• thethirdgracchi [he/him, they/them]
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    318 months ago

    Thankfully Western Marxism: How it was Born, How it Died, How it can be Reborn by Losrudo was just translated into English. Have been wanting to read it for years, as it seems like it’s Hexbear’s position on Marxism 101. Losurdo is an unmatched thinker, never been disappointed with his work. Description:

    Western Marxism: How It Was Born, How It Died, How It Can Be Reborn is a paradigm-shifting book that provides a trenchant critique of the Western left intelligentsia. It reveals how its dominant ideological orientation—characterized by defeatism, utopianism, and anti-communism—is rooted in the political economy of imperialism. Internationally acclaimed theorist Domenico Losurdo thus provides a fresh and challenging perspective on purportedly radical thinkers who have been widely promoted in the imperial core, including those affiliated with the Frankfurt School, French Theory, and operaismo, as well as Hannah Arendt, Giorgio Agamben, Michael Hardt, and Slavoj Žižek, among others. His critique also has wide-reaching implications for trend-setting discourses inspired by this coterie of intellectuals, from postcolonial and decolonial theory to subaltern studies and beyond. Far from being a negative undertaking, however, this book is grounded in the positive project of reigniting anti-imperialist Marxism.

  • 2Password2Remember [he/him]
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    168 months ago

    what are his most famous/important works that haven’t yet been translated? i speak italian so translating one could be a fun project

    Death to America

  • tripartitegraph [comrade/them]
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    108 months ago

    Need to get around to finishing Liberalism, but Losurdo has been a big influence on my worldview the past couple years. Reading his works is like a breath of fresh air. I hope Henry and Salvatore (or others!) can do some more translation work, because more people need to read his stuff.

  • imogen_underscore [it/its, she/her]
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    78 months ago

    Fuck your critical theory bullshit. I don’t need to indulge myself in the frippery of western academic circlejerks to support trans people in my life. I resent the implication.

  • GoodGuyWithACat [he/him]
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    78 months ago

    I started his Stalin book hoping it would be a biography, but it felt like more of a historiography. It was talking about Trosky’s criticism of Stalin and Kruschev’s de-Stalinization and I wasn’t really into it. Not that it seemed like bad history but it wasn’t interesting or compelling from what I read.

    • starkillerfish [she/her]
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      178 months ago

      It’s not a biography in any shape or form, that wasn’t Losurdos goal. He specifically criticises how Stalin is portrayed in media and history.

    • WideningGyro [any]
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      118 months ago

      It was talking about Trosky’s criticism of Stalin and Kruschev’s de-Stalinization and I wasn’t really into it

      I’m not sure I understand why you’d be interested in a book about Stalin but not those things. They are essential for understanding why the picture of Stalin among the western left is so skewed today.