21.03.1996

Materialist method

Communist press

Two weeks ago I made the claim that the articles in Living Marxism, although thought provoking and well written, had a distinctly libertarian as opposed to class perspective. The March edition of Living Marxism goes some way to disproving this assertion. Two articles in particular break the libertarian mould by employing a materialist and class-based analysis.

The first article, dealing with the recent ‘Chinese orphan’ story, eschews the bourgeois platitudes in favour of locating the problem within the material and cultural traditions that is China today and yesterday. Here is a sample: “To put the horrors of the Chinese orphanages in perspective requires an understanding of how relationships between adults and children vary throughout the world, according to the social circumstances in which they are formed.” The article goes on to explain:

“Much of China’s population still lives in rural communities, where backward economic conditions, and the old traditions and cultural norms which these nourish, still apply. Rural society is based around large farms, where the extended family lives and works. The survival of these farms depends on large numbers of children to work the land. As a result, most children in China are seen for what they really are: potential workers and sources of security for their families. Orphaned or unwanted children, who are sources of security for nobody, are unlikely to be seen as anything other than a burden.”

The second article also has a firm materialist base to its analysis. Wrestling with the UN-sponsored genocide claims in Rwanda, Living Marxism turns to the history of colonialism and imperialism to get a full perspective behind the ‘horrors’:

“As elsewhere in Africa tribal differences were of limited significance in Rwanda until the arrival of colonialism in the 20th century. Many historians acknowledge that the Belgian conquerors politicised the differences in Rwanda by pursuing a classical policy of divide and rule and elevating the Tutsis into a privileged minority. Far fewer, however, recognise the key political role which outside powers have played in the recent Rwandan conflict. The protracted character of the ensuing war arose primarily from the fact that both sides received substantial western assistance.”

These are only snippets from a well researched Marxist piece. It does not matter whether we agree with every aspect of the article. The point is that the dialectical and historical materialist method is being consistently employed.

Julian Jake