Help beginning a leftist club at university

[Soomie]

I would like to try to start a "leftist club" at my college next year. My college already has a democratic club and a republican club. I would like to start a sort of leftist club for socialists and communists to discuss things and teach those who are new to the ideas and are curious. I'm not exactly an expert on everything myself, but I really would like to start this club and bring people together. I'm not exactly sure of a name... I know that I can't outright call it "Communist" or "Socialist," as that can scare off prospective members who don't understand the two. I also don't exactly know what sort of events we could do on a weekly basis... I thought perhaps films, news discussions, and possibly a speaker or two during the year, but I'm not sure. Are there any comrades out there that have done something like this that could help me begin organizing and planning?

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Find a room to meet, make up some fliers to post up around, and advertise online if your school has any facebook groups for its various clubs.Not much you can do straight off but education sounds like your primary goal so keep that in mind and go with study groups, progressive film watching, and for those who are interested perhaps plan an event or participate in a local one while all the attendees represent your group.

[Let's Get Free]

I don't know, student bodies are often apathetic. Maybe try taking up issues that affect students, from leftist/socialist perspective.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

I don't know, student bodies are often apathetic. Maybe try taking up issues that affect students, from leftist/socialist perspective.

I wouldn't say that apathetic is the right word considering that many movements have been led by youth but that being said it takes a different kind of organizing and focus when doing work among students; esepcially if you live in an "up-scale" area where petty-bourgeois mentality reigns supreme. You have to undertake their struggle,relate it to a revolutionary working class perspective, and do so in a manner which enthralls them.Hard work to be sure.

[Ostrinski]

Find out if there are any existing leftist organizations in your school or area and see if they can help you out.

[Drosophila]

I don't know, student bodies are often apathetic. Maybe try taking up issues that affect students, from leftist/socialist perspective.

Don't do that - it will only cause the organization to crumble. You might be surprised to see how many students will want to hear about the real problems of capitalism and the communist alternative.

[Let's Get Free]

You're right, I shouldn't. Especially considering how many revolutions are begun by students.

[Ostrinski]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Revolution

[Drosophila]

You're right, I shouldn't. Especially considering how many revolutions are begun by students.

The vast majority of students are probably going to become proletarians. Saying that we should avoid students because they "won't start revolutions" is beyond idiotic.

[Ostrinski]

The term student is ambiguous in itself. Some are from proletarian backgrounds, some are from bourgeois backgrounds. It's not a class identity.

[Soomie]

Could anyone recommend some good films to show. Also, what about a name? Would "Leftist Club" be okay, or should I opt for something obvious like "Socialist Society"/"Communist Club"?

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Could anyone recommend some good films to show. Also, what about a name? Would "Leftist Club" be okay, or should I opt for something obvious like "Socialist Society"/"Communist Club"?

Here might be a good place to begin.I recommended "The Power Principal."

http://metanoia-films.org/films/

[Let's Get Free]

The vast majority of students are probably going to become proletarians. Saying that we should avoid students because they "won't start revolutions" is beyond idiotic.

I'm not saying that at all. Many revolutions/progressive movements have in fact started with students.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

It might be worth taking on a particular project, and embedding radical perspective within it - say, a newspaper with a particular, partisan/anticapitalist mandate, or an anticapitalist collective that does food servings, or, or, or . . .
I think starting with some sort of concrete activity is better for bringing people together, and drawing them together through a common experience of struggle, then simply being "leftist" in the abstract (which tends to turn in to a boring sausage party pretty quickly - see: RevLeft ;)).

[Zeus the Moose]

Your "location" say you're in South Carolina. These folks are too: http://www.winthrop.edu/studentorgs/default.aspx?id=6360 You might want to get in touch with them to see what they've been up to.

[The Idler]

Could anyone recommend some good films to show. Also, what about a name? Would "Leftist Club" be okay, or should I opt for something obvious like "Socialist Society"/"Communist Club"?
Marx Reloaded (http://www.marxreloaded.com/)

[hetz]

The term student is ambiguous in itself. Some are from proletarian backgrounds, some are from bourgeois backgrounds. It's not a class identity.
It is however usually stronger than the latter.

[Q]

The term student is ambiguous in itself. Some are from proletarian backgrounds, some are from bourgeois backgrounds. It's not a class identity.

Students are pushed by ideas. It is in their very nature. So, best to use the time they have available as students to engage in political ideas.

[Philosophos]

First of all good luck. After that I would recommend you to find some easy/for dummies guides or essays about communism or socialism on the internet so you can give it to the totally newbies. You can make a facebook page about it (I would recommend with a different name than yours) and make some posters (however it's called in english) for your university. You can always have some of your friends help you as well. Hope I've helped :)

[Ostrinski]

Students are pushed by ideas. It is in their very nature. So, best to use the time they have available as students to engage in political ideas.I agree, which is what I was trying to communicate. Student is not a class identity because the student's primary relationship is to ideas and academia, not the means of production.

[The Idler]

First of all good luck. After that I would recommend you to find some easy/for dummies guides or essays about communism or socialism on the internet so you can give it to the totally newbies. You can make a facebook page about it (I would recommend with a different name than yours) and make some posters (however it's called in english) for your university. You can always have some of your friends help you as well. Hope I've helped :)
Oxford University Press
Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction by Colin Ward
Communism: A Very Short Introduction by Leslie Holmes
Socialism: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Newman
Marx: A Very Short Introduction by Peter Singer
Engels: A Very Short Introduction by Terrell Harver

Icon Books/Pantheon/Totem
Introducing Marx by Rius
Introducing Marxism by Rupert Woodfin and Oscar Zarate

Graphic Guides
Marx's Das Kapital for Beginners by Michael Wayne, illustrated by Sungyoon Choi (Steerforth)
The Communist Manifesto Illustrated: Chapter 1 by George Rigakos (Red Quill, 2010)
The Communist Manifesto Illustrated: Chapter 2 by George Rigakos (Red Quill, 2011)
The Communist Manifesto Illustrated: Chapter 3 by George Rigakos (Red Quill, 2012)

[Rugged Collectivist]

Could anyone recommend some good films to show. Also, what about a name? Would "Leftist Club" be okay, or should I opt for something obvious like "Socialist Society"/"Communist Club"?


Call it the Jacobin club :thumbup1: