Victor's Children

Understanding Russia Today, w/ Simon Pirani Anyone trying to understand Russia in the context of the war unleashed by Putin and co. on Ukraine will find little of use in the mainstream media, and a lot of left media isn't much better. This episode presents an interview with Simon Pirani about capitalism and politics in Russia today. Simon has written extensively on contemporary Russia as well as on the Russian Revolution, and discussed Stalinism on ep. 3 of Victor's Children. https://soundcloud.com/user-737267994/episode-3-stalinism-and-the-future-of-socialism-part-i?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Simon's website; https://peopleandnature.wordpress.com Simon recommends Ilya Matveev's recent article "Between Political and Economic Imperialism: Russia's Shifting Global Strategy" https://brill.com/view/journals/jlso/aop/article-10.1163-24714607-bja10043/article-10.1163-24714607-bja10043.xml?rskey=tHGbWa&result=1 For discussion of what stance socialists in so-called Canada should take to Russia's war on Ukraine, check this out: Episode 14: Russia Out of Ukraine, and No to NATO Too! by Solidarity Winnipeg https://soundcloud.com/solidarity-winnipeg-sw/swpod-ukraine-ep-final?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Far Right Mobilizes & Workplace Organizing at Canada Post The far right-led action in Ottawa against pandemic public health measures was the largest mobilization by the far right in so-called Canada since the 1930s, so this episode opens with analysis from Todd Gordon. Next is an interview with Edmonton CUPW organizer Roland Schmidt about building workplace power among postal workers in that city and some of its broader lessons. Judy Rebick and Corvin Russell's article, which appeared after the episode of Victor's Children on the politics of the pandemic, helps explain the situation the far right has taken advantage of: The Left is nowhere on COVID. And that’s a big problem. https://rabble.ca/columnists/the-left-is-nowhere-on-covid-and-thats-a-big-problem/ David's 2018 article on fighting the right is dated in some respects but still relevant: The far right, the hard right, and our fight against them https://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/the-far-right-the-hard-right-and-our-fight-against-them

The Politics of the Pandemic A discussion with Nora Loreto, Daniel Sarah Karasik and Corvin Russell about the politics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Canadian state, how the NDP and the radical left have responded, and the politics we need going forward. Nora Loreto (@nolore)'s new book Spin Doctors: How Media and Politicians Misdiagnosed the COVID-19 Pandemic. https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/spin-doctors Daniel Sarah Karasik (@JoyAndDefiance)'s new article "Against Pandemic Realism" https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/against-pandemic-realism/

Transgender Liberation, Transgender Marxism An interview with Jules Joanne Gleason, co-editor of Transgender Marxism, about gender, the politics of trans liberation and their universal implications, and transgender marxism. If you're unfamiliar with the subject of this episode, this is worth reading: Notes on women, men, trans and intersex: "the gender binary does not fit the facts" https://www.rs21.org.uk/2016/10/24/notes-on-women-men-trans-and-intersex-the-gender-binary-does-not-fit-the-facts/ To learn more: Transgender Marxism https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745341668/transgender-marxism/ Shanice McBean, "'I Was Born a Baby, Not a Boy:' Sex, Gender and Trans Liberation" https://www.rs21.org.uk/2020/07/21/i-was-born-a-baby-not-a-boy-sex-gender-and-trans-liberation-2/ Three essays mentioned by Jules in the episode: Gayle Rubin, "The Traffic in Women: Notes on the 'Political Economy' of Sex" https://summermeetings2013.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/rubin-traffic.pdf Nat Raha, "The Limits of Trans Liberalism" https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/2245-the-limits-of-trans-liberalism-by-nat-raha Jules Joanne Gleason and Nathaniel Dickson, "The Future of Trans Politics" https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/4269-the-future-of-trans-politics

China Today & the Politics of China in Canada w/ Ralf Ruckus and Vincent Wong China's growing power in the world and the worsening rivalry between "Western" states and China make it ever-more important for leftists to understand China. This episode presents an interview with Ralf Ruckus, author of the new book The Communist Road to Capitalism: How Social Unrest and Containment Have Pushed China's (R)evolution Since 1949, about China today. Ideas about China are becoming more prominent in politics in the Canadian state. Vincent Wong, author of a recent article on China and the left in Canada in Briarpatch, looks at how China is being discussed, anti-Chinese racism, and China and the left. If you want to learn more: Ralf Ruckus, The Communist Road to Capitalism: How Social Unrest and Containment Have Pushed China's (R)evolution since 1949 https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1149 Vincent Wong, China, the Canadian left, and countering state capitalist apologia https://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/china-the-canadian-left-and-countering-state-capitalist-apologia Lausan Collective https://lausan.hk/ Ralf Ruckus's site 闹清楚 [nau̯ tɕʰiŋ ʈʂʰu] https://nqch.org 工潮 [gʊŋ'ʧaʊ] | gongchao.org | info + debate on china https://www.gongchao.org Chuangcn.org journal and blog https://chuangcn.org/ China Labour Bulletin https://clb.org.hk/ Wu Yiching, The Cultural Revolution at the Margins https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674728790 Vincent Wong And Kennes Lin on Anti-Asian racism and workers struggles in Canada https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2021/09/01/the-racist-history-of-chinese-labour-in-canada-shows-not-much-has-changed-deemed-essential-but-still-invisible.html

Imperialism, w/ Todd Gordon An interview with Todd Gordon about imperialism today and Canadian imperialism. This is a rerelease of a recent episode of the Solidarity Winnipeg Podcast. Some of Todd's writing on imperialism: Todd Gordon, Imperialist Canada https://arpbooks.org/Books/I/Imperialist-Canada Todd Gordon and Jeffery Webber, Blood of Extraction https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/blood-of-extraction Todd Gordon and Jeffery Webber, Complex Stratification in the World System: Capitalist Totality and Geopolitical Fragmentation https://www.academia.edu/41453902/Complex_Stratification_in_the_World_System_Capitalist_Totality_and_Geopolitical_Fragmentation

Dialectics Demystified, w/ David McNally Marxism is usually associated with the concept of dialectics, but what is dialectics? Is Marxist theory "dialectical materialism"? Should dialectics be rejected as "unscientific," as mainstream academics argue? Or should it be discarded as part of European Enlightenment ideology that makes false claims to universal truth, as others claim? David McNally discusses these issues in a clear and accessible way. *Producer's Note* Any audio glitches or dropouts are the result of internet issues at the time of recording. The content of the discussion was not edited or altered in any way. David McNally's website: https://www.davidmcnally.org Suggested reading If you're interested in reading about the topic, try "The Philosophy of Internal Relations," Chapter 3 of Bertell Ollman's book Alienation. https://web.archive.org/web/20170706054213/http://www.nyu.edu/projects/ollman/docs/a_ch03.php

Barnaby Raine, socialist scholar and PhD candidate at Columbia studying visions of capitalism’s end. He defines campism and 'tanky' politics, traces their history from Molotov-Ribbentrop to 1968, and contrasts old Soviet apologias with today’s pessimistic defenses of autocratic states. He argues for socialism as democratic popular power, explores campism’s emotional appeal, and discusses building felt, future-focused emancipatory politics.

Should Socialists Take Union Staff Jobs? Katherine Grzejszczak, Gene McGuckin and Sherry Wolf, three socialists with a lot of union experience, discuss this question. If you want to learn more: Kim Moody's writing on "the rank-and-file strategy" is a must-read for socialists. For a start, check out "In Defense of the Rank-and-File Strategy" https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/06/rank-and-file-strategy-kim-moody-labor-unions Kate Doyle Griffiths, "The Rank and File Strategy on New Terrain." https://spectrejournal.com/the-rank-and-file-strategy-on-new-terrain/ On bureaucracy and unions, see David Camfield, "What is Trade Union Bureaucracy? A Theoretical Account." https://spectrejournal.com/the-rank-and-file-strategy-on-new-terrain/

In this episode, Alex de Jong discusses Stalinist politics, including Maoism, outside the so-called "Communist" societies, and why it's still important to understand them today. If you haven't listened to Episode 3: Stalinism and the Future of Socialism (Part I), which deals with the history of the USSR and China, you might want to listen to that first. By Alex de Jong: "The Philippine Left in a Changing Land" - New Politics https://newpol.org/issue_post/the-philippine-left-in-a-changing-land/ If you want to learn more: A good book on the early years of Stalinist politics outside the USSR is Duncan Hallas, The Comintern. On these politics later in the 20th century, see Ernest Mandel, From Stalinism to Eurocommunism. On Maoism, start with Elliott Liu, Maoism and the Chinese Revolution: A Critical Introduction. On the Communist Party of Canada, listen to Episode 4 of Victor's Children.