The Movement Is Everything? (was Re: Rob Schaap on Foucault)

Wojtek Sokolowski sokol at jhu.edu
Thu Jun 14 11:54:11 PDT 2001


At 01:49 PM 6/14/01 -0400, Yoshie quoted:
><http://jinx.sistm.unsw.edu.au/~greenlft/1999/347/347p26.htm>

on Rosa Luxemburg, but edited the following passage

"Luxemburg engaged fully in theoretical debates within the socialist movement. In some of these debates, many Marxists agree, she took the wrong stand. For example, she did not support movements for self-determination on the basis that nationalism, even the nationalism of oppressed people, was counterposed to socialism."

That is probably the most appealing (beside her extraordinary willingness to live by what she preached) aspect of her thought. It is not possible to separate "national self-determination" from "nationalism" and nationalism is antithetical to socialim because it weakens international solidarity among the working class and creates institutional bonds between workers and their bosses.

As to the Spartacus League she found - well, from the hindsight - unlike social democrats, that bunch of crackpots did not accomplish much for the working class, did they?

wojtek



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