Radicals in Conversation

Family Abolition with M. E. O’Brien

Sep 1, 2023

Author M. E. O'Brien advocates for the abolition of the family in her book 'Family Abolition: Capitalism and the Communizing of Care.' She traces the changing family politics of racial capitalism, discusses struggles for chosen family in queer and trans liberationist circles, explores the Haka commune and the role of the family, delves into the concept of family abolition and its ties to capitalism, examines historical movements against normative family structures, and envisions a future commune emerging from insurgent social reproduction. The podcast also explores the popularity of abolishing the police during the George Floyd rebellion.

01:04:38

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Episode guests

M. E. O'Brien

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Quick takeaways

Family abolition seeks to reimagine alternative models of care and solidarity beyond the limitations of the traditional bourgeois family structure.

Right-wing politics idealize and defend traditional gender roles within the family as a means of reclaiming patriarchal authority and preserving social order.

The narrow focus on supporting the normative family structure by liberals and social democrats may hinder the broader desires and possibilities for more expansive forms of collective care and solidarity.

Deep dives

The Emergence of Family Abolition

The concept of family abolition has gained traction in recent years, particularly since the 2008 economic crisis. Many queer and trans individuals have turned to Marxism and anti-capitalist thinking, pushing for a reimagining of the traditional family structure. The erosion of the normative family form, the crisis in working-class life, and the desire for something different have all contributed to the resurgence of family abolition. This movement seeks to go beyond the limitations of the bourgeois family and envision a new form of social reproduction that is not solely dependent on the private household. By challenging traditional notions of the family, family abolition aims to create alternative models of care and solidarity.

Introduction

4min

Exploring the Concept of Family Abolition

5min

Haka Commune: The Role of the Family

7min

Exploring Family Abolition

22min

The History of the Workers Movement and Marginalized Groups' Struggles

18min

Speculative Writing and the Future Commune

7min

The Popularity of Police Abolition in the George Floyd Rebellion

3min

For many of us on the left, it would probably be uncontroversial to say that seek a political horizon in which class society, and all of its manifold expressions, has been overcome - wage labour, private property, the capitalist state, white supremacy, settler colonialism and anti-Blackness. But what about the family? In a world that is often bereft of love, compassion and stability, it seems far more controversial to call for its abolition as well.

'Family Abolition' may be an alarming slogan, but this is what M. E. O’Brien argues for in her fantastic new book, Family Abolition: Capitalism and the Communizing of Care. Published by Pluto Press in June 2023, the book traces the changing family politics of racial capitalism in the industrial cities of Europe and in the slave plantations and settler frontier of North America, explaining the rise and fall of the housewife-based family form. From early Marxists to Black and queer insurrectionists to today's mass protest movements, O'Brien finds revolutionaries seeking better ways of loving, caring, and living. Taking us beyond the past and present of family politics, Family Abolition looks also to the future, into a speculative vision of the revolutionary commune, imagining how care could be organized in a free society.

M. E. O'Brien writes on gender and communist theory. She co-edits two magazines, Pinko, on gay communism, and Parapraxis, on psychoanalytic theory and politics. Her work on family abolition has been translated into Chinese, German, Greek, French, Spanish, and Turkish. She received her PhD from NYU. She is the co-author of the novel Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052–2072. She tweets @genderhorizon.

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Podcast listeners can get 40% off the book on plutobooks.com with the coupon PODCAST.

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Radicals in Conversation

Family Abolition with M. E. O’Brien

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Emergence of Family Abolition

The Fascist Imaginary of the Family

Liberals and Social Democrats: Embracing the Family

Speculative Visioning and Family Abolition

The Importance of Speculative Writing

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts