Marxist Study Groups

[Tiberius]

NOTE : I'm going to be honest with you here - I'm not a leftist. However, this is the only thread I will be participating in and I will not utter a word about my political beliefs. So can the thread please stay here?

I often read (yes, I read lots of books on the revolutionary left) about "Marxist Study Groups" and "Revolutionary Literature Circles" and the like, where - I imagine - groups of leftists do something involving leftist literature.
My question is, exactly how do these operate? What goes on in these meetings? How are they structured? Is it more like a book club, or a debate club?

And don't worry, I'm not asking for your secret plans to overthrow the government - just an innocent question from an intellectually honest and curious person. If you want to know how an investment club operates in return, I'll gladly tell you. ;)

[OneNamedNameLess]

No idea tbh. I believe one or two South American users are part of such circles but who knows when they will spot this thread.

Good luck with your inquiries ;)

[ellipsis]

One that I went to was basically a round table with snacks that opened with discussion on current event (obama inauguration that week) and then we went around reading from their propaganda organ/paper and then discussing that. It was held at a book store owned/opperated by the Communist Party USA. They would also hold book release party. The store's long time volunteers/party members coordinated/facilitated. It was open to the public which is the only reason why I am posting about it here. Hope that helps.

[chegitz guevara]

My group reads a book, sometimes with a study guide. Then we get together, talk about what the author meant, whether he made sense at the time, and whether or not his ideas still make sense today. It's very odd reading something written 100 years ago and feeling like it's contemporary.

[Rjevan]

Hi, nice to see that you are interested in our stuff and don't go like "Ah, commie stuff, leave me alone with this sh...".

I have never been to such a meeting so I have no idea but I guess people go there, read important excerpts or a whole book and then discuss what is ment by certain statements, if they make sense and if they are valid today, look what they can learn from this example and discuss their opinion about it with others. I think it is helpful for certain works since some are not easy to understand and in a group maybe you get conclusions you would have never got by reading the book alone for yourself and you see what others think about it.
I guess it's like in this group: Revolutionary leftism Book Group for Beginners (http://www.revleft.com/vb/group.php?groupid=217)

If you have further questions don't hesitate to ask or to open up a new thread on a different topic. We have no problem with people who want to learn more about us and are interested in leftism so don't worry, you won't be sent to the gulag for asking questions. ;)

[Absolut]

The ones Ive been to generally work like a kind of discussion group. The group chooses a book or text and then work their way through it, reading a part and then get together and discuss it and ask questions if theres something thats hard to understand. Theres usually an older, more "well-educated" member there as well, that can answer these questions and explain whatever topic thats being discussed. Thats pretty much how the study-circles Ive been to have worked. Like Rjevan said, its generally like in the Revolutionary leftism Book Group for Beginners, but instead of online its in some basement.

Theres also usually coffee and cookies, which is nice. :)

If youre interested in attending a study circle, Im sure you can get in touch with a revolutionary organisation in your area (depending on where you live, of course) and sign up.

[Tiberius]

Please do.

An investment club is really a very simple organization; a group of people, usually about 5 - 10 people, most/all of whom are not professional investors, each give a certain amount of money to a pool. During the first meeting, the man topic of conversation is where to put the money. After everyone is agreed on what stocks to put the money on, the club fills out forms to become a legal entity. Usually the president and officers are responsible for this.
After the legal forms are filled out, the broker chosen, and the money put into the first stock(s), the club holds meetings about anywhere between once a week and once a month (depending on weather your strategy follows Graham's long-term philosophy or a short-term philosophy). These meetings are about where to move the money next.

[mreyda]

The ones I have been part of have been widely different. In the best, we read a book and supplemental material on a schedule, and discussed what the author was asserting in the works. These groups were not about deciding of someone was right or wrong, and was not about debating idead, but about trying to understand an author's work. Any open-minded person could have particiapted and gained a lot from such a group. I find that many people, both on the left and right, do not understand what many Marxists actually wrote or thought, so such a group is highly useful for anyone interested in honest debate and education.
I have also been part of reading groups that were all about the group leader convincing everyone of the correctness of his ideas. I took part in one reading group that was supposed to discuss Lenin's "State and Revolution" but instead spent most of the time attacking and defending the actions of Stalin many years after the book was written and it's author was dead. (That's usually what happens when a Stalinist leads the reading group.)
If anyone is interested in getting an online study group of the former variety together, I'd be willing to help set it up and to participate.

[Lolshevik]

NOTE : I'm going to be honest with you here - I'm not a leftist. However, this is the only thread I will be participating in and I will not utter a word about my political beliefs. So can the thread please stay here?

I often read (yes, I read lots of books on the revolutionary left) about "Marxist Study Groups" and "Revolutionary Literature Circles" and the like, where - I imagine - groups of leftists do something involving leftist literature.
My question is, exactly how do these operate? What goes on in these meetings? How are they structured? Is it more like a book club, or a debate club?

And don't worry, I'm not asking for your secret plans to overthrow the government - just an innocent question from an intellectually honest and curious person. If you want to know how an investment club operates in return, I'll gladly tell you. ;)

Book club, study club, or debate club? I don't know how it works in other groups, but in the Socialist Alternative study meetings that I've attended, it's more like all three.

[chimx]

My question is, exactly how do these operate? What goes on in these meetings? How are they structured? Is it more like a book club, or a debate club?

Those that I have been to usually operate like a book club, where club "leaders" pre-plan certain questions to ask the group to get discussion going. there are debates and the like, but it generally friendly.