Alienation, autonomy, and ideology
I recently wrapped up work on the Corporate Politics 101 series for this blog. At least, I wrapped up this phase of it. And I did so with a rebuke of office politics and the people who play the game. But I think there’s a bit more to say on the topic. I wanted to say a word about why I avoid office politics. And why readers should avoid them, too.
Let’s talk about all that.
Welcome to the final reading list post of 2022! Don’t worry, there will be more in January 2023. But there won’t be any more this year. So what have I been reading at the end of 2022? Read on to find out. And, as always, let me know what you’ve been reading.
In my very first post on this blog, I laid out for readers the Marxist term ‘base and superstructure.’ Lots of people new to leftist ideas could use a 101-level story about many of Marx’s key terms. And that especially goes for any term related to the analysis of economic relations over the course of history. In this post, I’ll approach the term ‘modes of production’ from a similar mindset.
Indeed, Marx didn’t just analyze capitalism and its social relations. He didn’t only talk about the transition from capitalism to a socialist society. He embedded all this within his broader theories of history. ‘Modes of production’ is a key term within Marx’s historical materialism.
At the beginning of this year, I said I’d focus on an overview of life in the business world. I called it Corporate Politics 101. And it now has 9 short posts on navigating the business world!
In this post, I’ve collected links to the entire series in one place for easy navigation. Here you go:
1. Be Nice to Staff
2. Office Space was Right
3. The Peter Principle Now
4. Workers are More Competent than Leaders
5. Event Names are Ironic
6. Structure Hoards Power
7. No Bullshit Committees
8. ‘Best Practices’ are Anything But
9. CEOs are Roman Emperors
10. Special Projects
I hope readers have enjoyed the series. My idea was to present a set of very brief tips for navigating the business world. Especially for leftists who don’t have a background in it. I may add to the series in the coming months, but I see it as largely complete for now.
So, I’ve been listening to (and greatly enjoying!) Mike Duncan’s podcast Revolutions. In particular, I’ve been listening to his series on the Russian Revolution(s). Along the way, Duncan provides a great deal of background on Marxist theory. That makes sense, given the central role Marxism plays in 1917.
Overall, Duncan very skillfully explains Marxism 101, especially thorny terms like ‘means of production,’ and so on. I’d recommend his podcast, along with my own tips for reading Marx.
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