JISCMail - CRITICAL-LABOUR-STUDIES Archives

14.05.15

Dear Martin,

I think references to "post-socialist economies" 
and "post-socialist Europe" are problematic since 
they assume that there have been at some time 
"socialist economies" and a "socialist Europe". I 
believe that this has not been the case.

I am sure you are aware that even before 1991 the 
description (or self-description) of the USSR and 
the States of the Soviet bloc as "socialist" was 
controversial. Much of independent Marxist 
research, and others, described the system 
operating in these countries more accurately as 
another form of society, neither capitalist nor 
socialist (bureaucratic collectivism), or else as 
State capitalism. It is highly debatable whether 
any "socialist States" have ever existed in 
history so far. The issue here is  the meaning of 
socialism, which is itself open to debate, but 
there is a historical record, theoretical and 
practical, framing the definition which should not be ignored.

Would you now describe China, Vietnam, Laos or 
Cuba as "socialist"? all of them are moving very 
fast towards authoritarian forms of capitalism 
while the single party is attempting to maintain 
total control of society by administrative 
methods (police and military) to the benefit of 
capitalist enterprise.  That leaves North Korea. 
Paraphrasing Karl Marx, I would say that if this 
is socialism I am not a socialist.

I am of course aware that before 1991 both the 
propaganda of the USSR and its allies and the 
conservative Right were unanimous in describing 
the Soviet system a "socialist" The Communists, 
in their Stalinist version, tried to legitimise 
their system by appropriating the symbols and the 
language of the historical socialist movement- 
The conservative Right attempted to discredit the 
socialist movement by identifying and 
amalgamating it with the reality of the USSR and 
of Communist rule wherever it was able to 
exercise power.  This was, and remains, 
conceptual embezzlement of the  worst kind. To 
accept this consensus is to give socialism a bad 
name and to give credibility to its worst enemies.

It would have been much better if your choice of 
terminology would not have pre-empted any 
political conclusions and would not have imposed 
from the outset a specific interpretation of the 
past and present nature of these societies. The 
UN has already, years ago, found a term which 
side-steps this issue; their documents refer to 
"centrally administered economies".

Dan Gallin



At 13:20 14.05.2015, you wrote:
>Post-Socialist Economies, Nationalistic 
>Conflicts and Labour in Central-Eastern Europe 
>and the Former Soviet Union Workshop
>Friday 29 May, 9.30 to 18.00
>Middlesex University, London NW4 4BT, Hendon 
>Campus, College Building, room C114
>
>For further information, and to register at the workshop, please contact:
>Claudio Morrison ([log in to unmask]) or Ryan 
>Buchschacher ([log in to unmask]
>
>Programme outline
>9.30  10.00 Registration and coffee
>Welcome by Professor Richard Croucher (MUBS 
>Director of Research) and Dr Claudio Morrison (PLSG Convenor)
>
>10.00 - 11.45
>Session 1: Protests and Trade Unions in 
>Post-Socialist Europe: what prospects for Labour?
>Chair: Olga Cretu
>o   Ukraine: between competing nationalisms and 
>competing imperialisms, Volodymyr Ishenko 
>(Centre for Social and Labour Research, Kiev);
>o   Social Protests between Spontaneity and 
>Organisation: the case of the 2014 Bosnia 
>Uprising’, Goran Markovic (East Sarajevo University, Sarajevo Plenum);
>o   Labour protests in Russia: protection of 
>labour rights or revolt against the power?, Petr 
>Bizyukov (Centre for Social and Labour rights, Moscow);
>o   Trade unions in Poland: Pathways into the 
>21st century, Dr Vera Trappman (University of Leeds)
>
>11.45  12.00 Coffee break
>
>12.00  13.20
>Session 2: Post-Socialist Europe between crises 
>and conflict: The Politics of Nationalism
>Chair: Hanna Danilovich
>o   Passive Revolutions of the XXI 
>Century:  capitalist restoration and nationalist 
>conflicts in post-socialist Europe, Dr Claudio Morrison (Middlesex University)
>o   Conflict in the post-communist Yugoslavia: 
>the case of Serbia: An examination of the 
>consequences of the varying political discourse 
>of nationalism from Tito through to the 
>neoliberal order of today, Dr. Jelena Timotijevic (University of Brighton)
>o   Russian external threats and the ‘enemy 
>within’: government policies and public 
>responses,  Biziukova (Levada Analytical Centre, Moscow)
>
>13.20  14.20 Lunch break
>
>14.20  15.45
>Session 3: The Political Economy of 
>Post-Socialism: Economics, Debt and Conflict (1)
>Chair: Marian Rizov
>o   How Can We Explain Continuing Dysfunction in 
>Post Socialist Economies?, Professor Martin Upchurch (Middlesex University);
>o   The Polish "beggar imperialism" and uneven 
>development of the Eastern Europe, Dr Filip 
>Ilkowski (Institute of Political Science, Warsaw)
>o   Social Polarisation - history or politics? 
>The case of Ukraine, Dr Daryna Grechyna (Economics, Middlesex University)
>
>15.45  16.00 Coffee break
>
>16.00  17.00
>Session 4: The Political Economy of 
>Post-Socialism: Economics, Debt and Conflict (2)
>Chair: Martin Upchurch
>o   Ukraine’s Economy of Debt, Professor John 
>Grahl (economics, Middlesex University)
>o   The Russian Federation and its 
>‘neighbourhood’: A Eurasian Economic Space?, Dr 
>Hanna Danilovich (LWO, Middlesex University)
>
>17.00  17.40
>Plenary Session:
>The way forward: Prospects and challenges for 
>future research and social impact
>Discussant: Richard Croucher
>
>
>Martin Upchurch
>Professor of International Employment Relations
>Middlesex University Business School
>The Burroughs
>Hendon
>London NW4 4BT
>
>+44(0)7827 314649
>
>[log in to unmask]
>
>Google Scholar
>http://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=D7owhWEAAAAJ&hl=en
>
>Research Cluster
>http://www.mdx.ac.uk/our-research/research-groups/employment-relations
>
>Globalisation and Work Facebook Group
>http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#/group.php?gid=238371095227&ref=ts
>
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>Please note that Middlesex University's 
>preferred way of receiving all correspondence is 
>via email in line with our Environmental Policy. 
>All incoming post to Middlesex University is 
>opened and scanned by our digital document 
>handler, CDS, and then emailed to the recipient.
>
>If you do not want your correspondence to 
>Middlesex University processed in this way 
>please email the recipient directly. Parcels, 
>couriered items and recorded delivery items will 
>not be opened or scanned by CDS.  There are 
>items which are "exceptions" which will be 
>opened by CDS but will not be scanned a full 
>list of these can be obtained by contacting the University.

Global Labour Institute
Av Cardinal-Mermillod 18
CH-1227 Carouge
Switzerland
tel: (+41 22) 344 63 63
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
website: www.global-labour.org