand of the market would do the work."
The session was edited by Tadici.
Intro/Outro music based on "Proles Pod Theme" by Ransom Notes
READ MARX READ LENIN
Listen to Proles of the Roundtable
Solidarity forever
Capital #1 – Bonus
There was still some interesting discussion after we wrapped so here ya go.
Intro music based on "Proles Pod Theme" by Ransom Notes
READ MARX READ LENIN
Listen to Proles of the Roundtable
Solidarity forever
Capital #1 – The Commodity (Chapter 1)
Welcome to Red Book Club. We are a Marxist educational podcast and study group challenging ourselves and each other to learn and grow by analysing and breaking down a wide array of important works.
In our inaugural episode we begin our exploration into 'Capital - Volume I' by Karl Marx starting with 'Chapter I - The Commodity'. In this episode Marx lays out some foundational concepts and we discuss what exactly is a commodity, as well as understanding 'use' and 'exchange' values and 'relative' and 'equivalent' forms of value.
This episode is part of our series on the epoch-defining masterpiece 'Capital - Volume I' by Karl Marx, a book which has helped change the face of our world since its initial publication in 1867, giving inspiration and clarity to hundreds of millions of working and colonised people across the globe and providing the theoretical foundations for socialist movements and revolutions from the time of its publication until the present day. With painstaking dedication Marx brought to light the previously obscured, inner-workings of the capitalist mode of production, from the core concepts of the commodity, value and exchange, through to the discovery of surplus-value; from the historical beginnings of capitalism to the colonial structures which still exist to this very day. It is an unparraleled work of unimaginable profundity, and we hope that our discussions can help contribute towards your understanding of it.
"There is no royal road to science, and only those who do not dread the fatiguing climb of its steep paths have a chance of gaining its luminous summits." - Karl Marx.
Please note that these sessions were initially recorded for self-reference as a study aid. As we continued and found that there was an audience for our discussions, we took the opportunity both to teach ourselves and to share skills meaning that as you progress through our sessions you should find that our episodes become more structured, better produced, cleaner sounding and hopefully more enjoyable. Thank you for listening.
Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod or https://twitter.com/RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions. You can also find us on our website at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
If you'd like to join or support the book club, you can find us on Patreon as Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub including access to our Red Book Club discord server, early access to our episodes and more.
Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan
Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
And a special thanks to our patrons for their support in helping us to create the podcast.
Our logo was designed by Rob, you can find his work on Instagram @roobmmm