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A.K. 47 - Selections from the Works of Alexandra Kollontai
A.K. 47 - Selections from the Works of Alexandra Kollontai episodes
- 166 - A.K 47 - Who are the social democrats and what do they want? - part III
Kristen Ghodsee reads a 1906 essay of Alexandra Kollontai, which is weirdly prescient of the present day, 120 years later. This is the third and final installment of a multipart episode with reading, commentary, and analysis of "Who are the social democrats and what do they want?”
Mentioned in this episode:
- “There’s nothing wrong with being a ‘Subaru Socialist.’” The New Republic, August 27, 2026
Send us Fan Mail
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'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.
Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. 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: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen20 min - 165 - A.K 47 - Who are the social democrats and what do they want? - part II
Kristen Ghodsee reads a 1906 essay of Alexandra Kollontai, which is weirdly prescient of the present day, 120 years later. This is the second installment of a multipart episode with reading, commentary, and analysis of "Who are the social democrats and what do they want?”
Mentioned in this episode:
Article: "No babies? Blame capitalism.”
Article: "Der Kapitalismus bestraft das Kinderkriegen"
Video: Kristen Ghodsee: Antifascism, Anti-colonialism, and the “New Feminism”
Send us Fan Mail
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'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.
Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. 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: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen21 min - 164 - A.K 47 - Who are the social democrats and what do they want? - part I
Kristen Ghodsee reads a 1906 essay of Alexandra Kollontai, which is weirdly prescient of the present day, 120 years later. This is the first installment of a multipart episode with reading, commentary, and analysis of "Who are the social democrats and what do they want?”
Please examine the paperback of Red Valkyries out on 26 May 2026 with Verso Books, featuring none other than Alexandra Kollontai!
If you are in Berlin, please join us on Friday, 29 May 2026 at Shakespeare and Sons.
Send us Fan Mail
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'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.
Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. 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: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen24 min - 163 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - What would Kollontai think of Taylor Swift?
In this extended episode, Kristen Ghodsee and her daughter enjoy a wide-ranging discussion with two special guests on the music and global influence of Taylor Swift, particularly in light of her recent engagement and rumors of her upcoming wedding in New York on 4 July 2026. Given Kollontai’s own very public romantic life, how could we read Taylor Swift through a Kollontanian lens? This is a deep dive into Taylor Swift’s career and music.
Dr. Angelina Eimannsberger recently recieved her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at the University of Pennsylvania and Maria Murad is a doctoral student in anthropology at Oxford University.
Send us Fan Mail
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'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.
Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. 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: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen55 min - 162 - A.K. 47 - “Formative Years” - Celebrating the 154th Anniversary of Kollontai’s Birth
On the 154th Anniversary of Kollontai’s birth, Kristen Ghodsee reads a section from her chapter "Alexandra Kollontai (1872–1952): Communism as the Only Way Toward Women’s Liberation," written with Natalia Novikova and published in The Palgrave Handbook of Communist Women Activists around the World in 2023.
Mentioned in this episode:
- The Arabic translation of “The Political Economy of Love in Capitalism
- The forthcoming paperback of Red Valkyries with Verso Books
- New article in the journal Social Research, “LIES, DAMN LIES, AND TRANSITION: THE GASLIGHTING OF EASTERN EUROPE"
Send us Fan Mail
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'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.
Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. 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: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen33 min - 161 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - 2026 International Women’s Day from the streets of Berlin
Kristen Ghodsee reports from the streets of Berlin during the 2026 official 8 March demonstration and the march from Oranienplatz to the Rotes Rathaus.
Some links to articles about the history of International Women’s Day:
- NPR Morning Edition: “Women in some countries will mark International Women’s Day with protests”
- New York Times, “Have you wished your mother a Happy International Women’s Day yet?”
- New York Times, “Women’s Unpaid Labor is worth $10,900,000,000,000”
- The Socialist History of International Women’s Day on YouTube.
Send us Fan Mail
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'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.
Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. 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: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen16 min - 160 - A.K. 47 - “Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg: Fighters, Martyrs, Heroes"
Kristen Ghodsee reads Alexandra Kollontai’s February 1919 obituary for her murdered German comrades: Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.
An uncorrected proof of Ghodsee's chapter on the Luxemburg-Liebknecht Demo from her 2017 book, Red Hangover, is linked from this page (please scroll right beyond the cover image)
Send us Fan Mail
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'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.
Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. 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: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen19 min - 159 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - 7th Anniversary of the Podcast!
Kristen Ghodsee shares a conversation with her daughter in Berlin on the 7th anniversary of the podcast. This is their 17th shared episode.
Send us Fan Mail
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'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.
Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. 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: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen35 min - 158 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - The Political Economy of Love in Capitalism
Kristen Ghodsee reads her own December 2025 essay "The Political Economy of Love in Capitalism”
This text appeared as the featured essay in the Winter 2025 special issue of Jacobin.de on “Love.” Below are the links to the original essay in English, German, and Spanish. You can also watch the Jacobin Germany issue launch discussion on Youtube here
- “The Political Economy of Love in Capitalism”
- "Der Gebrauchswert der Liebe”
- "La economía política del amor en el capitalismo”
- الاقتصاد السياسي للحب في ظل الرأسمالية
Send us Fan Mail
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'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.
Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. 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: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen36 min - 157 - A.K. 47 - The Communist Valkyrie - Part 4
Kristen Ghodsee reads the final part of her biographical chapter on Alexandra Kollontai from Ghodsee's 2022 book, Red Valkyries: Feminist Lessons from Five Revolutionary Women.
Mentioned in this episode are these new Jacobin articles:
“The Political Economy of Love in Capitalism”
"Der Gebrauchswert der Liebe”
"La economía política del amor en el capitalismo”
You can also watch the Jacobin Germany issue launch discussion here
Send us Fan Mail
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'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.
Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. 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: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen22 min
About A.K. 47 - Selections from the Works of Alexandra Kollontai
From the publisher's feed
Kristen R. Ghodsee reads and discusses 47 selections from the works of Alexandra Kollontai (1872-1952), a socialist women's activist who had radical ideas about the intersections of socialism and…
women's emancipation. Born into aristocratic privilege, the Ukrainian-Finnish Kollontai was initially a member of the Mensheviks before she joined Lenin and the Bolsheviks and became an important revolutionary figure during the 1917 Russian Revolution. Kollontai was a socialist theorist of women’s emancipation and a strident proponent of sexual relations freed from all economic considerations. After the October Revolution, Kollontai became the Commissar of Social Welfare and helped to found the Zhenotdel (the women's section of the Party). She oversaw a wide variety of legal reforms and public policies to help liberate working women and to create the basis of a new socialist sexual morality. But Russians were not ready for her vision of emancipation, and she was sent away to Norway to serve as the first Russian female ambassador (and only the third female ambassador in the world). In this podcast, Kristen R. Ghodsee – a professor of Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism: And Other Arguments for Economic Independence (Bold Type Books 2018) – selects excerpts from the essays, speeches, and fiction of Alexandra Kollontai and puts them in context. Each episode provides an introduction to the abridged reading with some relevant background on Kollontai and the historical moment in which she was writing.