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Democracy and Marxism with Peter Bratsis

The ethic of democracy is central to the project of Marxism. This class will examine the concept of democracy and how it has been incorporated within the Marxist tradition. The Marxist critique of liberal ‘democracy’ and the relation of democracy to human creation as well as economic production will also be interrogated. Readings will include works from Aristotle, Marx, Gramsci, Pannekoek, Luxemburg, Castoriadis, and Poulantzas.

(4:30–6:30pm): an eight week course — $15 per session or $100 for all eight sessions.

Readings will include:

Spet. 29, Week 1: Cornelius Castoriadis “The Greek Polis and the Invention of Democracy” in Philosophy, Politics, Autonomy

Oct. 6, Week 2: Conthttp://b‑ok.xyz/book/981479/71b4f2inuation of Castoridis and Book 1 of Aristotle’s Politics

Oct. 13, Week 3: Karl Marx, On the Jewish Question and Critique of the Gotha Program

Oct. 20, Week 4: Rosa Luxemburg, “Organizational Questions of Russian Social Democracy” and The Russian Revolution, in The Rosa Luxemburg Reader

Oct. 27, Week 5: Anton Pannekoek, Workers Councils, (Chapter 1, “The Task”, and 2, “The Fight”).

Nov. 3, Week 6: Jean-Paul Sartre, “Elections: A Trap for Fools”, and Claus Offe, “The Two Logics of Collective Action”

Nov. 10, Week 7: Antonio Gramsci, “The Modern Prince” and “State and Civil Society” in Selections from the Prison Notebooks

Nov. 17, Week 8: Nicos Poulantzas, State, Power, Socialism, (part 4, “The Decline of Dcmocracy”, and 5, “Toward a Democratic Socialism”)




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