There are two basic purposes of this intensive class. The first is to teach the specifics of Marxian class analysis (its history, different interpretations, and basic structure). The second is to show in detail how to apply Marxian class analysis and what unique insights it achieves both in terms of understanding society and strategizing for social change.

Tuesdays starting Feb. 16, 5:30pm - 7:30pm at the Brecht Forum.

The five sessions will each entail some reading and will be organized as follows:

There are two basic purposes of this intensive class. The first is to teach the specifics of Marxian class analysis (its history, different interpretations, and basic structure). The second is to show in detail how to apply Marxian class analysis and what unique insights it achieves both in terms of understanding society and strategizing for social change.

The five sessions will each entail some reading and will be organized as follows:

Class 1: The basic concept of class; history of class analysis; differences (inside and outside Marxism) over how to define “class”; specifics of Marxian class analysis; different results from using Marxian class analysis versus using other analytical frameworks.

Readings:

• “The New Reading of Karl Marx’s Capital in the United States”
• “Anti-Slavery and Anti-Capitalism”
• “Marxian Economics" - A four-part set of Brecht Forum lectures on audio
• S. Resnick and R. Wolff, “The Diversity of Class Analyses” (pdf linked to bottom of entry)
• S. Resnick and R. Wolff, New Departures in Marxian Theory, New York and London: Routledge Publishers, 2006, Essays # 6, 7, 11, and 16.

Class 2: Analyzing the current US capitalist crisis in class terms and proposing class-based solutions for the crisis.

Readings:

• “Economic Crisis from a Socialist Perspective”
• “Transitions Between Economic Sysytems”
• Resnick and Wolff, New Departures, Essay # 17.
• R.D. Wolff, Capitalism Hits the Fan: the Global Economic  Meltdown and What to Do About It. Northampton: Olive Branch Press,  2010.

Class 3: A class analysis of the rise and fall of the USSR (with applications as well to China, etc.)

Readings:

• S. Gabriel, S. Resnick, and R. Wolff, “State Capitalism versus Communism: What Happened in the USSR and the PRC?” Critical Sociology
• S. Resnick and R. Wolff, Class Theory and History: Capitalism and  Communism in the USSR, New York and London: Routledge Publishers, 2002

Class 4: A class analysis of the current crisis of households, families, and intimate life in the US

Readings:

• Resnick and Wolff, New Departures, Essays # 8 and 15.
• Graham Cassano, Editor, Class Struggles on the Home Front, London and New York: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2010.

Class 5: A class-based strategy for US labor and left today based on class analysis of their current situation

Readings:

• “Class War”
• “Taking Over the Enterprise: A New Strategy for Labor and the Left”

Sliding scale: $55-$75
Free for Brecht Forum Subscribers

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Phone: (212) 242-4201 - Email: brechtforum at brechtforum.org