Category: The Press

E.P. Thompson and the Making of the New Left reviewed in Radical Ruminations

Winslow produced an excellent book. The essays hang together as proposals for, and responses to, the first New Left and as evidence of the intimate connection between Thompson's historical writing and his politics. They provide a twofold intellectual history of those dramatic years. Thompson is powerful and elegant; Winslow is as passionate about intellectuals in socialist politics as Thompson was when he wrote these indispensable essays. But we need to understand what they built on.

Social Structure and Forms of Consciousness reviewed in International Socialism

Karl Marx wrote, "It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness." With this in mind, István Mészáros uses this two-volume work to locate the philosophy and political economy of the past few centuries within the capitalist mode of production. Capitalist relations of production produce ideological imperatives that are expressed by bourgeois intellectuals, who Marx called the "hired prize fighters" of the bourgeoisie.

10/25: Book Launch for E.P. Thompson and the Making of the New Left with Cal Winslow

Join us Saturday, October 25th to celebrate Cal Winslow and his latest book, E.P. Thompson and the Making of the New Left, in Sausalito, CA. In his early years, Cal studied with the brilliant scholar and activist, E.P. Thompson, author of the acclaimed historical masterpiece The Making of the English Working Class. Thompson was also a political activist and strategist who played a key role in shaping the New Left of the 1960's. He engaged with workers, unions, political parties, elections and co-founded the New Left Review. Cal's new book explains the critical role that Thompson played in shaping New Left thinking in Britain, America and around the world – with insights that remain valuable and relevant for political activists today.

Listen to a Talk by Jeb Sprague from His Book Tour

Listen to a Talk by Jeb Sprague from His Book Tour

Jeb Sprague is the author of Paramilitarism and the Assault on Democracy in Haiti, new from Monthly Review Press. He is currently on a North American book tour. This talk was recorded on September 15, 2012 at the University of Victoria in Victoria, Canada. The audio is on the website of Gorilla Radio, a show on Victoria Radio FM 102.1.

I already know what the future holds… (Contributor to “A Land With A People” featured in +972 mag)

I already know what the future holds… (Contributor to “A Land With A People” featured in +972 mag)

We, the subsequent generations of Palestine, take great pride in saying we’re Palestinian citizens, sons, and fathers — but not out of jingoistic patriotism, or national arrogance, but because it has become an imperative assertion amid the systemic violence designed to erase our identity and presence in toto. Right now, over a half of the overall Palestinian population is in exile and diaspora. My son and I are among those remaining Palestinians who can still bear witness to Palestine and feel it in person, even if only a limited part of it.