A Critical Approach to Marx and Feminism
The left is plagued by a paternalism which treats feminist issues and organising with condescension at best; at worst, with contempt. This attitude demonstrates not only the prevalence of individual prejudices towards women but, more importantly, a significant theoretical misunderstanding which fails to adequately consider the totality of the capitalist mode of production. Due to... Continue Reading →
The term ‘sex work’ has come to replace the word ‘prostitution’ in contemporary discussions on the subject. This is not accidental. The phrase ‘sex work’ has been adopted by liberal feminists and powerful lobbyists in a deliberate attempt to steer the narrative on prostitution. Smoke and Mirrors Superficially, the term ‘sex work’ is intended to... Continue Reading →
It is surprising that not more has been written about Claudia Jones given her stunning achievements as an activist, freedom fighter ideologist and theoretician. The fact that she is buried next to Karl Marx is an appropriate but not an adequate epitaph. The bare bones of her all too short life — she died at... Continue Reading →
The centenary of the Russian Revolution has triggered a great deal of interest, not all of which is helpful or illuminating. However, one aspect of the two revolutions of 1917 which has been almost completely disregarded is the role of women. The commonly accepted view is that Russian women featured only twice in 1917. The... Continue Reading →
This article is written in response to an article entitled ‘Are All Marxist Feminists TERFs?’. The article can be found here. The author of the above article argues that Marxist feminists (or ‘Red TERFs’) deny the ‘actual lived experiences’ of transwomen. Not only is this ironic, as gender identity theorists regularly dismiss women’s extensive lived experiences of male violence and... Continue Reading →
International Women’s Day (IWD) has become a corporate event reflecting the now mainstream ideology of 'corporate feminism'. This year its theme is #BalanceforBetter. The anonymous organisers of IWD events assert that 'balance' is not a women’s issue, it’s a business issue and thus their 'flagship events are backed by significant corporate and/or government sponsorship'. Sponsors... Continue Reading →
Premised on the indisputable fact that women’s role in the revolutions in Russia of 1905 and the two revolutions of 1917 have been largely hidden from history, Judy Cox’s book redresses the imbalance in the torrent of publications two years ago marking the centenary of the Bolshevik Revolution which largely ignored it. Her slim volume... Continue Reading →
Clearly there are different sides and many nuances within this debate, which is often beset by a wave of intolerance that not only clouds the subject but, from a Marxist perspective, diverts us from objective substantive analysis. The essence of the problem is a failure to understand two underlying issues. First, there is a confusion... Continue Reading →