[full issue]

*Editorial Statement
The Platypus Review Editorial Board
"The Review seeks to be a forum among a variety of tendencies and approaches to these categories of thought and action—not out of a concern with inclusion for its own sake, but rather to provoke productive disagreement and to open shared goals as sites of contestation. In this way, the recriminations and accusations arising from political disputes of the past might be elevated to an ongoing critique that seeks to clarify its object."

A Prelude to the History of the Left
The Platypus Historians Group
"The Platypus Historians Group is a collective of members of Platypus who are researchers into the history of the Left. We will be publishing this series on the History of the Left under this collective authorship to indicate the collaborative nature of our research and the questions it raises. Each article under this byline will be written by one or several members of this collective, but with contributions and review by as many others of this group as possible and appropriate to the topics essayed."

Politics as a Form of Knowledge: A Brief Introduction to Georg Lukács
Marco Torres
The masterful insights of twentieth-century Marxist thinker, Georg Lukács, are implicated in a legacy of violence and defeat on the left. Marco Torres outlines some of Lukács’ most sophisticated theoretical contributions, including his analysis of how the phenomenon of reification in social reality extends into the realm of thought. He then argues that our appropriation of these elements of Lukács’ thought should not be undermined by the thinker’s political failings.

Process point
Marisa Holmes
Marissa Holmes reflects on the challenges faced by the members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS. Touching on ideological divisions within the group, Holmes describes how the principles of participatory democracy and activism championed by the original SDS in the 1960s inspire the collective action of members today.

Remember our real Iranian friends
Danny Postel
Columbia University’s recent reception of Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, incited protest from many right-wing commentators. Many progressives viewed this as a display of right-wing nationalism and belligerence, but failed to offer an alternative political response to Ahmadinejad’s visit. Danny Postel argues that progressives should engage with concrete political challenges posed by the current Iranian government by reaching out to beleaguered Iranian leftists.

Review: "La Commune"
Soren Whited
In 1871 in Paris, a revolutionary communal body formed and held power for brief time. Soren Whited reviews the Peter Watkins film “La Commune,” which explores this legendary, if poorly understood moment in the history of the left.

Review: "The Common Sense"
Marco Torres
In his review of a recent art installation by Haseeb Ahmed, “The Common Sense,” Marco Torres comments on the critical project endeavored by the artist in his transformation of Around the Coyote Gallery into a functioning mosque. According to Torres, Ahmed’s piece invites those who enter the gallery to rethink both the religious practice that takes place in a mosque and the social reception of art.

Taking issue with identity: The politics of anti-gentrification
Laura Schmidt
Many liberal activists in Chicago target their ‘anti’-capitalist sentiments at development processes that lead to the displacement of lower-income communities from neighborhoods across the city. Laura Schmidt analyses the issues at stake in gentrification politics, pointing out some of the limitations of a politics built from the narrow framework of an anti-gentrification perspective.

Vicissitudes of historical consciousness and possibilities for emancipatory social politics today
Chris Cutrone
The Platypus Affiliated Society was established as a political organization seeking to investigate possibilities for reconstituting a Marxian Left after the demise of the historical Marxist Left. In this article, Chris Cutrone addresses the development of Platypus and outlines its project towards the reconstitution of an emancipatory social politics today.