February 1, 2026
Frederick Engels's
The Condition of the Working Class in England…has long been regarded by historians as the most systematic and thoroughgoing analysis of the deplorable conditions of the industrial working class in early Victorian England available from the times. Nevertheless, given the role that Engels's book played in the development of historical materialism, there have been continual attempts in the reigning ideology to prove his analysis wrong, all of which have failed dismally.
February 1, 2026
In this talk from the inaugural conference of the Society for Peace, Internationalism, and Ecology, John Bellamy Foster relates the story of Prometheus, as presented in the plays of Aeschylus, to Western Marxism's "dialectic of defeat," in which capitalism is portrayed as an unbreakable bond the working class. Instead, Foster says, we must recognize Prometheus as a subject who is freed from the seemingly inescapable fetters imposed upon him.
February 1, 2026
Using historical databases and quantitative analysis, Thomas E. Lambert calls into question the assertion that the trans-Atlantic slave trade can be considered a separate phenomenon, rather than a major supporting factor in, the Industrial Revolution in England. Asserting otherwise, he writes, is a to deny "a horrifying and inhuman part of the global history of capitalism."
February 1, 2026
In this illuminating article, Hèla Yousfi explores the history of solidarity of the Tunisian left and labor movements with the struggle for Palestinian liberation. Through this recounting, Yousfi is able to map out a history of how the brutal occupation of Palestine has influenced political consciousness not only in Tunisia, but throughout the Arab world.
February 1, 2026
Despite its relatively small size, the Mauritius increasingly is looming large in the geopolitical jostling in the Indian Ocean region. Tracing the country's often overlooked role in global affairs from the sixteenth century up until the present day, Stefan Gua provides readers with an insightful account of how politics both inside and outside of Mauritius reflect broader debates about colonialism, militarism, and self-determination.
February 1, 2026
Speaking before at the Opening Ceremony of the Fourth World Conference on Marxism in Beijing, John Bellamy Foster discusses the development of eco-Marxism and its relation to Marxist theory. Here, Foster argues, "eco-Marxism as we know it today is not simply another branch of Marxism," but is a pathway to the projects of complete socialism and ecological civilization.
February 1, 2026
A new poem by Marge Piercy.
February 1, 2026
Paul Buhle reviews
Insectopolis: A Natural History, a new graphic novel by Peter Kuper. In the book, Kuper, a prolific producer and publisher of left-wing comics, spins a tale of two siblings who find themselves in a world of insects. Through encounters with butterflies, beetles, ants, and more, Kuper reveals the deep entanglements between human society—at its best and worst—and the creatures of its living environment.
