In this bonus episode, Kristen Ghodsee speaks once again with Angelina Eimannsberger, a doctoral student in Comparative Literature at the University of Pennsylvania, about Alexandra Kollontai and the usefulness of her theories today, particularly with regard to popular culture. Mentioned in this episode are Reese Witherspoon's production company, Hello Sunshine, and the political economy of feminist media today. Also discussed is Kollontai's hierarchy of life priorities for what she calls the "New Woman." First should come some form of meaningful work for the collective progress of society. Second should come friendships, and only third should come love and romance. Kollontai believes that too many women put love and romance in the first place and this undermines them as individual personalities. Eimannsberger also discusses Kollontai's critical review of fiction with strong female characters, and notes that most of the writer's who crafted these characters in Kollontai's time were male. Finally, Ghodsee and Eimannsberger consider the role of capitalist exploitation in radicalizing women to seek their own empowerment through socialism.  

Send us a text

Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon-type account and receives no funding. There are no ads and there is no monetization.

If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word, share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links.

Check out Kristen Ghodsee's recent books:

• Everyday Utopia
• Red Valkyries
• Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism
• Second World, Second Sex

Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee’s free, episodic newsletter at: https://kristenghodsee.substack.com

Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve books and a professor and chair of Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.