Eli Zaretsky to Lecture at the London School of Economics this Spring
Eli Zarestsky, professor of History in the Historical Studies department at The New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts will deliver a speech entitled The Future of the Left,, as part of the prestigious Ralph Miliband lectures at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Zaretsky says that he will be arguing that while the idea of a left originated in the French Revolution, America has always had its own vibrant and powerful left. We can see why the left is so important to America if we see that the country’s history consists of three long term crises, slavery, industry and finance. Each has generated its own left, the abolitionists, the socialists and communists, and the new left (whose impact we can still feel today), and without the participation of those lefts, the country cannot resolve its long-term problems.,
Eli Zaretsky writes and teaches about twentieth-century cultural history, the theory and history of capitalism, and the history of the family. His most recent book, Secrets of the Soul: A Social and Cultural History of Psychoanalysis, is currently being translated and appearing in the major European languages as well as Chinese. He is the editor of The Polish Peasant in Europe and America; and of Capitalism, the Family and Personal Life which itself appeared in 14 languages. His new work, Why America Needs A Left: A Historical Argument will be published this spring.
The Ralph Miliband Programme was set up in 1996 through a generous anonymous benefaction to LSE from a former PhD student, who had been inspired by ‘Ralph Miliband’s contribution to social thought’. Miliband was associated with the London School of Economics (LSE) for over 30 years of his academic life. Throughout his life he was a passionate socialist, whose focus was the analysis of Western democracy and politics. His books include: Parliamentary Socialism: a study in the politics of Labour, The State in Capitalist Society, Marxism and Politics, and Socialism for a Sceptical Age.