CTSJ 190 How to Build the Revolution: Marxist Theories of Organization
‘Socialism’ and ‘Marxism’ have become subversive buzzwords in the political atmosphere today, but how did activists inspired by Marxist thought actually conceptualize and organize movements for social change? This course will provide a basic introduction to Marxist theories of organization, with an emphasis on how different Marxists have built political groups and movements to challenge political power in the US. We will begin by reading primary texts in early socialist movements, from the Erfurt Programme to Eugene Debs’ speeches. The rest of the course will cover other historical and contemporary applications of Marxist organizational theories, from the US Communist Party’s organizing with Black communities in the 1930s to recent queer and feminist campaigns to call for abolishing work and the nuclear family.