Theory and Practice of Marxism

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         Karl Marx (1818-1883)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Karl_Marx_001.jpg/220px-Karl_Marx_001.jpg
THEORY AND PRACTICE OF MARXISM (POS 309)
Course Outline
Marxism is unquestionably one of the most prominent philosophies of recent centuries.  It is also probably the philosophy about which everybody has an opinion.  Unfortunately, consensus on the meaning and/or value of Marxism has always been infrequent.  This divergence may stem from an irreconcilation of Marxism and the sort of doctrinal posturing typically sought-after in political theory.  But it is also surely due in part to the fact that many interpretations and applications of Marxism owe little if anything to Marx’s actual writings. In this class, we will examine some of the central texts of the history of Marxism, including those of Marx and Engels and those of some of their varied interpreters, to get a handle on Marxism as a theory and a practice.
  
We will be reading Marx primarily as a philosopher – though a philosopher with interest in economics, politics, and, of course, revolutionary strategy.  Some familiarity with the history of Western political thought will be helpful in this class. We will be covering a lot of material in this class; readings will often be both very long and remarkably difficult.  Your assignments will require that you commit serious time and attention to the texts.

The course is organized around three broad, interrelated themes in Marx’s work.  First, we will examine Marx’s epistemology and method.  One of the most woefully neglected areas of Marx scholarship, his articulation of how we know things is crucial to understanding his later claims of what we (can) know. Second, we will examine Marx’s politics.  Here we will focus on how Marx fits into the history of modern political thought, his critique of political and philosophical liberalism, and his theory of how (if at all) we produce history.  Third, we will examine Marx’s economics.  Marx is of course known primarily for his analysis of capitalism, and examining his perspective on the internal organizations of our economic system should raise questions relevant questions about its relation to human freedom.

In the end, I hope we will all emerge with a greater understanding of the provocations and insights of Marxist political theory, able to assess the value and relevance of Marxism unhindered by the polemics endemic to either side of the Cold War and the extant New World Order.




Topics
1.     Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Marxism
2.     The historical development of Marxism
-      The Hegelian Dialectic
-      Dialectical Materialism
-      The Economic Interpretation of History
-      Historical Materialism/Materialist Conception of History
3.     The highpoints of Marxism
-      Marxian Theory of State
-      The Doctrine of the Surplus Value
-      Marx on Religion
-      The Doctrine of Class Struggle
-      Proletarian Dictatorship and Socialist Transformation
-      The Withering Away of the State
-      Socialism and Communism
4.     A Critique of Marxism
5.     Communism after Marx
-      Leninism
-      Stalinism
-      Maoism
-      African Socialism
6.     The Practice of Marxism
-      Russian Experience
-      Chinese Experience
-      Experience in Eastern Europe
-      Cuban Experience
-      African Experience????????
7.     Perestroika and Glasnost: Economic and Political Restructuring in the leading Communist Economy
8.     Marxism and the New World Order
Required Texts


1.     Marx, k and Engels, F (1977) Manifesto of the Communist Party (Moscow: Progress Publishers)
2.     Marx, k (1970) A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (Moscow: Novosti Press)
3.     Lenin, V.I (1971) The State and Revolution (Moscow: Progress Publishers)
4.     Engels, F (1975) On Marx (Perking: Foreign Language Press)
5.     Engels, F (1978) Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (new York: International Publishers Co)
6.     Marx, k (1967) Das Kapital (London: Allen and Unwin)
7.     Asirvathan, E and Misra, K (2008) Political Theory (New Delhi; s. Chand and Co LTD)
8.     Marx, k and Engels, F (1981) The Socialist Revolution (Moscow: Progress Publishers)

Best of Luck
‘Lanre Olu-Adeyemi, Phd.

 March 2017.

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