21

Jan

8:19pm
Sumedha Chatterjee Ireland
Bogdanov comes alive: How the PLB magazine put him back on the map

Bogdanov comes alive: How the PLB magazine put him back on the map

Sumedha Chatterjee Ireland//8:19pm, Jan 21st '22

All things cultural have a smattering of bourgeoisie elements to them. Our conception of art, culture, literature, our leisurely pursuits reek of bourgeoisie elements. Which sometimes makes me ask whether the proletarians have a culture of their own. Are they capable of making contributions to something which is usurped by the bourgeoisie? This is where Bogdanov stepped in. Bogged with this question for decades, Bogdanov had time and again attempted to destroy the bourgeois elements embedded within both science and the arts and reconstituting them as proletarian endeavors.

His life, spent as an architect of the cultural revolution, was marred by exiles and philosophical pursuits. A revolutionary who wore many hats, he was a cultural theorist ,science fiction writer, professor, political revolutionary, and economist. Bogdanov was a strong proponent of the arts, co-founding the Proletarian Culture (Proletkult) organization to provide political and artistic education to workers. Forgotten in the annals of history, the book ART AND THE WORKING CLASS sheds light on his views. For instance, for him proletarian poetry was, a means of organizing collective action. He showed the mirror to bourgeoisie academia and the theories propounded by them. On their understanding of poetry, he wrote “ Our theorists, in keeping with the aristocratic and partly bourgeois tradition—who regard art as an “ornament of life,” as a kind of luxury—do not understand to what degree they contradict themselves when, at the same time, they recognize that art holds an educational meaning; that is to say, a practical and organizational meaning.”

If you read this blogs then why not try out the books!!!
Image
Click here to check out the Peace, Land and Bread

It indeed was a delight to read his works. Which is now far more accessible due to the PLB magazine. The translation of Bogdanov’s works retain textual fidelity, which often goes for a toss under bourgeoisie academia. This truly brings out the revolutionary aspect of art, which, thanks to capitalism, has been stripped off any revolutionary quality it held. As I see Bogdanov come alive, at the helm of late stage capitalism, I am able to reaffirm my faith in the emancipatory potential of art. The introduction to the book reads like a dream, and again does a stellar job of asserting the importance of proletarian art. The beautiful translation done by Taylor R. Genovese is an attempt at a working class analysis of art. It indeed serves as a motivation for those who want a better world for the generations to come.

There is no catch. As Marxists, we believe that theory is for everyone. Reading theory, infusion of the same with praxis should be done outside the halls of academia. The PLB magazine is ensuring that theory is accessible to all. Works such as this one can be read for free and are not loaded with over complicated jargon. The publishing house of the magazine, Iskra Books, named after the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party's early 1900s political newspaper, publishes original scholarly works in theory, history, natural science, arts, and culture, as well as new translations and out-of-print works, in the tradition of revolutionary working-class and anti-imperialist politics. This is a welcome step for revolutionaries all across the globe. The magazine is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal produced by the international research center, the Center for Communist Studies. It aims to bridge the divide between academic and public scholarship.

Breakthrough that smashed the shackles of autocracy
Gennady Zyuganov Chairman Communist Party of Russian Federation//12:51am, May 22nd '21

Breakthrough that smashed the shackles of autocracy

Great October Socialist Revolution - a breakthrough that smashed the shackles of autocracy and capitalist oppression. It created a state that embodied the deeply cherished dreams of humanity. Working people....

Read More
Taiwan's Election Dilemma
Jerry Grey Australia//8:10pm, Dec 6th '23

Taiwan's Election Dilemma

Taiwan needs to be forewarned of putting too many eggs into the USA basket as a significant body of evidence prove that doing so, will be harmful to their long-term health. Duplicitous US policies make....

Read More
Will Biden fix his mess in Syria
Steven Sahiounie USA//10:33pm, Nov 11th '20

Will Biden fix his mess in Syria

US President Donald Trump promised to end America’s wars, and bring the troops home; however, as his four years in office are coming to a close, he was unable to fulfill his 2016 campaign promise, but....

Read More
The capitalist resistance over environmental protection
Nuwan Bopege Sri Lanka//10:55am, Jun 5th '21

The capitalist resistance over environmental protection

The scientists forecast that the global average temperature would rise of between 3 and 5 degrees by the end of this century. In other words, vast areas of the planet, including many densely populated....

Read More
The United States Men’s National Soccer Team and Its Quest for Hegemonic Dominance
Luis Lazaro Tijerina USA//11:41pm, Nov 29th '22

The United States Men’s National Soccer Team and Its Quest for Hegemonic Dominance

I. EXCEPTIONALISM AND NATIONALISM The United States Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT) has always been about class, money and white boys in the effort to achieve hegemony at the FIFA World Cup. Neither....

Read More
Ideological work in the new era of socialism in China - Part 2
Gabriel Martinez//12:04am, Sep 22nd '22

Ideological work in the new era of socialism in China - Part 2

… click here to read the previous partThe struggle against the marginalization of Marxism and the reaffirmation of its continuing relevanceOne of the main examples of this problem in the ideological....

Read More