Class Struggle Research Articles

A Du Boisian Sociological Imagination: The Black Radical Tradition, Marxism and Du Boisian Sociology.

W. E. B. Du Bois is finally recognized as one of the founders of sociology, a social theorist, and a methodological innovator. The recognition of Du Bois' work is accompanied by the emergence of a contemporary Du Boisian sociology. This sociology takes inspiration from the work of Du Bois, but it does not limit itself to his work. It aims to bring into sociology the work of scholars that so far have been confined to the margins of the discipline, among them, Franz Fanon and Stuart Hall. Yet, as Du Bois work gets increasing visibility, important debates emerge. One of these debates concerns Du Bois' relation to Marxism, and the relationship between Du Boisian sociology to Marxist sociology. Marxist sociologists argue that Du Bois' late work, as well as the work of Franz Fanon and Stuart Hall, belongs in the Marxist tradition. In this essay I argue that while Du Bois, Fanon, and Hall were sympathetic to Marxism, their work cannot be encapsulated within the Marxist tradition. The question of the human was central to their thought. Moreover, for them colonialism and racism structure identity, lived experience and politics under capitalism in ways that are not reducible to class and class conflict. The Marxist appropriation of their work diminishes its originality and precludes the discipline from questioning the coloniality of its historical silences and its epistemic limits.

Back to class? The populism of the ‘Gilets jaunes’

ABSTRACT Mobilizing Laclau’s earlier conceptualization of populism as the politicization of class struggle and its overlap with Poulantzas’ relational theory of the capitalist state, this paper proposes to see populism as the struggle for the reconstitution of popular and class antagonisms, and as partly determined by anti-populism – concerned with the repression of these antagonisms. I use Michael Bray’s account of populism as a ‘symptom’ of repressed class antagonisms to argue that the relations structuring the capitalist state both determine populism and are rendered visible through populism. I present the Gilets jaunes protests (2018–2019) as a case in point not only of the populist struggle for unveiling such relations, but also of the anti-populist efforts at keeping them invisible – reminiscent of Poulantzas’ identification of the construction of a ‘people-nation’, the atomization of the body-politic, and the separation between mental and manual labor as the key mechanisms ensuring the reproduction of the capitalist state.

The pied piper of Hamelin: A Marxist critique of labor exploitation and class struggle

The pied piper of Hamelin: A Marxist critique of labor exploitation and class struggle

EXPLORING THE TANTRIC FIGURE IN SANGHARSH: A CINEMATIC INTERPRETATION

This article delves into the multifaceted depiction of the Tantric figure in the film Sangharsh (1999), focusing on its cultural, cinematic, and popular dimensions. It would primarily examine the presentation of the antagonist figure, Lajja Shankar Pandey who is portrayed as a Tantric practitioner engaging in human sacrifice to gain immortality and supernatural powers. By analysing the films narrative and portrayal of character, this study scrutinizes the cultural significance of the Tantric cult, and its representation as a source of fear and fascination. Also, it tries to connect this figure to its Western counterpart—the blood-sucking vampire who represents the cultural conflicts of class, power, and gender. Exploring similar aspect, this article would also focus on how the films depiction of Tantra aligns with broader cinematic trends in India, where mysticism and spirituality are often intertwined with moral and ethical dilemmas. Eventually, the article argues that Sangharsh presents a layered interpretation of the Tantric figure, blending cultural aspects and its cinematic dramatization to explore themes of power, mortality, and the supernatural.

Идегей: историческая личность и ее оценка в отечественной историографии

The purpose of the study is to show the dynamics of the assessment of the personality of the ruler of the Golden Horde Idigey in Russian science of the imperial and Soviet periods. Research materials: historical works of Russian historians who touched upon the assessment of the personality of Idigey in the 1840s – 1960s. Results and novelty of the study: it is shown that the process of studying the history of the Golden Horde and its political history was complex and tortuous. This was especially true of the personality of Idigey, as well as the folk epic dedicated to him. Since the beginning of the study of this epic, historians have become interested in the historical personality himself, the relationship of his fate with the hero of the epic. In Russian science, his personality did not attract much attention. The emerging Tatar historical science accused Idigey of extreme ambitions, considering him the culprit of the campaigns of Aksak-Timur and the collapse of the Golden Horde. In the first half of the 20th century. historians and folklorists were influenced by the ideas of class struggle and tried to present him as a folk hero fighting against feudal oppression, which was undoubtedly a distortion of the facts. In 1944, by a decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU(b), the Golden Horde was recognized as a parasitic state, and Idigey was recognized as the most "insidious and predatory Horde ruler." Since that time, such a point of view has become decisive and uncontested for almost half a century, which froze Russian science in understanding this period of history.

Development and Class Struggle: The Political Economy of Labour Precarity in South African Forestry

In this paper, we draw on a Marxist framework to discuss the significance of labour precarity for contemporary South African capitalism. We argue that the rise in precarious employment constitutes a deliberate strategy by capitalists to weaken the bargaining power of workers and re-assert their control over production through economic coercion. The paper focuses on forestry workers, who have experienced major restructuring characterised by chain subcontracting where pseudo-entrepreneurs employ precarious workers squeezed by a task-based payment system. We explore the failure of unions to resist the rise of precarity but disagree with authors who dismiss the working class as a horizon for progressive transformation. Hoping for benevolent top-down intervention to mitigate precarity ignores the uneven, dialectical character of capitalist development, whose engine remains class struggle. The weakness of labour’s resistance to capitalist strategies not only undermines workers, but the progressive character of capitalism itself.

<b>GUERRA E POLITICA NE “LE QUATTRO RAGAZZE WIESELBERGER” DI FAUSTA CIALENTE</b>

The novel Le quattro ragazze Wieselberger (The Four Wieselberger Girls), published in 1976 and winner of that year's Strega Prize, is the later work of Fausta Cialente, an important 20th century Italian writer. In it, autobiographical memoirs merge with accounts of the history and politics of the 'short century', in which the dramas that crossed it are analysed: imperialism, racism, wars, totalitarianism and class conflicts. Special attention is paid by the writer to the indifference and greed of the bourgeoisie of her time and the place of women in the working world. In this novel, the soul of the scholar merges with that of the chronicler. Cialente was a cosmopolitan intellectual with a very special life, characterised by frequent travel and feeling like a foreigner everywhere. Today, in Italy, there is renewed interest in this writer, whose novels have recently been republished. This essay dwells on the more non-fiction part of The Four Wieselberger Girls, analysing significant passages in which the author examines the historical situation of her time.

Fighting for the True Path of Revolution: The Communist Party of El Salvador (PCS) during the Sixties

The Salvadoran Communist Party (PCS) underwent great internal tensions throughout the 1960s, which led to its fracture at the end of the decade. Conventionally, these tensions have been explained as the result of internal differences related to the party’s position on the armed struggle. In contrast, this article shows that the internal dynamics of the party in this period can be explained by a series of disputes with a strong class component, which involved the two factions competing for the leadership of the organization. On the one hand, there was a workers’ faction in favor of proletarianizing the leadership of the party and deepening the class struggle through the work of the trade unions, and on the other, a sector of intellectuals that supported the political-electoral struggle, with the prospect of gradually accumulating forces. The reversal of the liberalization process experienced under the Salvadoran authoritarian regime since the early sixties, together with the party’s position on the war against Honduras, aggravated the internal contradictions of the organization, leading to its rupture in 1970.

Jurisdiction, Legal Form, and the Transition to Capitalism Debate: Recovering Agency and Discontinuity

Abstract The increased interest in law and capitalism has not translated into an engagement in legal scholarship with the transition-to-capitalism debate. This article contributes a critique of commercialisation approaches to the history of capitalism and law from a Political Marxist perspective. It argues that combining jurisdiction and legal form provides a more flexible conceptual architecture to account for early-modern juridical practices. Conceptually, this enables an encounter between the structural and subject-centred commodity-form theory of law (cftl) and the more granular, agentic, and class-centred Political Marxist approach. Empirically, exploring two key institutions – property and sovereignty – provides an opportunity to focus on their jurisdictional dimensions driven by specific class struggles and agencies. These reflect, through the concept of jurisdiction, the ruptures and discontinuities of the transition, while form analysis accounts for the more continuous and structural processes of key institutions shaping the apparent linearity of law.

The Influence of Historical Events on Victorian Literature

Victorian literature serves as a rich reflection of the 19th century’s transformative historical events, including the Industrial Revolution, the expansion of the British Empire, social reform movements, and challenges to traditional religious beliefs. This article explores how authors such as Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Rudyard Kipling, Charlotte Brontë, Thomas Hardy, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Matthew Arnold addressed themes of industrialization, colonialism, class conflict, and spiritual doubt. Through their works, Victorian writers critiqued societal norms, highlighted inequalities, and grappled with the shifting moral and intellectual landscape of their time. Their literature remains a vital lens through which to understand the complexities of the era and its enduring relevance today.

Main Themes of Charles Dickens’ Works And Different Critical Approaches To Them

This article explores the central themes that pervade the works of Charles Dickens and examines various critical approaches to understanding his literary contributions. It identifies key motifs such as social inequality, the impact of industrialization, the struggles of the poor, and the complexities of human nature. The article delves into Dickens’ portrayal of moral development, justice, and redemption, alongside his critique of Victorian society. By analyzing these thematic and critical frameworks, the article offers a comprehensive view of Dickens as both a social commentator and a master storyteller, revealing the enduring relevance of his works in contemporary literary discourse. This article analyses the main themes of the works of Charles Dickens, focusing on recurring topics such as social injustice, the effects of industrialization, class struggles, and human complexity. It highlights Dickens' exploration of moral growth, redemption, and the harsh realities faced by the impoverished in Victorian society. Additionally, the article surveys various critical approaches—including historical, feminist, Marxist, and psychoanalytic perspectives—that offer diverse interpretations of Dickens’ works. By engaging with these themes and critical lenses, the article underscores the continued relevance of Dickens’ works and their significance in understanding both the past and contemporary social issues.

The Brontë Sisters and the Critical Realism of English Literature

This article explores the distinctive critical realism in the works of the Brontë sisters—Charlotte, Emily, and Anne—highlighting their significant influence on English literature. Through an examination of major novels like Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, the article demonstrates how the Brontës combined unflinching depictions of social and psychological realities with moral critique, challenging literary conventions of their time. Their exploration of gender, class, and identity, particularly the complex portrayals of female autonomy and class struggles, marked a departure from the romanticized ideals of the Victorian era. Additionally, the Brontës’ innovative narrative techniques, such as unreliable narrators and non-linear structures, transformed the novel form, paving the way for modernist experimentation and feminist literary movements. By engaging with the intellectual currents of the 19th century, the Brontës crafted works that continue to resonate across generations, shaping both literary criticism and broader cultural discourses. Their legacy, defined by a commitment to social critique and emotional depth, underscores the enduring relevance of their critical realism in the ongoing evolution of literature.

Towards Algorithmic Luddism: class politics in data capitalism

ABSTRACT This article examines responses to inequalities (re)produced by algorithms, particularly affecting disadvantaged social strata. Positioning class politics at the centre of the analysis of data capitalism, we turn attention to emerging pockets of collective action against algorithmic control. Drawing parallels to the Luddite movement of the nineteenth century, we develop the notion of Algorithmic Luddism along three intertwining tenets: refusal, resistance and re-imagining algorithmic futures. We attempt to reclaim Luddism from its reputation as an anti-technology movement towards one that centres around algorithmically accentuated inequalities. Advancing theorisation on social movements for the digital age, Algorithmic Luddism foregrounds the need for novel understandings of and engagement with class struggle in datafied societies.

The Incubator and the Interregnum

Labor landscapes of post-Fordism are commonly characterized by fragmentation, fracture, and atomization, with platformization as the latest abstraction of a workplace that is everywhere and nowhere. The period following the 2008 financial crash has been posed as an interregnum where the exposed contradictions of neoliberalism have not yet ousted this order, while multiple actors jostle to grasp the reins. In this paper, I propose a focus on the cultural practices of place-making in theorizing contemporary class struggle with reference to two groups of digital laborers: tech workers and online sex workers. Taking the incubator—a place of pooled resources for companies in-the-making—as a jumping off point, I consider the interrelations, differentials, and potentials for class (re)composition when the distinction of work from life is as blurred as it is distinguishing. From an autonomist perspective and looking to collectives such as the Tech Workers Coalition and Hacking//Hustling, I unpick the “common sense” of a placeless platformed capital to explore the multiplicity of the “workplace,” what counts as “work,” and which places enable the imagination of otherwise. As visions of the “future of work” abound I ask, how can research under the umbrella of cultural studies support and co-create points of intervention—places of aggregation—in the interregnum?

Nothing is Inevitable but Class Struggle: A Workerist Perspective on AI Regulation

Nothing is Inevitable but Class Struggle: A Workerist Perspective on AI Regulation

REPRESENTASI KELAS SOSIAL DALAM FILM “TENGGELAMNYA KAPAL VAN DER WIJCK: KAJIAN TEORI MARXIS"

This research is motivated by the representation of social class that occurs in the film "Tenggelamnya Kapal Van Der Wijck". The theme of social class and cultural conflict in the film is a reflection of Minangkabau society at the beginning of the 20th century. This research was conducted based on the perspective of Marxist literary theory which is expected to reveal the social class conflicts that existed in Minangkabau society at that time. This study used qualitative research methods. This research data is in the form of descriptive sentences taken from the storyline of films and pictures. Based on the results of research in the film "Tenggelamnya Kapal Van Der Wijck", the Bourgeoisie is depicted as someone who has wealth, a luxurious house, and is also a very influential person in the area. This is depicted in Aziz and his family. Meanwhile, the Proletariat is described as someone who comes from the lower classes, does not have a clear ethnic origin, and the proletariat needs to work hard to make ends meet, even to be recognized the Proletariat needs to try hard to get recognition from other people, this is illustrated in Zainuddin's character

Diasporic strategizing: Punjabi Sikh immigrant navigations of labor and citizenship within contemporary U.S. racial capitalism

AbstractTo avoid the snowballing of economic and legal challenges that immigrant and diaspora workers face, Punjabi families continue to use an assemblage of social practices and vernacular legal acumen to maneuver around restrictive labor conditions and economic systems, thereby mitigating what Balibar (2015) describes as “ultra-subjective” and “ultra-objective” violence. This essay draws on ethnographic examples to explore these strategies. In one case, a Punjabi family faced bankruptcy from a new motel business following the events of September 11, 2001. The family deployed the legal instrument of a fictive divorce to prevent the loss of their property and home, thereby formally individualizing the financial loss of bankruptcy while actually maintaining their collectively shared resources. Paradoxically, the formal dissolution of the marriage here served to ensure stability within the intergenerational family by securing the home, school enrollment, and community ties. In another case, I consider the role of the intergenerational family in contesting cultural citizenship for working-class immigrant parents working in meatpacking plants. This article explores the way Punjabi immigrant workers experience the contested web of cultural citizenship, racial capitalism, and violence, while concomitantly leveraging their legal acumen and community ties to traverse a legal and economic system that is often inaccessible or hinders their very stability. In doing so, workers challenge the distinction between class struggle and non-class struggle forms of action to ameliorate the objectification of racialized workers under capitalism (as reported by Riley et al., New Left Review, no. 138 (December), 5–27, 2022).

Modern Revolution and Its Restorative Logic: Burke, Tocqueville, and Marx

ABSTRACT This article examines the views of Burke, Tocqueville, and Marx on the nature and extent of modern revolution and its restorative logic. I argue that, while all three supported the introduction of changes in society, they differed on how to steer the course of such changes, which resulted in a peculiar meaning of modern revolution. Each of them proposed good and bad versions of modern revolution, offered specific ways of protecting the good versions from producing perverse effects, and warned against the ugly consequences of a failed revolution. Burke’s conservative revolution favored incremental change against radical social transformations. Contra Burke, Tocqueville acclaimed the egalitarian tendency as a preordained path and advocated democratic revolutions insofar as political liberty could be rescued from the ills of social equality. Marx drew the possibilities of a proletarian revolution from the future the history of class conflicts had prepared. Particularly in his later works, Marx rejected Blanqui’s abortive version of conspiratorial revolution and social revolution without democratization. Overall, each of these thinkers—Burke, Tocqueville, and Marx—reconciled political and social revolutions in their own way, acknowledging that in order to prevent social and moral decay, modern revolutions inevitably gravitate to the Christian logic of restoration.

Analysis of the Themes of the Stories and Literary Life of Saadat Hasan Manto

Saadat Hasan Manto, a pioneer of Urdu writing, is renowned for his incisive storytelling and unflinching portrayals of social realities. The article examines Manto's literary paths and the profundity of his works' subjects. Manto, born in 1914, was influenced in his storytelling style and thematic concerns by early exposure to the works of Western literary luminaries such as Oscar Wilde and Victor Hugo. Manto's paintings are lauded for their bold realism and precise depiction of societal realities, while they face criticism for their purportedly gruesome nature. This study analyzes Manto's thematic focus, encompassing political, social, and sexual concerns, through a comprehensive examination of academic sources. The findings illustrate Manto's commitment to social critique and realism by depicting a society rife with gender issues, class struggles, and moral hypocrisy. We advocate for Manto's literature, which is occasionally misconstrued and criticized, as a sincere representation of the societal conditions of his era. The study concludes that Manto significantly contributed to Urdu literature by offering an authentic representation of the human condition and a comprehensive critique of societal norms. Saadat Hasan Manto, a pioneer of Urdu writing, is renowned for his incisive storytelling and unflinching portrayals of social realities. This essay examines Manto's literary paths and the profundity of his works' subjects. This study analyzes Manto's thematic emphasis on political, social, and sexual issues through a comprehensive examination of academic sources. The findings illustrate Manto's commitment to social critique and realism by depicting a society rife with gender issues, class struggles, and moral hypocrisy. We advocate for Manto's literature, often misconstrued and criticized, as a sincere representation of the societal conditions of his era. The study concludes that Manto significantly contributed to Urdu literature by offering an authentic depiction of the human condition and a comprehensive critique of societal norms.

L’aspetto vero della Sicilia: Nature and aristocracy in Tomasi di Lampedusa's Il Gattopardo

This paper examines the representation of the Sicilian natural environment in Tomasi di Lampedusa’s Il Gattopardo. I first highlight the anti-anthropocentric stance that emerges from the novel. Next, I explore the ambivalent relationship between Sicilian nature and the class conflict between aristocracy and bourgeoisie central to the narrative, also emphasizing the influence of Leopardi’s late works, particularly La ginestra. On the one hand, through the contemplation of the natural environment, the protagonist, Fabrizio, manages to ‘zoom out’ from contemporary historical events, gaining a perspective that diminishes social conflicts by comparing human insignificance to the eternity and magnificence of nature. On the other hand, nature in the novel shares key characteristics with aristocracy, creating a striking affinity between the two. Consequently, nature becomes entangled in the same class conflict it seemed to transcend. By aligning itself with the aristocracy, nature serves as a tool for the resentment of a historically defeated class, with the bourgeoisie's modernizing mission in Sicily ultimately undermined by the inherent qualities of the Sicilian landscape.