Emancipations Podcast

New Currents in Marxism: From Degrowth Communism to Neo-Kautskyism feat. Richard Seymour

We welcome writer and Marxist thinker Richard Seymour back onto the show for a spirited discussion on new currents in Marxist thinking. In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss the contradictions and tensions between the concept of "degrowth communism", coined by eco-socialist thinker Kohei Saito, to another trend in Marxist and socialist thinking which is encapsulated by the name of "neo-Kautskyism", or the general tendency for a more productivist and working-class organized direction of socialist politics. We also discuss the legacy of Althusserian Marxism, class politics, the PMC debate and quagmire as well as Richard's intellectual trajectory, idealism and materialism and faith and spirituality. If you enjoy this conversation please consider joining us as a Patron for as little at $3 a month https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups

Sartre’s Existential Psychoanalysis feat. Mary L. Edwards

We are joined by Mary L. Edwards to discuss her new book Sartre's Existential Psychoanalysis: Knowing Others. We discuss Sartre's concept of bad faith, the in-itself and the for-itself and the challenge that his philosophy poses to psychoanalysis. We also discuss Sartre's psychobiographies on Jean Genet and Gustave Flaubert and what these works have to offer to psychoanalytic practice and theory. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups Link to Mary's book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/sartres... Mary Louise Edwards is a teacher in philosophy at Cardiff University, School of English, Communication and Philosophy. Mary researches and teaches existentialism, feminist philosophy, phenomenology, psychoanalysis, and philosophy of imagination.

Lukács, Irrationalism and Marxist Reason

In this episode, I expound on Lukács's later work and the meaning of irrationalism. I analyze Marxist reason in contradistinction to neo-Kantian thought and touch on what is most distinctive about philosophy for Marx and Engels and how Marx breaks with both Kant and Hegel. From a Marxist point of view, the practical aim of philosophy is to bring about human freedom and human freedom in capitalist society requires the activation and the organization of the proletariat to realize and overcome class domination.  References: Lukács, Georg The Destruction of Reason Verso Books, 2021 Lukács, Georg History and Class Consciousness MIT Press, 1992 Lukács, Georg "Moses Hess and the Problem of Idealist Dialectics" from Tactics and Ethics Verso Books, 2014 Lukács, Georg "Intellectual Workers’ and the Problem of Intellectual Leadership” from Tactics and Ethics Verso Books, 2014 Lenin, Vladimir "What Is to Be Done" https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1901/witbd Frederick C. Beiser The Genesis of Neo-Kantianism, 1796–1880 Oxford University Press, 2014 Rockmore, Tom Irrationalism: Lukacs and the Marxist View of Reason Temple University Press, 1991 Check out our symposium on Lukács' The Destruction of Reason (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE03jn2k3GYAWlu20REPquu3-R-_Snbef) Supplemental reading: Tutt, Daniel "The Question of Worldview and Class Struggle in Philosophy: On the Relevance of Lukács' The Destruction of Reason" Cosmonaut Magazine February, 2022 https://cosmonautmag.com/2022/02/the-question-of-worldview-and-class-struggle-in-philosophy-on-the-relevance-of-lukacss-worldview-marxism-and-the-destruction-of-reason To get early access to our interviews and talks please join us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups 

Stalinism and the Dialectics of Saturn feat. Doug Greene

We sit down with Doug Greene to discuss his latest work on Stalinism. In this interview, Greene describes who Stalin was, what his role in the Bolshevik movement was and how he came to power. Greene then provides a compelling analysis of different paradigms of how Stalinism has been conceptualized by intellectuals from Arthur Koestler, Jean-Paul Sartre, Antonio Gramsci, to heads of states such as Winston Churchill and writers such as George Orwell. Doug Greene is a Marxist historian based in the Boston area. Our last interview with Greene was about his book on Michael Harrington, A Failure of Vision, which is a biography of Harrington, the liberal-socialist founder of the DSA. We conclude our conversation with a discussion about Domenico Losurdo’s book on Stalin and its shortcomings. We also discuss the specter of Stalinism on today's left and whether there is a compelling sort of psychological account as to what draws people to Stalinism to this day. Order Stalinism and the Dialectics of Saturn.

The New Irrationalism - A Conversation with John Bellamy Foster

We are back! And we changed our podcast name to Emancipations Podcast! In this episode, we are pleased to welcome Marxist thinker John Bellamy Foster to discuss his recent article The New Irrationalism in the Monthly Review (https://monthlyreview.org/2023/02/01/...). This article started a conversation on the legacy of Lukács's Destruction of Reason and the role of philosophy in times of imperialism and war. You can listen to the video version of this interview where I elaborate on the theme of irrationalism by going here (https://youtu.be/E6H7RfzgyMA).  Sign up to support our efforts on Patreon at (https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups).

The Enigma of Christopher Lasch feat. Christian Lorentzen

We are joined by literary critic and actor Christian Lorentzen to discuss the legacy and thought of Christopher Lasch. In this wide-ranging conversation, Lorentzen and host Daniel Tutt discuss Lasch's socialist politics, why he's so often misunderstood by the contemporary left and how he read literature. We assess the reasons why Lasch remains so popular and we touch on the politics of American novelists, the new Dimes Square scene in Manhattan, for which Christian is a central figure and personality, and we touch on the generational politics that seem to return and return ever since Lasch diagnosed them in the 1970s. You can subscribe to Christian's Substack to read his prolific book review essays and other writings: https://christianlorentzen.substack.com

Adorno On Ideology feat. Jacob Bard-Rosenberg

In 1954 Adorno wrote, "if one were to condense what the ideology of mass culture comes down to into a single sentence, one would have to represent it with the parodic statement: “become what you are.” Adorno offered a series of important lectures on the concept of ideology with Max Horkheimer in the wake of the Second World War. They argued against the liberal sociologists such as Mannheim and Weber's conceptions of ideology, and they also called for a new Marxist understanding of ideology. In this episode, we discuss the history of the concept of ideology up to Adorno's important intervention. This conversation is based on a newly translated article "Contribution to the Theory of Ideology" by Adorno and translated by our guest Jacob Bard-Rosenberg. Dr. Rosenberg has recently completed a Ph.D. on Adorno and Benjamin on memory, forgetting and dreams. You can download his dissertation here. To read Rosenberg's review of Adorno's article on ideology, please go here.

Lacanian Marxism On Today’s Left with Jensen Suther

We sit down with philosopher Jensen Suther for a conversation on Lacanian Marxism on today's left.  Jensen Suther earned his PhD in Comparative Literature from Yale University and was recently elected as a Junior Fellow to the Harvard Society of Fellows. His forthcoming book, Spirit Disfigured: The Persistence of Freedom in the Modernist Novel, argues against the “lacanian turn” in Marxist theory and provides a new reading of Hegel’s encyclopedia as the philosophical foundation of emancipatory politics. The host, Daniel Tutt is the host of Study Groups on Psychoanalysis and Politics and has taught philosophy at George Washington University, Marymount University, the Global Center for Advanced Studies and the Washington DC jail.

Ressentiment: A Liberal Concept? feat. Sjoerd van Tuinen

Our final episode for the year! Thank you all for your support this year. In this episode, we sit down with the philosopher Sjoerd van Tuinen to discuss the concept of ressentiment and the politics of resentment. Dr. van Tuinen has many essays on ressentiment and a forthcoming book on the topic. Please pitch in to support us at https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups 

An Introduction to the Philosopher Kojin Karatani

Kojin Karatani is one of the most interesting and important Marxist philosophers working today. Listen to our conversation about his main ideas...featuring Daniel Tutt and Gabriel Tupinambá. The workshop we held on Karatani's The Structure of World History can be found here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE03jn2k3GYDWu4I9kdRXvq-FXy1vPVkO Support us by joining our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups 

Marxist Class Theory for a Skeptical World feat. Raju Das

What is the Marxist theory of class? Did Marx have a mature class theory in Capital or is Marx's theory of class unfinished and ultimately unclear? Many scholars contend that Marx does not have a clear class theory. But too often Marxists do not offer any alternative to the theory of class, so Marxism ends up with very little to say about class. Our guest in this episode, Raju Das, disagrees with many contemporary Marxists who tend to sideline Marx's theory of class. In this conversation, we learn that Marx does have a theory of class and we break it all down and show how central it is to his thought.  We begin with a critique of Analytical Marxist and Post-structuralist Marxist theories of class and we learn about a more materialist and dialectical foundation for class theory. Das helps us to theorize class at both the transhistorical level and at the level of capitalism.  Raju Das is the author of Marxist Class Theory for a Skeptical World.

Freud and the Limits of Bourgeois Individualism with Bruno Bosteels

We are joined by writer and Marxist thinker Bruno Bosteels to discuss Léon Rozitchner’s Freud and the Limits of Bourgeois Individualism, which Bosteels has recently translated. In this conversation, we discuss Rozitchner's biography, his place within South American Marxism, the key concepts and approach of the text and we end with a consideration of Alain Badiou's thought. Bosteels is the translator of Freud and the Limits of Bourgeois Individualism, Alain Badiou's Theory of the Subject and he is the author of the forthcoming book Philosophies of Defeat: The Jargon of Finitude (Verso).

Is Nietzsche compatible with Marxism? feat. Jan Rehmann

We continue our investigation into the philosophy of Nietzsche, this time with philosopher Jan Rehmann who teaches critical theories and social analysis at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and philosophy at the Free University in Berlin. We discuss the Marxist reading of Nietzsche and Rehmann's recently translated work Deconstructing Postmodernist Nietzscheanism: Deleuze and Foucault. To learn more about what we are doing and support us please become a Patron https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups

Pleasure: A Political Issue with Anna Kornbluh

Fredric Jameson is one of the most important Marxist literary critics. We are joined by Anna Kornbluh to discuss his theory of postmodernism and particularly his work on psychoanalysis and Marxism. We analyze Jameson's incredible essay "Pleasure: A Political Issue" which looks at the relationship between psychoanalysis and Marxism. This conversation gets at the heart of the Marxism-psychoanalysis relationship, what the stakes are, what psychoanalysis offers to Marxist analysis and more. Anna Kornbluh's research and teaching interests center on Victorian literature and Critical Theory, with a special emphasis in formalism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, and theory of the novel. She is the author of The Order of Forms: Realism, Formalism, and Social Space (University of Chicago 2019), Marxist Film Theory and Fight Club (Bloomsbury "Film Theory in Practice” series, 2019), and Realizing Capital: Financial and Psychic Economies in Victorian Form (Fordham UP 2014).

Too Much Theory on the Left? feat. Catherine Liu

We are joined by Catherine Liu to discuss how French Theory grew to such prominence in American culture and academia, and how it has shaped not only the left but many aspects of our everyday life, from how we conceive of power, , the figure of the intellectual to the literary canon. French Theory was not merely a fad, it has had deep and long-lasting effects on our culture.  After discussing this history, we discuss Deleuzian theory and socialism, whether the libertine & counterculture left can forge solidarity with the working class and more. For a reflection on this conversation, check out my write-up.  Support us at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups 

Psychoanalysis, Love and Politics feat. Duane Rousselle

We welcome Duane Rousselle to the show for a dialogue with host Daniel Tutt on Lacanian theory and politics. We discuss Duane's latest book Real Love and his work on the later Lacan and politics, as well as the thought of Jacques-Alain Miller. Rousselle is a practicing Lacanian psychoanalyst and Canadian sociological theorist. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups

Is the Vibe Shift Reactionary?

Mike comes back on the show after a year long hiatus (!) to discuss the "vibe shift" in the New York literary scene.  We analyze the political implications of the "vibe shift" and where things might be headed. Be sure to check out Mike's substack where he investigates these new scenes. 

Why Class Matters with Lillian Cicerchia

Lillian Cicerchia, co-host of What's Left of Philosophy wrote an essay "Why Does Class Matter" which was the first article about class (specifically) in academic philosophy in several decades. Why in the would academic philosophy sideline analysis of class? The answer to that question may be quite obvious, or there may be more to it. Listen to find out! Lillian is interested in finding ways to bring an analysis of class back into the conversation that does so in a way that pays attention to the theme of "non-domination" in the labor market. She brings a very interesting mode of analyzing class to the table. To listen to the full interview please go here https://www.patreon.com/posts/67038471 

Adieu Lacan - Interview with Filmmaker Richard Ledes

We sit down with filmmaker Richard Ledes to discuss the process of making his film Adieu Lacan, which depicts a successful psychoanalytic intervention by Lacan. Ledes is a fascinating filmmaker who has been compared to David Lynch and his most well-known film is Fred Won't Move Out. Adieu Lacan is available on VOD and is definitely a must-watch! 

Circumcision and Psychoanalysis feat. Jordan Osserman

We are pleased to welcome writer and thinker Jordan Osserman to the show to discuss circumcision and his new book Circumcision on the Couch: The Cultural, Psychological, and Gendered Dimensions of the World's Oldest Surgery which has recently been published by Bloomsbury. Join us at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups to get access to our seminars, writing and early release of our shows. 

The Lacanian Left, Self-Help, and the Family feat. Richard Seymour

We sit down with the prolific writer and thinker Richard Seymour, Co-Founder of Salvage Magazine and author of The Meaning of David Cameron (2010), Unhitched (2013), Against Austerity (2014) and Corbyn: The Strange Rebirth of Radical Politics (2016). Since 2013, Seymour has turned to Lacanian theory in his writing and analysis of contemporary politics. We discuss what he finds valuable in psychoanalytic theory, the recent fractures over the trans movement in the Lacanian field, the patriarchy question, Oedipal politics, family abolition, meritocracy and Richard's next book project The Little Red Self-Help Book. We conclude with a discussion on the future of the far right. If you like this conversation and might be willing to pitch in to support us, please become a member of our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups 

Lasch Beyond the Culture War - A Conversation with Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn

We are very pleased to sit down with American historian and cultural critic Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn to discuss her work on the history of race relations in America and the legacy of her father, the historian and critic Christopher Lasch. Christopher Lasch's thought has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years and one of the big questions that surrounds his work is how we understand his political vision and what the core of his critique of liberalism and American elites really amounts to. In this sneak-peak of an interview, we get a bit closer to answering this elusive question and we learn more about the real Lasch.  To listen to our full interview with Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn please become a member of our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/posts/65598099). In addition to this clip on the legacy of Christopher Lasch, we also discuss her work Race Experts: How Racial Etiquette, Sensitivity Training, and New Age Therapy Hijacked the Civil Rights Revolution and her work Ars Vitae: On the Fate of Inwardness and the Return of the Ancient Arts of Living which talks about spirituality and new modes of living in our society.

Decolonial Psychoanalysis feat. Robert Beshara

We are joined by artist, writer and educator Robert Beshara to discuss his work in critical psychology, Islamophobia, Freud and Said and how to understand racial capitalism, solidarity and comradeship. This is an oft-inspiring conversation that touches on a lot of very important debates and concepts in contemporary politics. One of the many highlights include Robert's discussion of the highly misunderstood the thinker Edward Said had with psychoanalysis. This is a great conversation and I hope you all benefit form it! To listen to the full interview check out our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/decolonial-freud-64587307  Also, be sure to check out Dr. Robert Beshara's books, films and other work at his website.

Myths in Crisis: Prometheus, Gaia, and Marxism

We welcome philosophers Landon Frim and Harrison Fluss to the show for a discussion on how to navigate the ecological crisis in philosophy. This episode originally appeared on the Zer0 Books YouTube channel. Support our work for $3 - $10 a month at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups Fluss and Frim argue the two dominant strains of thinking ecology today, Accelerationism and Gaian philosophies are ultimately inadequate frameworks because they reject the human frame as grounding politics; each seeks to subordinate the human in favor of a wholly alien other, either in the form of an anarchic nature or a dynamic technology. To transcend this strange coincidence of opposites, Fluss and Frim make the positive case for a Marxist humanism that is rationalist without being anthropocentric. This conversation is centered around their new book Prometheus and Gaia: Technology, Ecology and Anti-Humanism.  

Class Struggle in the History of Psychoanalysis (feat. Hannah Proctor)

Please go to our Patreon to listen to the final 30 minutes of this conversation https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups and get access to our other interviews, seminars and more. Our guest for today's episode is Hannah Proctor, writer, historian and thinker of the history of psychoanalysis. Hannah has written extensively on early Soviet era psychoanalysis and psychology and her Substack Unconsciousness Raising focuses on lesser known psychoanalytic thinkers.  In this conversation, we discuss early Soviet psychoanalysts, Wilhelm Reich and Herbert Marcuse on revolution, her work on political burnout and more. 

The petit-bourgeois habitus *TEASER*

Listen to the full interview with cultural theorist Marc James Léger, author of The Neoliberal Undead at https://www.patreon.com/posts/63587198

How to be a Marxist with Tijana Okić

We are joined by philosopher Tijana Okić for a spirited conversation on what it means to be a Marxist today. What are the common problems we face when it comes to holding a Marxist position today? Is Marxism reducible to the correct philological and textual analysis of Marx's thought? What are we to make of the epistemological break between the early Marx's work on alienation to his later notions of exploitation? Does Marxism become irrelevant when we abandon a theory of alienation? We also discuss the working class today and how to best theorize class in our wider commitment to the class struggle. We conclude with a discussion of the urgent geopolitical crisis of the war Russia has waged on Ukraine. Tijana brings a sophisticated and passionate socialist perspective. Please consider becoming a Patron for $3 per month at https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups. We post new interviews, seminars and study group opportunities frequently. Our guest Tijana Okić is a philosopher with an interest in history and historiography. Her research interests are primarily related to social and political philosophy, in their historic and systematic development. Tijana is a dedicated feminist with an interest in feminist theory both generally and specifically as well as the politics of debt and austerity.

Teaser: Interview with Adrian Johnston on Today’s Hegel Renaissance

We sit down with American philosopher Adrian Johnston, one of the most creative and interesting philosophers working today. To listen to the entire conversation where Adrian succinctly defines "transcendental materialism" in less than two minutes(!) and we discuss the new Hegel renaissance in contemporary philosophy and Adrian's philosophical differences with Zizek. You can listen to this interview for just $2 at our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/posts/63046361.

Can American socialists reform the Democratic Party? Interview with Doug Greene

We sit down with historian Doug Greene to discuss the important history of American socialism and the over 70 years of attempts to "realign" the Democratic Party. Should socialists cooperate with the Democratic Party? To explore this important question, Doug Greene tells us about the ideas and vision of Michael Harrington, the founder of the largest socialist organization in America, the DSA. Harrington's ideas inform the "common sense" of America's contemporary left and they are at the core of why the American working class has been prevented, time and again, from independently forming a worker's party or effectively challenging the absolute dominance of capital and the ruling class.  Support Doug Greene:  Doug's Patreon: "I Read It So You Don't Have To!" https://www.patreon.com/enaa_doug_blanqui?fan_landing=  Doug's blog http://blanquist.blogspot.com  Doug's book A Failure of Vision on Michael Harrington https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/zer0-books/our-books/failure-vision-michael-harrington-democratic-socialism   

Psychiatry and Trauma with Vincenzo Di Nicola

We are joined by Dr. Vincenzo Di Nicola to discuss modern psychiatry and his work on trauma, family therapy and the philosophical underpinnings of psychiatry. We discuss the prevalence of trauma discourse, the philosophy of Alain Badiou, why social dynamics are often ignored by modern psychiatry and psychology, and we examine the history of the "anti-psychiatry movement" with special focus on R.D. Laing, Jacques Lacan and Frantz Fanon. Vincenzo Di Nicola is an Italian-Canadian psychologist, psychiatrist and family therapist, and philosopher of mind. Di Nicola is a tenured Full Professor in the Dept. of Psychiatry & Addiction Medicine at the University of Montreal, where he founded and directs the postgraduate course on Psychiatry and the Humanities, and Clinical Professor in the Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The George Washington University, where he gave The 4th Annual Stokes Endowment Lecture in 2013.