Red Book Club

Red Book Club

By RBCEducation
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Red Book Club episodes

  • Communism and the Family - Alexandra Kollontai
    'Capitalism has placed a crushing burden on women's shoulders.' In this piece by one of the towering figures of the working-women's movement, Kollontai shows how the old family unit is no longer useful and how communism provides the necessities to lessen the burden of women and we discuss how 100 years later working women are still staggered by the triple load of being a mother, housewife and worker as well as how the capitalist world is still playing catch up to the collossal social changes introduced in the Soviet Union.
    This episode is part of our series on Marxist feminists. As Thomas Sankara said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.”  Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining  the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past  and present as we possibly can; so we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for  centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions.
    You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com  where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more. 
    If you'd like to join the book club, you can support us through patreon at https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub membership includes  access to our Red Book Club server and more. 
    Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the  intro theme; you can find more of their work here:  http://tiny.cc/keenan 
    Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord! 
    Outro music: Working Class Woman - Barbara Dane
    51 min
  • Caliban and the Witch - Silvia Federici (Chapter I - All the World Needs a Jolt)
    Women, the body and 'primitive accumulation'. In just the first chapter of this essential work, Silvia Federici wrestles with these topics, and many more.
    Join us in the first of our readings on 'Caliban and the Witch', a groundbreaking book which tells the hidden history of the role of women in relation to the birth of capitalism, augments Marx's theory of primitive accumulation and teaches us to look afresh at both colonisation and the witch trials. 
    In this first episode we will be looking at heretic movements, the very real class struggles waged by the peasants during capital's violent reaction against feudalism, the effect of the black death upon power relations and how the ruling class began trying to reduce women to nothing more than the reproducers of the labour force.
    This episode is part of our series on Marxist feminists. As Thomas Sankara said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.”  Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining  the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past  and present as we possibly can; so we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for  centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions.
    You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com  where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.
    If you'd like to join the book club, you can join our podcast's discord  server Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub  including  access to our Red Book Club server and more.
    Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the  intro theme; you can find more of their  work here:  http://tiny.cc/keenan
    Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
    Outro music: Aborto di stato - Il Canzoniere Femminista
    1 hr 27 min
  • How Lenin Studied Marx - Nadezhda Krupskaya

    "In moments of greatest difficulty and danger, when many stronger comrades lost heart and succumbed to doubt, Nadezhda Krupskaya remained always the same, totally convinced of the rightness of the cause and of its certain victory. She radiated unshakable faith, and this staunchness of spirit, concealed behind a rare modesty, always had a cheering effect upon all who came into contact with the companion of the great leader of the October Revolution."


    In this episode we discuss 'How Lenin Studied Marx' by Nadezhda Kruspkaya. In this vital work Krupskaya uses her unique insight into Lenin's life to illustrate how he 'consulted' Marx as well as his method and the true depth of his understanding of the great thinker. Often dismissed merely as 'the wife of Lenin', Krupskaya shows here her profound understanding of Marxism and we talk about why she was such an important figure in the development of the USSR.


    This episode is part of our series on Marxist feminists. As Mao and Thomas Sankara said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.”  Red Book Club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining  the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past  and present as we possibly can; so we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for  centuries. From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility of reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions. 

     You can also find us on our new site at www.rbcpod.wordpress.com  where you can find ebook copies of the works that we're covering and more.

     If you'd like to join the book club, you can join our podcast's discord  server Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub  including  access to our Red Book Club server and more. 

    Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the  intro theme; you can find more of their  work here:  http://tiny.cc/keenan  

    Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record  via Discord!  

     Outro music: Надежда - Анна Герман - [Nadezhda - Anna German]

    47 min
  • Reform or Revolution - Rosa Luxemburg

    Reform or Revolution? Why is one doomed to fail while the other is the only path capable of delivering us from capitalism and bringing about the  vital changes necessary to tackle the manifold problems of our age? In the wake of the confusion and disillusionment caused for many by the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses we decided to read Rosa Luxemburg's classic piece 'Reform or Revolution'. With eerily familiar parralels to the present moment this piece is as relevant as the day it was written over 120 years ago, join us as we witness how Luxemburg deals a devastating hammer blow to the idea that reformism is a possible path to social revolution. This episode also marks the first episode from our series on Marxist feminists. As Thomas Sankara said, “Women hold up the other half of the sky.” The book club recognizes that including the voices of nonmen in our studies is not a niche activity, but is in fact an essential step in gaining the most comprehensive view of the material conditions of the past and present as we possibly can; so we’ve planned this series to amplify the ideas that nonmen have been bringing to the conversation for centuries.  From Federici’s analysis of women as a means of primitive accumulation  to Luxemburg’s essay of the benefits of revolution vs the impossibility reform, each of these works confronts history and the movement for  social change through the lens of the experiences of nonmen in society. Follow us on Twitter at @RBCpod and feel free to message us if you need links to companion resources or have any questions.  You can also find us on our new site at www.prolesbookclub.wordpress.com where you can find ebook copies of the works we're covering and more.

     If you'd like to join the book club, you can join our podcast's discord server Red Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/redbookclub  including access to our Red Book Club server and more.  Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the  intro theme; you can find more of their work here:  http://tiny.cc/keenan  Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record  via Discord! Outro music: Chopping Block - Sheer Mag https://sheermag.bandcamp.com/

    1 hr 19 min
  • Capital #16 - Primitive Accumulation (ch. 26-33)
    This time we learn how the enclosure of the commons, the centralisation of the land and the privatisation of the product of agricultural production coerces us through threat of death to join the new industrial proletariat and how 'primitive accumulation' brings about colonialism, which in turn brings about imperialism.
    Join us for our final episode on Karl Marx's 'Capital - Volume I' where we discuss all of 'Section 8 - So Called Primitive Accumulation', containing: 'Chapter 26 - The Secret History of Primitive Accumulation', 'Chapter 27 - The Expropriation of the Agricultural Population from the Land', 'Chapter 28 - Bloody Legislation against the Expropriated since the End of the Fifteenth Century. The Forcing Down of Wages by Act of Parliament', Chapter 29 - The Genesis of the Capitalist Farmer', 'Chapter 30 - Impact of the Agricultural Revolution on Industry. The Creation of a Home Market for Industrial Capital', 'Chapter 31 - The Genesis of the Industrial Capitalist', 'Chapter 32 - The Historical Tendency of Capitalist Accumulation' and 'Chapter 33 - The Modern Theory of Colonization'.
    Follow  us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and feel free to message us if you need links to  companion resources or have any questions. 
    If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: https://www.patreon.com/prolespod 
     Our comrades are making brilliant communist content, check out  www.prolespod.com/ussp for more podcasts. 
    Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the  intro theme; you can find more of their work here:  http://tiny.cc/keenan 
    Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record  via Discord!
    Outro Music: 'Die Internationale - Hannes Wader'.
    1 hr 16 min
  • Capital #15 - The Process of Accumulation of Capital (ch. 23-25)
    How do the rich become rich? In another wide-ranging episode we cover topics including how being rich leads to being richer, the tendency of large businesses to devour smaller ones, the brutal living conditions of English workers in Marx's time, which persist until today in the Global South, the colonisation of Ireland and more. The end is almost in sight as we sit down for the penultimate episode in our series on Karl Marx's 'Capital - Volume I' covering all of 'Section 7 - The Process of Accumulation of Capital', which includes; 'Chapter 23 - Simple Reproduction', 'Chapter 24 - The Transformation of Surplus-Value into Capital' and 'Chapter 25 - The General Law of Capitalist Accumulation'. Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources or have any questions.  If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: https://www.patreon.com/prolespod  Our comrades are making brilliant communist content, check out www.prolespod.com/ussp for more podcasts. Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
    1 hr 51 min
  • Capital #14 - Production of Absolute and Relative Surplus-Value; and Wages (ch. 16-22)
    In this episode we're covering the two types of surplus-value and how they are produced; as well as wages, what they are and why we are paid in the ways that we are.
    As we go through chapters 16-22 covering all of 'Part 6 - Absolute and Relative Surplus-Value' and 'Part 7 -Wages' from 'Capital - Volume I' by Karl Marx, you can expect more of Marx's usual, spicy takes and profound insights, and we accidentally go off on a conspiracy theory tangent.
    Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources or have any questions.
     If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: https://www.patreon.com/prolespod 
    Our comrades are making brilliant communist content, check out www.prolespod.com/ussp for more podcasts.
    Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
    1 hr 25 min
  • Capital #13 Bonus
    Like (almost) always, there's some bonus talk in this session. Enjoy!  Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources. If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table: https://www.patreon.com/prolespod Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!
    25 min
  • Capital #13 - Machinery and Large-Scale Industry (Part 2 - ch. 15 continued)
    More dialectics, more dualities. Machinery is wielded as a weapon against the working class. Marx shows us how machinery was not the great liberator it was made out to be. When capital gives with one hand, it takes with the other.
    We're joined in this episode by Nathan from Marx Madness Pod and new guest Erin to discuss the displacement of workers, the gruesome working conditions that existed in Marx's time, right up to the present day, women and children joining the workforce, education, modern examples of how machinery is used against us (and for capital) and one of the heaviest and most depressing chapters so far in 'Capital'.
    Welcome back as we continue and finish off the enormous 'Chapter 15 - Machinery and Large-Scale Industry' from 'Capital - Volume I' by Karl Marx.   
    If you're looking to brush up on your understanding of dialectics in preparation for this chapter, feel free to check out our previous episode  on 'Dialectical and Historical Materialism' by Stalin.   
    Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to companion resources or have any questions.
    If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the Round Table:  https://www.patreon.com/prolespod 
    Our comrades are making brilliant communist content, check out www.prolespod.com/ussp for more podcasts.  
    Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here:  http://tiny.cc/keenan  
    Thanks to the Craig bot for helping  us to record via Discord!
    56 min
  • Capital #12 - Bonus

    In this bonus session we take a break from talking about books to talk about.. other books, and a couple of movies. 


    Books mentioned: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion - J. R. R. Tolkien, Enders Game Series - Orson Scott Card, Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson, The Remembrance of Earth's Past Trilogy - Cixin Liu, Red Rising - Pierce Brown, The Morning Deluge, Wind in the Tower - Han Suyin, My Life - Fidel Castro. 


    Follow us on Twitter at @prolesbookclub and shoot us a DM if you need links to  companion resources. 

    If you'd like to join the book club, you can chip  in a dollar to join our parent podcast's discord server. Proles of the  Round Table: https://www.patreon.com/prolespod 

    Thanks to @NunezKeenan for the intro theme; you can find more of their work here: http://tiny.cc/keenan 

    Thanks to the Craig bot for helping us to record via Discord!

    31 min

About Red Book Club

From the publisher's feed

A group of comrades from around the world, learning and growing together through marxist literature.