AWL 4-day study course: Marxism and imperialism

Submitted by AWL on 6 December, 2014 - 8:44

Four days of reading and in-depth discussion

Thursday 18 - Friday 19-Saturday 20-Sunday 21 December, in central London. Please register by email if you want to attend the course and for which days by 8 December 2014. Please tell us if you need crash accommodation.

A google group has been set up to share documents and texts. Once you register you will be invited to join.

You can also phone Cathy for more details: 0207 394 8923 /07970 485798.

Click here to download notes as pdf

We will provide food and drink to share and we are suggesting a donation of £2-5 to cover the cost of some printing and food.

If you are unemployed and/or need help with travel costs please contact us.

Please note we have not had any request for creche or help with childcare therefore we are not intending to organise this. Please contact us urgently if this is a problem.

1. The aims of this course are: A. give comrades a basic understanding how Marxists and the left have analysed patterns of global capitalist development, inequalities and power; B. discuss the AWL's position within these debates.

2. The course is suitable for most comrades, but they should have done some basic reading.

3. Most of the reading will be our literature.

4. This article is useful for the entire course and must be read in advance.

5. In the outline below “priority reading” is indicated for each session. You are also expected to read these in advance. There is provisional suggested “additional reading” which you may find useful. There will be more reading which will be done during each session (extracts and short texts).

6. To get the most out the the course comrades must attend for at least two of the days. No special pleading! There will be other courses if you can't attend this one.

7. Please be on time and stay until the end of each day and please note the start time for each day. Let us know in advance if you are not able to stick to these times.

Outline and reading

Day One: Thursday 18 December 11-5pm

Classical Marxist debate: Marx, Kautsky, Luxemburg, Lenin,Trotsky

Priority reading for this session and minimal reading for the course:

Marxism and Imperialism

Additional reading for this session: V I Lenin, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism

Day Two: Friday 19 December 10-4pm

Stalinism, dependency theories and the critique

Priority reading: section on “Dependency Theory” in Marxism and Imperialism

Additional reading: Ronaldo Munck, Imperialism and Dependency, Recent Debates and Old Dead Ends

Day Three: Saturday 20 December 11-5pm

Modern global capitalism

Priority reading: Globalisation from WL 2/3

Additional reading:

Readings (Samir Amin, Michael Hardt, Ellen Wood, John Rees)

Review of The Making of Global Capitalism by Leo Panitch and Sam Gindin

The USA as hyperpower

Day Four: Sunday 21 December 10-4pm

Debates, problems, case studies and the AWL

Priority reading: The poverty of anti-imperialism

Additional reading: Dossier: the Falklands-Malvinas War

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