Episodios

  • 138 - Bonus Episode – Socialism: A Logical Introduction with Professor Scott Sehon
    Mar 25 2024

    Kristen Ghodsee speaks to Scott R. Sehon, a professor of philosophy, about his new book, Socialism: A Logical Introduction, and why we should use arguments to make a case for socialism and against capitalism.

    The first ten U.S.-based listeners to email Alexandra.kollontai.podcast@gmail.com with a name and address will get a free copy of Professor Sehon's new book.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • Anti-anti-communism
    • "What Democratic Socialists Should Think about Anti-Communism"
    • www.scottrsehon.com




    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

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    24 m
  • 137 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - Claudia Jones's 8 March 1950 International Women's Day Speech
    Mar 8 2024

    For International Women's Day, Kristen Ghodsee reads the Black Trinidadian activist and journalist Claudia Jones's speech for International Women's Day in 1950. This speech, (and the published version which appeared afterwards) led to Jones's arrest and eventual deportation from the United States. Jones was a member of the CPUSA, and believed that women's emancipation and civil rights required a strong stance against imperialism and militarism. She say capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy are deeply intertwined ideologies.

    Read the full text of Claudia Jones's speech here
    Listen to Kristen Ghodsee's IWD guest appearance on the Upstream Podcast
    Watch Kristen Ghodsee's IWD guest appearance on the Total Liberation Podcast
    Read Kristen Ghodsee's 2019 Op-Ed in the New York Times on IWD
    Read an Associated Press article about 8 March 2024

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

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    22 m
  • 136 - A.K. 47 - "Diplomat, Novelist, Leader - Versatile Mme. Kollontay"
    Feb 17 2024

    Kristen Ghodsee reads a profile of Alexandra Kollontai which appeared in the Washington Post on May 15, 1927 when Kollontai was serving as the Soviet ambassador to Mexico.

    Mentioned in this episode: The hardcover of Everyday Utopia is on sale at Amazon.com for $14.99 (50% off)

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

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    20 m
  • 135 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - 5th Anniversary Conversation about Parenthood
    Jan 8 2024

    Kristen Ghodsee and her daughter share a conversation about Kollontai's pro-natalism and the current discourse about the BirthStrike. Are the relevant moral imperatives about having or not having children? And how does the climate crisis factor into people's decisions? We also discuss the future of the podcast and the newly discovered fact that it is listened to in 100 countries around the world. 

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

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    33 m
  • 134 - A.K. 47 - The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy - Part 3
    Dec 31 2023

    Kristen Ghodsee reads the final part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 essay, "The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy" to explore Kollontai's arguments for the socialization of the family and the socialist uses of the maternal instinct. Although Kollontai is openly pro-natalist, and emphasizes that motherhood is a social obligation to help produce new workers for the world's first workers state, she is making these arguments to suspicious men in the Bolshevik government who do not want to expend resources to socialize the domestic labor that Russian women historically did for free. 

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • Kristen Ghodsee on Dan Snow's History Hit podcast talking about "Pythagoras' Utopia"
    • Also, check out a free pdf of the conclusion of Everyday Utopia: "The Star Trek Game Plan" (Click the green button at the top of the page)
    • Kristen Ghodsee's Year in Reading at The Millions
    • "Marxism and Mistletoe," book recommendations for the lefties in your life at Lithub.com

    Also, wishing everyone a Happy New Year!


    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

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    18 m
  • 133 - A.K. 47 - The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy - Part 2
    Dec 23 2023

    Kristen Ghodsee reads the second part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 essay, "The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy" to explore Kollontai's arguments for the socialization of the family and the socialist uses of the maternal instinct. Although Kollontai is openly pro-natalist, and emphasizes that motherhood is a social obligation to help produce new workers for the world's first workers state, she is making these arguments to suspicious men in the Bolshevik government who do not want to expend resources to socialize the domestic labor that Russian women historically did for free. 

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • Alexandria Shaner's review of the podcast for ZNet
    • Behavioral Scientist's Notable Books of 2023
    • A free pdf of the conclusion of Everyday Utopia: "The Star Trek Game Plan" (Click the green button at the top of the page)

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

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    23 m
  • 132 - A.K. 47 - The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy - Part 1
    Nov 14 2023

    Kristen Ghodsee reads the first part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 essay, "The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy." A portion of this essay on abortion was discussed on the 6 March 2019 episode, but here Ghodsee digs in to Kollontai's argument for the socialization of the family. 

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • The eight Season 22 finalists for The Next Big Idea Club curated by Adam Grant, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink, and Malcolm Gladwell.
    • Just in time for the holidays, the first 15 listeners in the United States who email Alexandra.kollontai.podcast@gmail.com will receive a free, signed, and dedicated copy of Everyday Utopia: What 2000 Years of Wild Experiments Can Teach Us About the Good Life. Please be sure to send your address and the text of your dedication. Books will be sent via Media Mail and may take 7-10 business days to reach you depending on your distance from Philadelphia. Only available for listeners in the United States. 

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

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    23 m
  • 131 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - The Fun Manifesto
    Oct 23 2023

    In this bonus episode, Kristen Ghodsee welcomes back her now almost 22-year-old daughter to discuss a theory of fun. What would a society look like if we prioritized the ability of everyone to have as much fun as they wanted (in whatever form that fun might take)? Rather than worrying about the fitness benefits of different human behaviors, maybe all we really need to do is focus on having a good time, and the rest will take care of itself.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • The Barbie Movie
    • Antonio Gramsci
    • Max Weber and the Protestant Ethic
    • Cyndi Lauper song: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"
    • Taylor Swift "22"


    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

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    28 m