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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political ideologies > Marxism & Communism
Contemporary capitalism is always evolving. From digital
technologies to cryptocurrencies, current trends in political
economy are much discussed, but often little understood. So where
can we turn for clarity? As Michael Roberts and Guglielmo Carchedi
argue, new trends don't necessarily call for new theory. In
Capitalism in the 21st Century, the authors show how Marx's law of
value explains numerous issues in our modern world. In both
advanced economies and the periphery, value theory provides a
piercing analytical framework through which we can approach topics
as varied as labour, profitability, automation and AI, the
environment, nature and ecology, the role of China, imperialism and
the state. This is an ambitious work that will appeal to both
heterodox economists and labour movement activists alike, as it
demonstrates the ongoing contemporary relevance of Marxist theory
to current trends in political economy.
'One the foremost writers and participants in the Kurdish women's
movement' - Harsha Walia The Kurdish women's movement is at the
heart of one of the most exciting revolutionary experiments in the
world today: Rojava. Forged over decades of struggle, most recently
in the fight against ISIS, Rojava embodies a radical commitment to
ecology, democracy and women's liberation. But while striking
images of Kurdish women in military fatigues proliferate, a true
understanding of the women's movement remains elusive. Taking apart
the superficial and Orientalist frameworks that dominate, Dilar
Dirik offers instead an empirically rich account of the women's
movement in Kurdistan. Drawing on original research and
ethnographic fieldwork, she surveys the movement's historical
origins, ideological evolution, and political practice over the
past forty years. Going beyond abstract ideas, Dirik locates the
movement's culture and ideology in its concrete work for women's
revolution in the here and now. Taking the reader from the
guerrilla camps in the mountains to radical women's academies and
self-organised refugee camps, readers around the world can engage
with the revolution in Kurdistan, both theoretically and
practically, as a vital touchstone in the wider struggle for a
militant anti-fascist, anti-capitalist feminist internationalism.
Almost three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, today
more often than ever, global media and intellectuals rely on the
concept of homo sovieticus to explain Russia's authoritarian ills.
Homo sovieticus - or the Soviet man - is understood to be a
double-thinking, suspicious and fearful conformist with no
morality, an innate obedience to authority and no public demands;
they have been forged in the fires of the totalitarian conditions
in which they find themselves. But where did this concept come
from? What analytical and ideological pillars does it stand on?
What is at stake in using this term today? The Afterlife of the
'Soviet Man' addresses all these questions and even explains why -
at least in its contemporary usage - this concept should be
abandoned altogether.
What is socialist feminism and why is it needed to fight the global
rise of authoritarianism and fascism? Frieda Afary brings the
insights gained through her study of feminist philosophy, her
international activism and her work in community education as a
public librarian in Los Angeles, offering a bold new vision of an
alternative to capitalism, racism, sexism, heterosexism and
alienation. Socialist Feminism: A New Approach reclaims theories of
women's oppression through a return to humanism, enriched by social
reproduction theories, Black feminist intersectionality,
abolitionism, queer theories, Marxist-Humanism and the author's own
experiences as an Iranian American feminist, scholar and activist.
She looks at global developments in gender relations since the
1980s, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the distinct features
of twenty-first century authoritarianism and current struggles
against it, drawing out lessons for revolutionary theorising,
organising and international solidarity including the #MeToo and
Black Lives Matter movements. This book also contains a study guide
which transforms it into a useful pedagogical tool for teachers and
activists.
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