Beyond Marx with Marx

Podcast Episode Title: Infrastructures of Resistance: Commonism and the Power of Mutual Aid

Description: In this episode, we explore the vibrant, constructive vision of social transformation presented by Jeff Shantz in his book, "Commonist Tendencies: Mutual Aid Beyond Communism." Moving away from the "scream" of ephemeral street protests and the "nomadic" activism of counter-summits, Shantz argues that the real work of revolution lies in the quiet, diligent creation of "infrastructures of resistance" within the shell of the old world.

We dive into the concept of commonism—an aspiration for mutual aid and the collective determination of wealth that intentionally distinguishes itself from the failed, state-led "communism" of the past. Drawing on the lineage of Peter Kropotkin and the insights of autonomist Marxism, we discuss how communities can engage in self-valorization, producing and circulating value for their own well-being rather than for capitalist profit.

From the spontaneous solidarity witnessed during the massive North American blackout of 2003 to the resilient networks of DIY culture, gift economies, and urban "infoshops," we examine how the "coming communities" are already being built today. Join us as we discuss why the most radical act is not simply making demands of the state, but starting to live as if we have already won, by weaving a web of reciprocal obligations and autonomous support that renders the state and market obsolete.

#Commonism #MutualAid #JeffShantz #InfrastructuresOfResistance #SelfValorization #GiftEconomy #DIYPolitics #Anarchism #SocialTransformation #CommonistTendencies #Mutualism #PostCapitalism

Strategy to the Movements: Forging the New Prince of the Multitude

Description: In this episode, we tackle the persistent "leadership problem" within modern social movements by exploring the transformative political theory of Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri in their work, "Assembly." While many lament the lack of charismatic figures like those of the past, Hardt and Negri argue that the rise of "leaderless" movements is not a weakness, but a symptom of a profound historical shift toward a new form of democracy.

We dive into their radical proposal to invert the traditional roles of strategy and tactics. Instead of a centralized leadership dictating the long-term path, they argue that strategy must be returned to the movements themselves, while leadership is relegated to a tactical, occasional role that is strictly subordinate to the multitude. We discuss the concept of "machinic subjectivities" and how, in our contemporary era of social production, the very knowledges and cooperative skills we use in our daily lives—the "entrepreneurship of the multitude"—provide the foundation for self-governance.

Join us as we examine how the multitude can reappropriate "fixed capital," transform social strikes into powerful political weapons, and invent non-sovereign institutions that reject the old traps of representation. We ask: what does it mean to take power "differently" and how can we compose a "New Prince" that isn't a single person or party, but the collective, organized power of the common?

#Assembly #HardtAndNegri #Multitude #SocialMovements #StrategyAndTactics #TheCommon #NonSovereignInstitutions #NewPrince #SocialProduction #PoliticalRealism #SocialStrike #EntrepreneurshipOfTheMultitude

In this episode, we explore the "scientifically discussible utopia" proposed by Simon Sutterlütti and Stefan Meretz in their book, "Make Capitalism History." We focus on their vision of Commonism—a free society that moves beyond the "exclusion logic" of capitalism and the market to establish a world rooted in inclusion.

We break down the two structural pillars of this new social form: voluntariness and collective disposal. Sutterlütti and Meretz argue that true freedom is a "societal freedom" where individual agency is enhanced, rather than restricted, by the freedom of others. We dive into the fascinating concept of stigmergy, a decentralized coordination system where "signs of needs" replace prices as the primary way we communicate and collaborate across a global network.

The authors challenge traditional ideas of central planning and state-led socialism, proposing a model of polycentric mediation instead. In this framework, self-organized meta-commons and flexible institutions settle conflicts and manage infrastructure without the need for instruments of domination or "separated generality." Join us as we discuss how contributing instead of exchanging can lead to a state of "unconditioned inclusive relationships," fundamentally transforming our individuality, our relationship with nature, and our daily social practice.

#Commonism #MakeCapitalismHistory #Sutterlütti #Meretz #Stigmergy #InclusionLogic #Polycentricity #PostCapitalism #Voluntariness #CollectiveDisposal #Commoning #SocialTransformation #Utopia

In this episode, we challenge the conventional narrative of urban planning as a purely benevolent, progressive force. Instead, we dive deep into Álvaro Sevilla-Buitrago’s provocative book, "Against the Commons: A Radical History of Urban Planning." Sevilla-Buitrago argues that from its very inception, spatial planning has functioned as a tool for "decommonization"—the systemic attempt to dismantle communal life-forms and autonomous social spaces to facilitate capitalist growth.

We explore an alternative genealogy of the city through four transformative historical moments. First, we travel to the English hinterlands, where parliamentary enclosures acted as a "primitive" form of planning that separated the poor from their material commons. We then examine the "slum-clearing" era of New York and Chicago, where early urban reformers used the creation of parks and playgrounds as a pedagogic project to tame the rowdy "street commons" of migrant communities. Moving into the 20th century, we discuss Weimar Berlin’s world-city ambitions, which fragmented working-class centrality to move populations toward a quiet, disciplined periphery. Finally, we look at neoliberal Milan, exploring how the radical, collective creativity of social movements in the 1970s was eventually co-opted and "captured" as a driver for high-end real estate regeneration. Join us as we ask: Is it possible to reappropriate the instruments of planning to build a "commonist" urban future?

#UrbanPlanning #TheCommons #RadicalHistory #AlvaroSevillaBuitrago #SocialReproduction #Enclosure #UrbanReform #Neoliberalism #Commoning #CityPlanning #SpatialJustice #AgainstTheCommons #UrbanTheory #Decollectivization

In this episode, we explore the radical political philosophy laid out by Pierre Dardot and Christian Laval in their transformative work, "Common: On Revolution in the 21st Century." In an era defined by the dual crises of neoliberalism and the exhaustion of traditional state-led alternatives, Dardot and Laval argue that the "common" is not a thing to be possessed or a resource to be managed, but a political principle to be enacted through collective activity.

We delve into the authors’ "methodological reversal," shifting the focus from the "commons" as a noun to "commoning" as an active, instituent practice. The episode breaks down how they move beyond the rigid "public vs. private" dichotomy, proposing a new legal framework based on "use rights" and "unappropriability." We examine their critique of both the "proprietary fiction" of capitalism and the "bureaucratic capture" of the state, looking instead toward a society organised by those who actually participate in its creation.

From the ancient Greek koinonia to modern "insurgent citizenship," we discuss the authors' Nine Political Propositions that aim to democratize every facet of life—from the shop floor to global governance. This isn't just a defensive struggle against "new enclosures"; it’s about a new form of "instituent praxis" that allows communities to self-govern and reclaim their collective autonomy. Tune in to discover why "the common" is the essential political reason for our time.

#Commoning #TheCommon #PierreDardot #ChristianLaval #InstituentPraxis #PostCapitalism #SelfGovernance #EconomicDemocracy #Unappropriability #SocialRevolution #MagnaCarta #FederationOfCommons

Description: In this episode, we explore the radical vision for social transformation laid out by Massimo De Angelis in his landmark work, "Omnia Sunt Communia: On the Commons and the Transformation to Postcapitalism." As we face a global "Capitalocene" marked by environmental destruction and deepening inequality, De Angelis offers a way out that doesn't rely on the failed promises of neoliberalism or the top-down management of the state.

We break down the three essential pillars of the commons: the shared "commonwealth," the "community" of commoners, and the vital social process of "commoning." Unlike capitalist production, which treats people and nature as mere instruments for profit, commoning is described as a "dance of values"—a horizontal, participatory way of producing life that prioritizes dignity, care, and sustainability.

Drawing on real-world examples ranging from the water wars in Cochabamba to the food sovereignty networks of Genuino Clandestino, we discuss how the commons act as autonomous social systems. We examine the strategic importance of "boundary commoning" and how building resilient "commons ecologies" can create a social force strong enough to outflank the disciplinary reach of global capital. Join us as we discuss how a social revolution—rooted in our daily acts of sharing and mutual aid—can bring us closer to a horizon where everything is held in common.

#Commons #Postcapitalism #MassimoDeAngelis #Commoning #OmniaSuntCommunia #SocialRevolution #EconomicJustice #FoodSovereignty #Resilience #PlanC

The source being discussed in this podcast episode is the book "The Beginning of History: Value Struggles and Global Capital" by Massimo De Angelis, published in 2007.

Description: In this episode, we challenge the notion that we have reached the "end of history" and instead explore the vibrant, ongoing "beginning of history" found in global struggles for the commons. We dive into the concept of the "outside"—those spaces of conviviality, sharing, and mutual aid that persist despite the pervasive reach of global capital. We examine how the modern market functions as a "fractal panopticon," an invisible watchtower that uses competition to pit livelihoods against one another across the globe. From the front lines of indigenous land defense to the daily micro-conflicts in our workplaces and homes, we discuss how "value struggles" are the true engine of social change. Join us as we explore how communities can decouple from the disciplinary measures of the market to reclaim their autonomy, nurture new social relations, and build a world based on abundance rather than engineered scarcity.

#Commons #ValueStruggles #GlobalCapital #EconomicJustice #PostCapitalism #SocialMovements #TheOutside #FractalPanopticon #Autonomy #MassimoDeAngelis #MARX #VALUE

This work examines the foundational role of historical interpretation in the development of Marxism, specifically focusing on how the French Revolution served as a primary site of reflection for socialist theory and strategy. By moving beyond a view of Marxism as a static doctrine, the author proposes a "double historicisation" that explores the interplay between theoretical categories and concrete historical analysis. Through a comparative study of thinkers such as Karl Kautsky, Eduard Bernstein, and Rosa Luxemburg, the text reveals how narratives of the "bourgeois revolution" were adapted to address contemporary challenges, from the formation of mass labour movements to the 1905 Russian Revolution. This analysis highlights history as a dynamic sphere where the "surplus of the past" informs the "poetry of the future," mediating the tension between structural limits and revolutionary agency.

#Marxism #IntellectualHistory #FrenchRevolution #SocialDemocracy #HistoricalMaterialism #MarxistTheory #RevolutionaryHistory #DoubleHistoricisation #Kautsky #Bernstein #Luxemburg #1905Revolution

Paolo Favilli offers an original reading of Karl Marx’s Capital, exploring its profound connections with present-day socio-economic challenges. Adopting a "theme with variations" approach, the work navigates the complex interconnections between history, philosophy, and literature to provide a better understanding of the "long present" and the multiple temporalities of the contemporary era. The text critiques the contemporary academy for its "cult of novelty" and its inability to distinguish between dogmatic state Marxism and Marx’s original analytical project.

By delving into the logic of surplus-value, alienation, and commodity fetishism, Favilli demonstrates that Marx’s critique of political economy is an inexhaustible and unfinished tool essential for deciphering the mechanisms of modern bio-capitalism and global inequality.

#MarxsCapital #Marxism #PoliticalEconomy #ContemporaryHistory #Alienation #SurplusValue #HistoricalCapitalism #EconomicTheory #SocialSciences #Capitalism #Marxology #CriticalTheory

Title: Marxism and the Origins of International Relations: A Hidden History

Author: José Ricardo Villanueva Lira

Abstract: This book challenges the orthodox narrative of International Relations (IR), which claims the discipline emerged in 1919 solely as a product of "liberal idealism."

Villanueva Lira argues that Marxism was a fundamental, yet obscured, theoretical force during the field's formative years (1900–1940). By re-examining five benchmark thinkers often labeled as idealists—John Hobson, Henry Brailsford, Leonard Woolf, Harold Laski, and Norman Angell—the study reveals their deep intellectual indebtedness to Marxian concepts such as historical materialism, class conflict, and the critique of capitalist imperialism. The work demonstrates that these thinkers developed a distinctive socialist-based international theory that offered a flexible alternative to both orthodox Leninism and the traditional realism-idealism dichotomy. Ultimately, this revisionist history recovers a lost tradition of early international thought, proving that the specialized study of global affairs was deeply rooted in the analysis of capital and empire long before its conventional birth.

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#Marxism #InternationalRelations #RevisionistHistory #Imperialism #Socialism #JohnHobson #HaroldLaski #LeonardWoolf #HistoricalMaterialism #IRTheory #InterwarPeriod #AcademicDiscipline