File spoon-archives/marxism-feminism.archive/marxism-feminism_1997/97-04-21.095, message 38


Date: Thu, 27 Mar 1997 09:11:25 -0500 (EST)
From: Gerald Levy <glevy-AT-pratt.edu>
Subject: Re: M-FEM: Re: Is this list alive?


Paul Zarembka wrote:

> I have a problem with the following formulation of Jerry's:
> > On Thu, 27 Mar 1997, Gerald Levy wrote:
> > fascinating topic of discussion among marxist-feminists, i.e. what is
> > there that drives many male Marxists, when angered, to use sexist and
> > homophobic insults? (btw, A.O. yesterday called Zeynep a "sub-human" and
> > "Queen Beerisha").
> Please substitute "many male Marxists" with "many males who identify
> themselves as Marxists".

OK, I was using the term "Marxists" in the above context to avoid a
discussion of who is and isn't a Marxist (which, as you know, can often be
a rather acrimonious topic to discuss).

I must also admit that my previous post did not spell-out the magnitude of
the problem. Briefly put, there are different traditions among "Marxists"
(note " ... " marks, Paul) which have different traditions regarding the
role of women and feminism (and related topics, such as the national
question and racism).  To be able to more fully discuss that
question, we would have to consider the historical evolution of these
perspectives and their inter-connectedness to other political positions
held by these groups. For instance, the varying positions of many
Trotskyist groups regarding this topic often revolve around different
interpretations of Trotsky's "Transitional Programme", especially
different interpretations of "democratic" and "transitional" demands under
imperialism. The position of different Maoist groups, on the other hand,
can in part be traced to their perspectives on how revolutionaries should
relate to other social movements and leftists (and is especially
frequently colored by the rhetoric regarding "social fascism" and the
content of "popular frontism").

Jerry 



   

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