Episode 29: Western Marxism & Anti-Communism with Gabriel Rockhill

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Oct 12, 2023

Gabriel Rockhill, a scholar specializing in the history and theory of Marxism, dives deep into the evolution of leftist thought and its diverse interpretations. He explores how historical contexts gave rise to various forms of Marxism in the global South during decolonization. The conversation also highlights the intertwining of Hollywood and anti-communist propaganda during the Cold War, illustrating how cultural narratives shaped ideological perceptions. Additionally, Rockhill critiques the totalitarian discourse that has historically conflated communism with fascism, challenging contemporary understandings of these ideologies.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

The Nuances of Leftist Ideology

01:34 • 21min

Hollywood and Cold War Propaganda

22:24 • 18min

Exploring the Intersection of Intellectualism and Cultural Imperialism

40:42 • 3min

Western Marxism and Anti-Communism

43:27 • 7min

The Totalitarian Narrative: Marxism and Anti-Communism

50:39 • 9min

The history of Marxism in the 20th century, both as a means to interpret the world and as the basis of a politics to transform it, is marked by a profound intellectual and political diversity. Some of this can be attributed to individuals and their specific readings of Marx's thought. Yet other forms of Marxism - such as that which emerged in the global South during the era of decolonization - can trace their origins to particular applications of Marx's ideas and Marxist predecessors (such as Lenin), as well as the historical experience of really existing socialist states to concrete historical and political contexts.

Many different actors and thinkers have historically held up the banner of Marxism and used its ideas to make sense of the world and mobilize people to create a different one.

Anti-communism has a similar history. A range of actors and thinkers have historically sought to oppose Marxism as both a real movement and set of ideas. Various forms of nationalism and liberalism (though not only) as the guiding ideals of nation states, empires and even grassroots movements, have presented Marxism, communism and socialism as their anti-thesis.

Yet History has no fidelity to simple binaries. In the aftermath of World War II, some Marxists in Europe and North America sought to base their theoretical articulation of the world in critiques of "really existing socialism" through a synthesis of Marxism and anti-communism. Who were these people and what were they arguing for? And what material and political foundations guided and shaped them?

On today's episode, we welcome critical theorist, philosopher, and professor Gabriel Rockhill to interrogate the relationship between post-WW2 Western Marxism, the Frankfurt School and anti-communism.

For background on the topic, here is Rockhill's article in the LA Review of Books from 2022 entitled "The CIA and the Frankfurt School's Anti-Communism"

https://thephilosophicalsalon.com/the-cia-the-frankfurt-schools-anti-communism/

Professor Rockhill currently teaches at Villanova, and his extended bio and bibliography can be found here:

https://gabrielrockhill.com/about/