A.K. 47 - Selections from the Works of Alexandra Kollontai

Kristen Ghodsee reads Alexandra Kollontai's 1915 essay about World War I–"Who Needs the War?"–and looks for lessons applicable to the present day. 

This translation is from a 1984 collection of Kollontai's writing published by Progress Publishers in the Soviet Union, which claims that the essay was written while Kollontai was in exile in Norway. She sent it to Vladimir Lenin (then in exile in Switzerland) who also edited it before publication. The final pamphlet went into multiple editions and was distributed widely across Europe and Russia. 

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Kristen Ghodsee speaks to Scott R. Sehon, a professor of philosophy, about his new book, Socialism: A Logical Introduction, and why we should use arguments to make a case for socialism and against capitalism. 

The first ten U.S.-based listeners to email [email protected] with a name and address will get a free copy of Professor Sehon's new book. 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Anti-anti-communism
• "What Democratic Socialists Should Think about Anti-Communism"
• www.scottrsehon.com

Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

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For International Women's Day, Kristen Ghodsee reads the Black Trinidadian activist and journalist Claudia Jones's speech for International Women's Day in 1950. This speech, (and the published version which appeared afterwards) led to Jones's arrest and eventual deportation from the United States. Jones was a member of the CPUSA, and believed that women's emancipation and civil rights required a strong stance against imperialism and militarism. She say capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy are deeply intertwined ideologies.

Read the full text of Claudia Jones's speech here
Listen to Kristen Ghodsee's IWD guest appearance on the Upstream Podcast
Watch Kristen Ghodsee's IWD guest appearance on the Total Liberation Podcast
Read Kristen Ghodsee's 2019 Op-Ed in the New York Times on IWD
Read an Associated Press article about 8 March 2024

Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

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

Kristen Ghodsee reads a profile of Alexandra Kollontai which appeared in the Washington Post on May 15, 1927 when Kollontai was serving as the Soviet ambassador to Mexico.

Mentioned in this episode: The hardcover of Everyday Utopia is on sale at Amazon.com for $14.99 (50% off)

Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

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Kristen Ghodsee and her daughter share a conversation about Kollontai's pro-natalism and the current discourse about the BirthStrike. Are the relevant moral imperatives about having or not having children? And how does the climate crisis factor into people's decisions? We also discuss the future of the podcast and the newly discovered fact that it is listened to in 100 countries around the world. 

Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

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

Kristen Ghodsee reads the final part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 essay, "The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy" to explore Kollontai's arguments for the socialization of the family and the socialist uses of the maternal instinct. Although Kollontai is openly pro-natalist, and emphasizes that motherhood is a social obligation to help produce new workers for the world's first workers state, she is making these arguments to suspicious men in the Bolshevik government who do not want to expend resources to socialize the domestic labor that Russian women historically did for free. 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Kristen Ghodsee on Dan Snow's History Hit podcast talking about "Pythagoras' Utopia"
• Also, check out a free pdf of the conclusion of Everyday Utopia: "The Star Trek Game Plan" (Click the green button at the top of the page)
• Kristen Ghodsee's Year in Reading at The Millions
• "Marxism and Mistletoe," book recommendations for the lefties in your life at Lithub.com

Also, wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

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

Kristen Ghodsee reads the second part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 essay, "The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy" to explore Kollontai's arguments for the socialization of the family and the socialist uses of the maternal instinct. Although Kollontai is openly pro-natalist, and emphasizes that motherhood is a social obligation to help produce new workers for the world's first workers state, she is making these arguments to suspicious men in the Bolshevik government who do not want to expend resources to socialize the domestic labor that Russian women historically did for free. 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Alexandria Shaner's review of the podcast for ZNet
• Behavioral Scientist's Notable Books of 2023
• A free pdf of the conclusion of Everyday Utopia: "The Star Trek Game Plan" (Click the green button at the top of the page)

Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

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

Kristen Ghodsee reads the first part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 essay, "The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy." A portion of this essay on abortion was discussed on the 6 March 2019 episode, but here Ghodsee digs in to Kollontai's argument for the socialization of the family. 

Mentioned in this episode:

• The eight Season 22 finalists for The Next Big Idea Club curated by Adam Grant, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink, and Malcolm Gladwell.
• Just in time for the holidays, the first 15 listeners in the United States who email [email protected] will receive a free, signed, and dedicated copy of Everyday Utopia: What 2000 Years of Wild Experiments Can Teach Us About the Good Life. Please be sure to send your address and the text of your dedication. Books will be sent via Media Mail and may take 7-10 business days to reach you depending on your distance from Philadelphia. Only available for listeners in the United States. 

Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

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

In this bonus episode, Kristen Ghodsee welcomes back her now almost 22-year-old daughter to discuss a theory of fun. What would a society look like if we prioritized the ability of everyone to have as much fun as they wanted (in whatever form that fun might take)? Rather than worrying about the fitness benefits of different human behaviors, maybe all we really need to do is focus on having a good time, and the rest will take care of itself.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Barbie Movie
• Antonio Gramsci
• Max Weber and the Protestant Ethic
• Cyndi Lauper song: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"
• Taylor Swift "22"

Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

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

Kristen Ghodsee reads the fifth and final part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 text: "The Workers Opposition."

Mentioned in this episode are: 

• Science Magazine podcast, "Everyday Utopia: In Praise of Radical Alternatives to the Traditional Family Home," September 28, 2023
• Atlas Obscura Podcast, “Twin Oaks,” September 25, 2023
• Freakonomics Radio, “When Did Marriage Become a Luxury Good?” September 21, 2023
• KQED The Forum, “What Does Utopia Mean to You?” September 7, 2023
• Kati Kraus, "Diese Familien leben an einem utopischen Ort," September 15, 2023
• Review of Everyday Utopia in The Nation Magazine
• Review of Everyday Utopia in Inside Higher Ed

Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

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