Towards a critique of anti-German “communism

18Dec10

Via Contested Terrain:

Towards a critique of anti-German “communism”
By Raphael Schlembach
Interface: a journal for and about social movements.
Volume 2 Issue 2. November 2010. (pp. 199-219).

Abstract
The spectre of anti-Germans has easily become the Feindbild for activists of the Anglophone Left; yet rarely does this translate into fundamental or informed criticism of the anti-German premise. This article, then, offers an introductory description and a critical analysis of pro-Israeli, anti-German communism in its context within the post-war German Left and as a contemporary protest movement that sits oddly on the fringes of radical politics. Its origins and politics are examined to depict the radicalisation of a broad anti-nationalist campaign against German re-unification, and its evolution into a small but coherent anti-German movement, controversial for its pro-Israel polemics and provocations. Current debates within the anti-fascist German Left are reviewed to explore anti- German positions on the Holocaust, Israel, Islam, anti-imperialism and Germany’s foreign policy. Theoretical works that have heavily influenced anti-German communism are discussed to comprehend the movement’s intellectual inspirations. The purpose of the article is to introduce one of Germany’s most controversial protest movements to an English-speaking audience and to hint at the formulation of a critique that is more than a knee-jerk reaction to pro-Israeli agitation.
About the author
Raphael Schlembach recently graduated from the University of Manchester with a PhD in Sociology. His research is based in social movement studies and critical theory, with particular interests in anti-globalisation and environmental protest, nationalist movements, and the Frankfurt School. He is also an editor of the movement publication Shift Magazine. His email address is r_schlembach AT yahoo.com.

Download article as PDF here: http://interfacejournal.nuim.ie/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Interface-2-2-pp.199-219-Schlembach.pdf

Table of Contents, Vol 2, Iss 2: http://interfacejournal.nuim.ie/2010/11/interface-issue-2-volume-2-voices-of-dissent

Filed under: Anti-Deutsche, anti-nationalism, critique and theory   |  1 Comment
Tags: Raphael Schlembach