Thesis writing.

[Fidelbrand]

I am writing a 15000 word-thesis upon my graduation. The topic shall be a critique of "liberal democracy" from a Marxist perspective.

Please offer me any insights (e.g. things i should NEVER forget in writng this essay), books, magazines, websites, etc.

Below are the books I am reading right now / have borrowed:

-Communist Manifesto
-Das Capital
-New socialisms : futures beyond globalization / edited by Robert Albritton
-Capitalism, socialism, ecology / Andre Gorz ; translated by Chris Turner.
-Against capitalism / David Schweickart.
-Globalization and the decline of social reform / Gary Teeple
-Democracy and the global system : a contribution to the critique of liberal internationalism / Fabian Biancardi
-Democratic theory and socialism / Frank Cunningham
-Which socialism? : Marxism, socialism and democracy / [by] Norberto Bobbio ; edited and introduced by Richard Bellamy ; translated by Roger Griffin.
-Marx, Engels, and liberal democracy / Michael Levin ; foreword by David McLellan
-The liberal virus : permanent war and the Americanization of the world / by Samir Amin ; translated by James Membrez
-Theories of democracy : a reader / [edited by] Ronald J. Terchek and Thomas C. Conte.


Gracias~~~~ :huh:

[__ca va?]

I could recommend Evolutionary Socialism by Eduard Bernstein. It's a very good book about social democracy

[Fidelbrand]

Evolutionary socialism : a criticism and affirmation / E. Bernstein ; tr. by Edith C. Harvey ; introd. by Sidney Hook ??

thanks cava, will borrow it right way~

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Society Of The Spectacle / Debord, Guy / Translated Ken Knabb

Available, in its entirety, online HERE (http://www.bopsecrets.org/SI/debord/index.htm).

Easily the most important critique of (post-)modern commodity society that I've ever encountered. In terms of an assault on liberal democracy, I cannot stress how important this will be in advancing yr critique beyond the hackneyed orthodx-Marxist critiques of yesteryear.

[Fidelbrand]

thanks Comrade VMC, that shall brighten up my work.

[cormacobear]

Which liberal democracies do most of your examples come from?

[Fidelbrand]

Originally posted by [email protected] 9 2004, 06:37 AM
Which liberal democracies do most of your examples come from?
In a general sense only, but.....hmmm....maybe I will use Hong Kong as an example.

[percept¡on]

Chantal Mouffe - the democratic paradox
Ernesto Laclau - Emancipation(s)
Peter Bachrach - Power and Empowerment
Parenti - Power and the Powerless

[Fidelbrand]

Originally posted by percept¡[email protected] 9 2004, 09:47 PM
Chantal Mouffe - the democratic paradox
Ernesto Laclau - Emancipation(s)
Peter Bachrach - Power and Empowerment
Parenti - Power and the Powerless
For Mouffee, my library only has The return of the political .
yes for Laclau.
my library only has The theory of democratic elitism : a critique instead for Bachrach.
my library only has Democracy for the few for Parenti.

many thanks Perception, now i have four more. ;)

[antieverything]

-Against capitalism / David Schweickart
Very good. Schweickart is the man! I've never seen anyone lay out the case for a real, workable socialism and why it is necessary better than him.

[Subversive Rob]

If you're wanting a Marxist interpretation I'd steer clear of Laclau and Mouffe (*spit*). I'd reccommend you read Democracy and the Rule of Law, by Bob Fine, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, by Antonio Gramsci, The State in Capitalist Society by Ralph Miliband, Political power and social classes by Nic Poulantzas. Ummm consult Althusser at Marx2Mao, look for at Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (http://ptb.lashout.net/marx2mao/Other/LPOE70ii.html) (so massively important). Don't forget o read factual stuff showing the influence of corporations on "liberal democracy", I found Captive State by George Monbiot very enlightening. As for Guy "the Bored", well I do quite like him, but he doesn't supersede Marxian critiques, hell ideology materialised is a fundamentally Gramscian/Althusserian idea. And who can forget One Dimensional Man (http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/marcuse/works/one-dimensional-man/) the critque par excellence of "Liberal Democracy".

[Fidelbrand]

Originally posted by Subversive [email protected] 10 2004, 07:25 AM
If you're wanting a Marxist interpretation I'd steer clear of Laclau and Mouffe (*spit*). I'd reccommend you read Democracy and the Rule of Law, by Bob Fine, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, by Antonio Gramsci, The State in Capitalist Society by Ralph Miliband, Political power and social classes by Nic Poulantzas. Ummm consult Althusser at Marx2Mao, look for at Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (http://ptb.lashout.net/marx2mao/Other/LPOE70ii.html) (so massively important). Don't forget o read factual stuff showing the influence of corporations on "liberal democracy", I found Captive State by George Monbiot very enlightening. As for Guy "the Bored", well I do quite like him, but he doesn't supersede Marxian critiques, hell ideology materialised is a fundamentally Gramscian/Althusserian idea. And who can forget One Dimensional Man (http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/marcuse/works/one-dimensional-man/) the critque par excellence of "Liberal Democracy".
took note of all that, thanks comrade subversive rob.http://www.morethanwords.it/studenti/calshop/animal22.gif