Revisiting State Socialism (I)
A new series of conferences at tranzit.ro/Cluj partnered by Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj under the PNRR project Philosophy in Late Socialist Europe: Theoretical Practices in the Face of Polycrisis.
Thursday, October 26th, 2023, 6 p.m
Address: tranzit.ro/Cluj
Street.Napoca no 16, 1st floor, Cluj-Napoca
Jan Mervart, "Genealogy of Czechoslovak Stalinism"
Czechoslovak Stalinism represents a unique case within the countries of East Central Europe, because of its long duration based on the continuous legality of the Czechoslovak Communist Party. The author's focus is primarily on capturing the genealogy of Stalinism as a Gesamtkunstwerk based on the interconnectedness of individual conceptualizations, representations, and modes of communication. In doing so, he considers the central logos of Stalinism to be the dynamic that emerged from the tension between the constant fluidity of Stalinist policy and strategy, and the desire to formulate a unity of basic premises and binding rules.
Monika Woźniak, "Developing the Subjective Side of Marxism. The History of the Anthropological Tendency in Polish Marxism"
The history of Polish Marxism has often been described as divided between two schools: “scientistic” (“neopositivist”) and “humanistic” (“anthropological” or “Hegelian”). The turn toward anthropology was born out of the critical confrontation with Stalinism; with time, however, it became much more accepted (as long as the authors were not engaged in any direct criticism of the regime). Surprisingly, in stark contrast to many other socialist countries, 1968 was not the end of it in Poland; on the contrary, a variant of it gained institutional recognition in the 1970s. In my paper, I will present the main representatives, themes and intellectual sources of the anthropological current, pointing to possible reasons behind its complex and unique fate.
The first meeting is chaired by Alex Cistelecan.
More info:
Stefan Baghiu
stefan.baghiu@ulbsibiu.ro
Alex Cistelecan altcistelecan@gmail.com
www.tranzit.org
https://ro.tranzit.org/en/calendar
