Left Flank is proud to be supporting this year’s Historical Materialism Australasia conference — States, Social Reproduction, Capital — which will be held in Central Sydney on 5-6 September 2014. There is an impressive array of papers and discussions confirmed, with contributors from Australia and internationally, which should make this the biggest and best HM Australasia conference […]
21 May
THANASIS KAMPAGIANNIS returns to the debate on imperialism, on the occasion of the controversies that have opened up inside the Left regarding the crisis in Ukraine. This is a translation of an article recently published in the theoretical magazine of the Greek Socialist Workers Party (SEK), Socialism From Below. The declaration of the end of […]
15 Jan
I’ve just had a contribution to an ongoing debate on Marxism and “privilege theory” published at the US Socialist Worker website. I’m putting it up here at Left Flank if people want to comment directly. The Socialist Worker page usefully links to the key posts in the debate. I’VE FOLLOWED with interest the debate on […]
31 Oct
By ELIZABETH HUMPHRYS & TAD TIETZE At a certain point in their historical lives, social classes become detached from their traditional parties. In other words, the traditional parties in that particular organisational form, with the particular men who constitute, represent, and lead them, are no longer recognised by their class (or fraction of a class) […]
23 Jun
I’m excited to be able to say that I have a chapter contribution in the just released ‘Marxism and Social Movements’ book, which is part of the Historical Materialism book series. I’ve read a number of the contributions, and it a really exciting engagement between social movement theory and Marxist approaches to collective action. On […]
08 Mar
Comments Off on Leo Panitch, the state & capitalist social relations
Introducing AN INTEGRAL STATE, the new blog by Elizabeth Humphrys Recent years have seen a big increase in Marxist theorising on the state and its relationship to the capitalist system. These discussions have gone through several phases, from debates over the nature of globalisation in the late 1990s, to renewed interest in imperialism in reaction […]
15 Jan
Comments Off on Debate on patriarchy & the capitalist mode of production
For ease of reference I have copied and pasted a debate on the connections between women’s oppression and the capitalist mode of production that started with a blog post by Richard Seymour at Lenin’s Tomb. I have copied that opening post as well as my reply, Richard’s rejoinder and a further reply from myself. The debate ranged […]
04 Jul
With good reason Sydney-based economist Steve Keen has developed a local and international reputation as a sharp critic of neoclassical economics. For performing this valuable service he has earned the scorn of the neoliberal ideologues dominating mainstream economic commentary. Yet Keen is also a critic of Marx’s approach to political economy, and Left Flank here […]
17 Dec
Comments Off on When freedom is a dirty word
Whatever criticism one may have of the Occupy Everywhere movement, its central idea that ‘We Are the 99%’ speaks to the many people who sense a deep injustice in the current socio-economic system. People do not feel they have it ‘better than ever’, even in Australia, and many point to the diminished freedom they feel […]
04 Jul
Comments Off on John Quiggin, ‘Marxism without revolution’ and Left strategy: A response. (Part 1)
Thanks to @liz_beths for her helpful comments and suggestions. The economist John Quiggin — whose valuable book Zombie Economics I reviewed last October — has just completed a three part series on “Marxism without revolution” at his blog. The three posts cover Marx’s ideas on class, crisis and capital. In responding it is difficult to know where to start because the case he mounts […]
25 Aug
Comments Off on Historical Materialism: States, Social Reproduction, Capital