Roland Boer's Blog, page 60

Something strange is happening in Russia: reclaiming the Soviet era

Many strange things happen in Russia, but this is one of the more intriguing. Not so long ago, I was told while in Russia that one could not speak of Marxism directly in many circles. Marxism is a dirty word, I was told; indeed, there are no Marxists of any influence. The only way to undertake research on Marxism and find a job in a university was to focus on the various forms of the opposition to Lenin and Stalin.

Something has changed. It began with an invitation from Algoritm Press to writ...

Kim Il Sung and Grace Before a Meal

I have been meaning to write something on the increasing shift in Russia to appreciating the positives of the Soviet era. Or rather, the increasing numbers of Russian scholars at Chinese conferences drawing upon the Soviet experience for common ground with China. However, that will have to wait, for my bed-time reading of late has been none other thanAnecdotes of the Life of Kim Il Sung, the founding president of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. So here is the first of a selection,...

Stalin’s reinterpretation of Marx’s 11th thesis

I am working on an article that will eventually form part of the Stalin book, called ‘The Delay of Communism’. I came across yet another text from Stalin where the poet of old comes to the fore, now in terms of reinterpreting Marx’s 11th thesis on Feuerbach:

The adoption, as a starting point, of the repudiation of all doctrinairism (Right and Left) when changing strategy and tactics, when working out new strategic plans and tactical lines (Kautsky, Axelrod, Bogdanov, Bukharin), repudiation of...

How to sleep in airports

Having recently spent more than five hours asleep at Frankfurt airport (but also having spent too much money on dodgy ‘airport hotels’ in the past), I stumbled on this intriguing site: Sleeping in Airports. All you might want to know and more, such as the best and worst hotels for sleeping, tips for the best places, how to get cheap food and free showers, and so on. My favourite has to be the tips page.

Some of the more useful suggestions:

If you are travelling solo take a pen and some post-i...

Wonderful Chinese expression

I like this one. It is an idiomatic expression usually translated as ‘Let me explain’.

The Chinese is:你听我说 (nǐ tīng wǒ shuō).

A more literal translation is: you listen, I speak!

Which Marxist’s collected works were published first in China?

I am working my way through a fascinating journal series calledMarxist Studies in China. The journal began in 2008 and, as one would expect, covers a range of topics. Last night I was particularly intrigued by an article by Cheng Enfu and Hu Leming, called ‘Sixty Years of Studies on Marxist Theory in China’. They point out that in 1953 the Bureau of the Central Committee of the CPC for the Translation of the Works of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin was established.

And who of these Marxists wa...

Revised outline of book: Stalin, Philosophy and Religion

It has taken a while, with preliminary studies and articles before I managed to gain a clear sense of this book. So, a revised outline:

The focus of the book is the thought of Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jugashvili in relation to philosophy and religion. Much of the material I analyse relates explicitly and – more often – implicitly to religion, if not theology. Such topics include language, human nature, the delay of communism, and the patterns of veneration and demonization. The concern with theol...

The Old Fogey Panel

I have been to more conferences than I care to remember and have often listened to old, old fogeys spouting forth. But one of the more fascinating experiences is when some very old man or woman ends up delivering a mish-mash of odd ideas, if not simply rambling on incoherently. I have wondered about knowing when to stop, when your mind and mouth are no longer what they used to be. I guess it requires someone else to tell you.

But over the last few days another idea hit me: an old fogey panel...

Refugee Train across Europe

(I posted this one over atVoyages on the Left, but thought I would post it here too.)

‘Where are you from?’ I asked.

‘Syria’, said the young man.

‘Do you speak English?’ I asked.

He smiled and shook his head. Some minutes later, his friend arrived and they asked me about their train ticket. Or rather, they showed it to me, with quizzical faces. Their final destination was Kiel, in the north of Germany, which required a change in Hamburg. I promised to help them when we arrived in Hamburg.

I n...

A very short history of modern ‘terrorism’

In light of all the hyperbole over the recent attacks in Paris, it may be worthwhile to remind ourselves of the modern history of ‘terrorism’. To begin with, it was the favoured mode of the radical Anabaptist groups in the sixteenth century. In the wake of the Münster Revolution of 1534-35, the most radical part of Europe at the time was the northern Netherlands, especially in the areas of Friesland and Groningen. Here squads of some hundreds engaged in systematic ‘terrorism’, including arson...