silly little guy he/it
My languages in order of proficiency: German French English Chinese. The reason I read so much in English is only because most pirated epubs are in English. I have no consistent grading system, the stars are based on vibes, don't read into it. I am not a critic; my "reviews" simply document what it was like for me to read the book in question.
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75% complete! possm has read 9 of 12 books.
Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism (Russian: Империализм как высшая стадия капитализма, romanized: Imperializm kak …
This is the end of my Lenin arc I promise
Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism (Russian: Империализм как высшая стадия капитализма, romanized: Imperializm kak vysshaja stadija kapitalizma), originally published …
Im Spätwerk Lenins verdichten sich Dringlichkeit und revolutionäre Schlagkraft in besonderer Weise. Dennoch stehen meist …
The 100 page introduction by Žižek helps put the writings (letters, articles etc) from Lenin's last years into perspective. I gained an understanding of Lenin's national policies and how they differ from Stalinism. Both Žižek and Lenin are good writers (in very different ways, though they are both enjoyable for the energy in their prose). Now of course neither of these men share my anarchist sensibilities, so I found myself screaming internally at the displayed ideas about freedom, discipline and the need for strong leaders. Still, interesting read.
Im Spätwerk Lenins verdichten sich Dringlichkeit und revolutionäre Schlagkraft in besonderer Weise. Dennoch stehen meist seine frühen Schriften im Rampenlicht. …
Im Spätwerk Lenins verdichten sich Dringlichkeit und revolutionäre Schlagkraft in besonderer Weise. Dennoch stehen meist …
Guess I'm going through some sort of Lenin phase. It won't last.
Pretty dry! Lots of tables and diagrams. The author aims to show exactly how and how much the countries of the global North exploit those of the global South. He works with lots of numbers and within a marxist-leninist framework. Almost everytime he cites any data, he immediately follows it up with reasons why that data cannot be trusted (usually because bourgeois economics failed to consider XY factor) and why the unknown numbers are probably a lot higher. Honestly, I can't tell how reliable that makes the book - I don't know enough about economics. I'm giving it 2 stars for the reading experience, because that wasn't especially fun. I'm still glad I read it - I brushed up on my Marxism a little, and got a few interesting insights. But I certainly won't pick it up again.
This book argues that there is a new, Sinological form of orientalism at work in the world. It has shifted …
Obwohl Rassismus in allen Bereichen der deutschen Gesellschaft wirkt, ist es nicht leicht, über ihn …
A good little book to get white people started on anti-racism, and a good refresher for white people with prior knowledge. This book is written with a German audience in mind, which is important because many Germans like to pretend like racism is an American problem. The book invites the (presumed white) reader to introspect about their white fragility and other defense mechanisms that may arise during reading. It also points to the many situations where we enjoy white privilege without noticing. I found this very valuable. As far as knowledge goes, I didn't gain much from the book, because it stays on a very basic level; I already know the history of colonialism and what a microaggression is. What I did gain is the introspection mentioned above. Reading books like this regularly is valuable for any white person looking to develop an anti-racist attitude in everyday life. Now of …
A good little book to get white people started on anti-racism, and a good refresher for white people with prior knowledge. This book is written with a German audience in mind, which is important because many Germans like to pretend like racism is an American problem. The book invites the (presumed white) reader to introspect about their white fragility and other defense mechanisms that may arise during reading. It also points to the many situations where we enjoy white privilege without noticing. I found this very valuable. As far as knowledge goes, I didn't gain much from the book, because it stays on a very basic level; I already know the history of colonialism and what a microaggression is. What I did gain is the introspection mentioned above. Reading books like this regularly is valuable for any white person looking to develop an anti-racist attitude in everyday life. Now of course, an anti-racist mentality and attitude is not enough - action on the political and societal level is necessary, which the book doesn't address. This is fine of course. Anti-racism needs to start somewhere.
Obwohl Rassismus in allen Bereichen der deutschen Gesellschaft wirkt, ist es nicht leicht, über ihn zu sprechen. Keiner möchte rassistisch …
Obwohl Rassismus in allen Bereichen der deutschen Gesellschaft wirkt, ist es nicht leicht, über ihn zu sprechen. Keiner möchte rassistisch …
Im Alltag passiert es erstaunlich oft, dass wir mit Verschwörungserzählungen konfrontiert werden. Ob mit einem …
This book does what it sets out to do. It lays out the reasons why people latch onto conspiracy theories (there it stays at the individual, psychological level and doesn't get into a sociological or cultural explanation - which is fine here) and gives some pointers on how to deal with conspiracy theorists. Very helpful.
»Es mag stimmen, dass die linke Bewegung – so vielfältig sie ist – sich teilweise in Identitätspolitiken verliert, elitär ist …
»Es mag stimmen, dass die linke Bewegung – so vielfältig sie ist – sich teilweise …
The first third is entirely skippable. It makes the argument that fascists shouldn't be given a platform (chapter 1) and that the Left has lost ground on social issues, which have been recuperated by fascists (chapter 2).
Chapter 3 is where the fun begins. The "organizing" concept is described as an alternative to "autonomous" leftist politics.
Chapter 4 is the heart of the book. Activists from six different organizations that embody some aspects of the organizing concept were interviewed by the author. These interviews get summarized and quoted extensively. The description by frontline activists of the work they do is enjoyable to read, and extremely valuable for my own activism. I gained many new insights into what leftist activism can be.
The book suffers from a lot of typos and other small mistakes. Its strength lies in the interviews of activists, its weakness is all the theorizing around them. The …
The first third is entirely skippable. It makes the argument that fascists shouldn't be given a platform (chapter 1) and that the Left has lost ground on social issues, which have been recuperated by fascists (chapter 2).
Chapter 3 is where the fun begins. The "organizing" concept is described as an alternative to "autonomous" leftist politics.
Chapter 4 is the heart of the book. Activists from six different organizations that embody some aspects of the organizing concept were interviewed by the author. These interviews get summarized and quoted extensively. The description by frontline activists of the work they do is enjoyable to read, and extremely valuable for my own activism. I gained many new insights into what leftist activism can be.
The book suffers from a lot of typos and other small mistakes. Its strength lies in the interviews of activists, its weakness is all the theorizing around them. The antifascism theme is little more than a framing device - ultimately, this is just a book about the concept of organizing and how six german groups implemented it. That imo is valuable enough on its own.
