Education in the Age of Neoliberal Dystopia is a timely Marxist intervention into the history of education and the detrimental effects its neoliberalization has had in capitalist countries, which is contrasted with the educational systems in socialist countries like Cuba, China, and the former USSR. It also challenges dominant Western "Marxist" perspectives on science and education.
Endorsements Education in the Age of Neoliberal Dystopia is a powerful examination of education at this current historical juncture where radical possibilities for alternative futures have been hijacked by the agents and agencies of neoliberal capitalism, sending a bolt into the very heart of Benjamin's Angel of History. At a time in which we are still in the process of reclaiming some edifice of knowledge, some secure construction of political agency, some necessary center, some sanctuary of closure, after being pummeled by postmodernist thinkers who took away opportunities by which to grasp the foundations of our moral obligations to one another as agents of liberation, and who turned us all into doomsday forecasters stocking up on luxury survival kits, Yanis Iqbal offers us a profound Marxist analysis of the current state of social decay. And in doing so he presents us with a critical architecture by which to contemplate a new beginning. Peter McLaren is Distinguished Professor in Critical Studies, College of Educational Studies, Chapman University, where he is Co-Director of the Paulo Freire Democratic Project and International Ambassador for Global Ethics and Social Justice. |
With his well-researched and sociologically enriched book, Yanis Iqbal has reminded us--and that too with heightened theoretical sophistication--the devastating consequences of the neoliberal assault on education. All those who seek to recover the spirit of critical pedagogy and emancipatory education ought to read this wonderful book written by one of our finest young scholars.
Avijit Pathak retired as a Professor from the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, after a teaching career spanning 31 years.
This book reveals how capitalist ideology distorts the proper functions of education (to enrich and enlighten the mind to enable individuals collectively to maximize their abilities and experiences) in order to perpetuate a socio-political regime based on exploitation and racism. The chapter on Soviet education as it evolved from the revolution was especially interesting in showing how the first pro-people education system was developed.
Thomas Riggins, retired philosophy teacher (NYU, The New School, and others), former associate editor at Political Affairs, Chief Editorial Counselor at the Midwestern Marx Institute.
A superb exposition of a creative Marxist critique of capitalist education and the futility of its western “Marxist” critics. This book will surely be a must read for anyone working in critical education studies.
Carlos L. Garrido is a philosophy instructor at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Director of the Midwestern Marx Institute.
The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense demanded an "Education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society and that teaches us our true history and our role in the present-day society." Yanis Iqbal's work is a step in the direction of building this type of self-determining educational system for our class. His deep dive into how capitalism has corrupted and stolen the joy from the educational system reveals why our high-schools are more than ever drop-out factories and our curricula part of the miseducation of our youth.
Danny Shaw, professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Director of the Midwestern Marx Institute International Department
Avijit Pathak retired as a Professor from the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, after a teaching career spanning 31 years.
This book reveals how capitalist ideology distorts the proper functions of education (to enrich and enlighten the mind to enable individuals collectively to maximize their abilities and experiences) in order to perpetuate a socio-political regime based on exploitation and racism. The chapter on Soviet education as it evolved from the revolution was especially interesting in showing how the first pro-people education system was developed.
Thomas Riggins, retired philosophy teacher (NYU, The New School, and others), former associate editor at Political Affairs, Chief Editorial Counselor at the Midwestern Marx Institute.
A superb exposition of a creative Marxist critique of capitalist education and the futility of its western “Marxist” critics. This book will surely be a must read for anyone working in critical education studies.
Carlos L. Garrido is a philosophy instructor at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Director of the Midwestern Marx Institute.
The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense demanded an "Education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society and that teaches us our true history and our role in the present-day society." Yanis Iqbal's work is a step in the direction of building this type of self-determining educational system for our class. His deep dive into how capitalism has corrupted and stolen the joy from the educational system reveals why our high-schools are more than ever drop-out factories and our curricula part of the miseducation of our youth.
Danny Shaw, professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Director of the Midwestern Marx Institute International Department
The similarities between early Christianity and Marxism are incredible. Both hold the hope of improving the plight of humankind. Where Christianity sees a better future in Heaven through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ Marxism sees a better future here on Earth through the worker's struggle for freedom from class exploitation.
Presented in chronological order the book begins with an essay by Friedrich Engels comparing the two ideologies. He examines the material and historical roots of Christianity and shows how Marxism has a similar origin and is actually the precursor to Marxism. Lenin then provides his own views on Engels’s hypothesis while explaining the perspective of the Russian communists’ stance towards religion as a whole in the early 1900s. Lastly, Dr. Thomas Riggins writes his contemporary breakdown of both Engels’s work and Lenin’s while contrasting the current developments of Marxism and Christianity up to our day. This brief collection provides a historically progressing snapshot of how material reality moves from one century to the next within the context of these two polarizing social trends. Both Christianity and Marxism have taken huge leaps forward, and giant steps back but both, as with all things, keep progressing and evolving. This book brings us to where we are today in the religious and political landscape by providing a wonderful view of the past as well as posing interesting questions about the future of humanity and the roles that these two world-changing ideologies will play. It is sure to stir up debate and provide delicious food for thought. It is a must-read for Christians and Marxists alike. |
Danny Shaw's This is Genocide! Forty-eight poems for Gaza is a cry of indignation against the extermination campaign the world is watching play out in what is left of Palestine. The poet asks why are we — the underdog, the oppressed, the occupied, the colonized, the Global Palestinian Family and the vast global majority — on the defensive when recent history and the truth is clearly anti-Zionist? The book begins with an extensive introduction "Palestine vs. The Capitalist World" which uses the Marxist method to evaluate the powerful forces which have contracted since 1948 in an attempt to exterminate the indigenous Arab nation. Part II., "October 7th The Children of the Craters," is an epic poem composed of forty-eight stanzas which offers a different historical and spiritual view of what happened on that Saturday and what it means for humanity. The forty-eight poems that follow are kryptonite to the Zionist and capitalist aplogists for this ongoing genocide. Shaw takes on the liberals and conservatives and their main pundits for their hypocrisy and silence over the past four months as the children of Palestine are disappeared by the thousands. The final section is a syllabus which the professor and the Midwestern Marx Institute have used to teach the anti-colonial history of Palestine since October 7th. Those new to the Palestinian liberation struggle as well as veterans of anti-colonial resistance are sure to take away a great deal from this poetic cri de coeur which seeks to blast through all forms of shadow banning, deplatforming and censorship and give voice to a nation that has been silenced for seventy-five years.
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Endorsements for This is Genocide!
"Danny Shaw knows resistance to imperialism when he sees it, Haiti to Angola, Louisiana to Gaza. And he knows liberalism when he sees it, New York to London to Tel Aviv. His is the tradition of Robeson, Brecht, Gary Hicks."
Wadi'h Halabi, Communist Party USA, Palestinian refugee, former Gaza resident, student of the material basis for revolutionary optimism today
“Was October 7th a ‘terrorist attack’ or a prison break?” With this simple yet profound question, Danny Shaw, in his brilliant book of poetry and prose, This is Genocide! Forty-eight Poems for Gaza, lands the issue of Palestinian liberation on its proper dialectical/historical ground. This book is a must read for anyone who not only wants to know more about the crimes committed by imperialism against the heroic people of Palestine, but also wants to see more vividly the human side of this ongoing tragedy."
Bahman Azad, President, United States Peace Council
"A masterful exposition of revolutionary art that serves and enlightens humanity on the most consequential affair of our era." -
Carlos L. Garrido, Director Midwestern Marx Institute
"Danny Shaw gives a voice to the anger and despair that so many of us in the West have felt while witnessing Israel’s genocide in Gaza through our phones."
Edward Liger Smith, Director Midwestern Marx Institute
"Danny Shaw knows resistance to imperialism when he sees it, Haiti to Angola, Louisiana to Gaza. And he knows liberalism when he sees it, New York to London to Tel Aviv. His is the tradition of Robeson, Brecht, Gary Hicks."
Wadi'h Halabi, Communist Party USA, Palestinian refugee, former Gaza resident, student of the material basis for revolutionary optimism today
“Was October 7th a ‘terrorist attack’ or a prison break?” With this simple yet profound question, Danny Shaw, in his brilliant book of poetry and prose, This is Genocide! Forty-eight Poems for Gaza, lands the issue of Palestinian liberation on its proper dialectical/historical ground. This book is a must read for anyone who not only wants to know more about the crimes committed by imperialism against the heroic people of Palestine, but also wants to see more vividly the human side of this ongoing tragedy."
Bahman Azad, President, United States Peace Council
"A masterful exposition of revolutionary art that serves and enlightens humanity on the most consequential affair of our era." -
Carlos L. Garrido, Director Midwestern Marx Institute
"Danny Shaw gives a voice to the anger and despair that so many of us in the West have felt while witnessing Israel’s genocide in Gaza through our phones."
Edward Liger Smith, Director Midwestern Marx Institute
Book Endorsements
Thomas Riggins draws sharp lines between the democracy of the people -- the downtrodden, the spat upon, the humiliated -- and Kautsky's liberal conception of peace between the oppressors and the oppressed. "Communist" misleadership today intentionally misinterprets these Marxist fundamentals, tasking us, the militant rank and file, to wage internal party struggle to right the ship. Danny Shaw, professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice In On Lenin’s Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky, we find a timely commentary and contextualization of Lenin’s historic text. Dr. Riggins concisely explores Lenin’s polemic with Kautsky and draws important homologies to the communist leadership of today, especially in the West. It is an essential read for all communists struggling against a moribund capitalist-imperialism in the belly of the beast. Carlos L. Garrido, Co-Director of the Midwestern Marx Institute Thomas Riggins shows us that Marxism is not a lifeless dogma but a living theory by analyzing the work of the great Lenin and revealing its relevance for the modern day struggle. Edward Liger Smith, Co-Director of the Midwestern Marx Institute Every revolutionary era has its counter-revolutionaries who masquerade as Marxists and Communists. Lenin eviscerates the counter-revolutionary distortions of his era and of Karl Kautsky in particular in The Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky. Dr. Riggins carries on the tradition in this modern exposition of that classic text, explaining the blatant opportunism and liberalism of our contemporary fake left. Another nail in the coffin of the last era and another step forward into a bright, revolutionary future for the USA. Noah Khrachvik, Co-Director of the Midwestern Marx Institute |
View Full Book Endorsements HERE
In The Purity Fetish and the Crisis of Western Marxism, Carlos L. Garrido provides a comprehensive development of his concept of the purity fetish, tracing the outlook to the Eleatic school of Ancient Greek philosophy, and showing how it has appeared in 20th century Western Marxism and in contemporary U.S. socialism. In every form the purity fetish takes in Western Marxism's politics, one finds not only the failure to obtain truth, but the inability to create a revolutionary movement Endorsements: "This book will soon become a must-read for anyone who is serious about the socialist road and the goal of communism."- Roland Boer "This book is a healthy antidote to the widespread infantile leftism that infects the American left." - Thomas Riggins "This book—a clarion call for the collective project of building socialism—should be widely read and discussed!"- Gabriel Rockhill "In adroitly dissecting the philosophical underpinnings of what passes for Marxism in the academy... Carlos Garrido demonstrates the importance of theoretical education in dialectical materialism for the class struggle in the contemporary conjuncture."- Helmut-Harry Loewen "Garrido’s accessible philosophical discussion is indispensable for understanding much of the Western left’s inability to think dialectically, to truly follow Hegel and Marx rather than just invoke them, to understand the struggle for socialism as it is, rather than as it might be in the politically juvenile imaginations of so many." - Radhika Desai "Garrido's book is a valuable tool in the struggle to build a symbiotic relationship of solidarity, comradeship, respect and mutual learning between the Western left and the socialist world." - Carlos Martinez |
Carlos Martinez is an independent researcher and political activist from London, Britain. He is the co-founder of No Cold War and Friends of Socialist China, and the author of The End of the Beginning: Lessons of the Soviet Collapse (LeftWord Books, 2019).
In No Great Wall: On the Continuities of the Chinese Revolution, Martinez concisely traces the history of the Chinese revolution from the formation of the Communist Party of China in 1919, to the current Xi Jinping era. Contrary to those who argue there was a betrayal of the revolution in 1978 with Deng Xiaoping's Reform and Opening Up, Martinez lucidly shows how the Chinese revolution has been a continuous process, adjusting its governance in accord to changes in national and geopolitical contexts. This collection also includes the essay "Will China Suffer the Same Fate as the Soviet Union?" which relates the development of the Chinese revolution to the Soviet, and "The CPC: The Most Successful Political Party in History," which reflects on the successes of the Chinese revolution following the 20th National Congress of the CPC. |
Eurocommunism: A Critical Reading of Santiago Carrillo and Eurocommunist Revisionism critically examines the theoretical foundations behind Santiago Carrillo's development of Eurocommunism and explores how the Eurocommunist parties ended, and how certain supposed anti-Eurocommunist parties in the West have come to accept some of Eurocommunism's central tenets.
In this text, Dr. Thomas Riggins richly juxtaposes Eurocommunist revisionism to traditional Marxism/Marxism-Leninism, and embeds this theoretical discussion within the historical and political context of the influence of Eurocommunism within the international communist movement, both before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. |
There are few if any really good anthologies devoted to the topic of philosophical Marxism (Dialectical and Historical Materialism) which so thoroughly cover the dialectical method as the selections in this anthology.
Carlos L. Garrido, a philosophy instructor, PhD candidate at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, an activist in the struggle for socialism in the U.S., and a co-founder and editor of Midwestern Marx, a Marxist educational Institute, and the Journal of American Socialist Studies, has scoured the literature of both the classic Marxist thinkers (Marx, Engels, Lenin), two of their most influential followers who came to power by means of major revolutions (Stalin and Mao), as well as some of the most important thinkers whose work was informed by this classical tradition (Plekhanov, Bukharin, Bernal, Haldane, Olgin and Ilyenkov). Additionally, he has provided an exceptional systematization of the dialectical materialist worldview in his introduction to the anthology. These selections present the heart of the philosophy of Dialectical Materialism and aim to help students get to the essence of this view of reality in order to apply practically its lessons to contemporary political, economic and social problems. It is not intended for those who just want to read about reality, but for those who want, as Marx insisted, to change it as well. |
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Thomas Riggins is a retired philosophy and humanities teacher (NYU, The New School of Social Research, among others) who received a PhD in philosophy from the CUNY Graduate Center (1983). He has been active in the civil rights and peace movements since the 1960s when he was chairman of the Young People's Socialist League at Florida State University and also worked for CORE in voter registration in north Florida (Leon County). He has written for many online publications such as People's World and Political Affairs where he was an associate editor. Thomas is currently a Chief Editorial Counselor at Midwestern Marx and an editor for the Journal of American Socialist Studies. He also served on the board of the Bertrand Russell Society and was president of the Corliss Lamont chapter in New York City of the American Humanist Association.
Thomas Riggins' Reading the Classical Texts of Marxism provides commentary and social, scientific, and philosophical contextualization to classical texts in the Marxist canon such as Friedrich Engels' Anti-Dühring and V. I. Lenin's Materialism and Empirio-Criticism, State and Revolution, and Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder. For the beginner to readings in the Marxist tradition, this book will help break down and explain with a plethora of rich and contextual examples even the most complex of philosophical, scientific, and economic concepts in Marxism. The seasoned reader in the Marxist tradition will find that this text provides the contextualization and critiques necessary to sustain the theoretical relevance of Marxism into the 21st century. As more and more people are looking for alternatives to the existing order, Thomas Riggins' Reading the Classical Texts of Marxism provides a lucid and necessary account of the Marxist ideas which have haunted capitalism for the last nearly two centuries. |