Monday, January 15, 2018
Marxism Leninism Maoism with J.Moufawad- Paul
Democracy and Class Struggle appreciates the work of J Moufawad - Paul but we read him critically and we stress unlike J Moufawad- Paul the continuity of MLM with the new Soviet Philosophy of the 1930's and the Maoist theory of contradiction we have also pointed out in past the Leninist origins of the Mass Line.
J Moufawad Paul correctly says the mass line and a new non commandist conception of the revolutionary party along with protracted peoples war and cultural revolution are central to Marxism Leninism Maoism.
Therefore we appreciate his thought and contributions but by reading or listening to him critically we can better advance Marxism Leninism Maoism.
Sharpen your own Marxism Leninism Maoism by reading and criticising J Moufawad Paul in the true spirit of what Mao called communist largeness of mind.
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4 comments:
As far as I see it there are two major crits for PRC RCP (Which is to say JMP): firstly I am confused by their strategic priorities as a party. Revolutionary Student Movement (RSM) seems completely class blind and lost in their pursuit of progressive and revolutionary youth. I am concerned that they have chosen to limit themselves to Students who by and large are PB or semi declassed into PB.
In my supportive opinion, it should be relaunched as the Revolutionary Youth Movement in order to provide the organization a working-class mooring. Students and young intellectuals can and do play a progressive role all over the world but they must be guided and remolded by Working class leadership. A classic example of this being Jose Maria Sison leading students and youth in the Philippines to go on 'exposure' trips to work with Workers and Peasants via the mass org Kabataang Makabayan. By limiting themselves to Students, RSM is fated to breed PB movementism.
From conversations with RSM members at the grassroots level, the org seems to struggle to provide leadership of any sort to members. This seems especially true for isolated ones struggling to build RSM chapters in their schools. From what I can tell this problem is especially pronounced for their High School age members. When asked by me why RSM leadership does not provide more help, one High school age RSM member replied to me, "they are very busy with school." This seems symptomatic of a wider problem within the organizations.
my second main crit is that the party seems, from the outside to not have a very high level of functioning Democratic Centralism. The split that happened last year is emblematic of wider problems inside the party I think. The split appears to be across several problems but one of the most important being Pro trans or anti-trans. I have been told by supportive MLMs in Klananda who are outside the party that Transphobia seems like as much a problem in the English section as it is in the French section. If there is such a diverse set of opinions on trans oppression, I wonder how much the party has unity on questions of a more direct Marxist matter.
As a final note, though I of course (and hope to be) could be misinformed it seems as if PRC RCP does very little work with Frist nations people besides a few token loud native members. Additionally, these members seem to exclusively organize for native issues outside the context of PRC RCP and its mass orgs which leads me to question if there is a willingness on the part of the PRC RCP to support first nations struggle.
I welcome any replies from people more informed on these topics than I, Solidarity,
-Sam
Thanks for posting this interview with me. I am mindful of our differences but believe in unity and struggle. I want to respond, however, to SamE's comments which I find highly problematic for multiple reasons.
First of all, this was an interview conducted by a PCR-RCP supporter with me and about my book, and yet SamE conflates the two: the PCR-RCP "which is to say JMP." This is completely unprincipled. I have been clear for years that I am a party supporter, and in fact the theoretical work of the PCR-RCP preceded my involvement in their circles, and I was clear in C&R that I was pursuing a philosophical intervention in pre-existing theory. I am not the PCR-RCP, and it is in insulting to this large organization to reduce it to myself who joined it after it had already established its theoretical boundaries. I learned from these boundaries, I was mentored by older comrades, I was not producing PCR-RCP theory in Continuity and Rupture. The interview reflected both what I learned from this mentoring and my own opinions. It is complete nonsense to imply that I am the PCR-RCP. I am not. I am a supporter who has training as a philosopher who tried to write a book, whatever its flaws, that was devoted to discussing the philosophical problems MLM opens. That's it.
Secondly, because I am a PCR-RCP supporter who does organizational work in these mass org circles, SamE's claims about this project's mass work are entirely off base. Generally it reads like typical yankee delirium based on some interaction with a couple of Canadian individuals over facebook, devolves into unsubstantiated hearsay, and is thus entirely subjectivist.
For example, the claims about the RSM's rejection of class struggle is belied by multiple RSM documents that highlight the need to focus on proletarian students. Now it may be the case that SamE has spoken to one or two RSM kids who were petty-b but this doesn't count as social investigation. Can he actually explain the composition of, say, Peterborough's or Winnipeg's or Ottawa's or Hamilton's RSM? Of the highschool elements beyond the ones he has supposedly talked with on facebook? Is he doing social investigation here? Does he know of the line struggles that exist within the national organizing body of the RSM mass organization? He's making shit up based on poor social investigation.
Similarly his claims about the involvement in national self-determination show a lack of understanding of what the circles of Canadian Maoism are involved with. Maybe these circles aren't sending him communiques, but considering that he's not part of an organization that has any organizational connection with us, why would they? Is he aware of Ottawa's work that has produced the Anti-Colonial Action [ACA] mass organization and how it has had to deal with post-modernist and comprador criticism after having worked hard to establish unity with revolutionary Indigenous nationalists? Or of Manitoba's long-standing work with AIM? While it is indeed the case that the summation of this work is not published on Facebook, why should the comrades I support be required to do this just so an individual who is not part of a party project can be given the information he demands just so he, and only he, can declare the relevance of a organization he has nothing to do with?
So all-in-all I want to make these two points: i) I am not the PCR-RCP and my work, though influenced and educated by the history of the PCR-RCP, should not be seen as authoritative of this party in any way, shape, or form; ii) the claims i this comment made about the RSM and the PCR-RCP as a whole completely conflict with my experience as a supporter and are weird subjectivist assessments that, ultimately, are unprincipled and based on zero investigation outside of facebook arguments. No investigation no right to speak.
thank you comrade for your valued clarifications we are all better informed as a result of your comments.
On your books and philosophical work we value engagement guided by Mao's injunction that communists should have largeness of mind.
@JMP. I am confused by your reply and in effect, it does little more than confirm the total lack of commitment to two-line struggle in and around PCR RCP. thanks for the clarifications you managed to fit in between your Maoian insults.
"In my supportive opinion"
" I welcome any replies from people more informed on these topics than I, Solidarity,
-Sam"
I wonder how you make any progress at all with the masses when you reply to a principled honest comment, with Maoian insults. Generally when someone says things such as " though I of course (and hope to be) could be misinformed " it means they are looking for more info, not attacking. on the other hand, your reply comes off like the University bound academic/professor you appear to be.
as a final note, for a feminist against oppression, you sure love assuming the gender of everyone on the web. I see that transphobia still is a problem in and around PCR RCP. my pronouns are she / her, assuming you care about that kind of thing.
Thanks again for the clarifications you managed to sneak into your unprincipled attack,
solidarity
sam
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