Contradictions/Kontradikce: A Journal for Critical Thought. Call for Papers for volume 9 (2025), Marxist Orthodoxies in Central and Eastern Europe (https://kontradikce.flu.cas.cz/en/about-us)
Many classical studies of the intellectual history of Marxism in the Eastern Bloc focus on what is called “critical”, “revisionist” or “humanist” Marxism. The other pole - “dogmatic”, “official” or “orthodox” thinkers - receive, however, far less attention. As a result, the official position is portrayed as static, or - in many cases - simply identifiable with Stalinism. While this perspective has served understandable political purposes (challenging the identification of Marxism with Soviet orthodoxy), it overlooks the dramatic changes in the official doctrine and its attitude to certain currents. What was “orthodox” took on different meanings as the party line changed, and room for interpretation and debate remained regarding what should be considered, at any given moment, orthodox.
Moreover, this one-sided interest in unorthodox Marxism overlooks the variety of historical meanings taken by the term “orthodoxy,” which reach beyond the context of ruling Communist Parties. The roots of the distinction between orthodoxy and “revisionism” in Marxism go back to the famous debate within the Second International between adherents of (“orthodox”) Kautsky on one hand and (“revisionist”) Bernstein on the other. But we can follow the continual re-articulation of orthodoxy and revision throughout much of the history of Marxism in the 20th century. In this sense the distinction appears as a battlefield, where the supposed true essence of Marxism was hotly debated and contested, giving orthodoxy varying meanings, often denoting almost contradictory contents. Advocates of orthodoxy sometimes championed revolution against reforms, sometimes defended an ideological party line against deviationists or sectarians, sometimes proclaimed the self-sufficiency of Marxist philosophy against the outside, non-Marxist elements, and sometimes, as in the case of György Lukács, made orthodoxy into a centrepiece for moving Marxism away from an emphasis on specific ideological content, toward an orthodoxy of the method. Consequently, being orthodox depended on the concrete historical and social context revealing specific power relationships within the Marxist community.
In the next issue of Contradictions, we will investigate orthodoxy in its multiple meanings. We encourage contributions that address the following non-exclusive questions and themes:
• the genealogy of the orthodoxy/revisionism division;
• the relationship between Marxist epistemology and politics;
• criticism of Marxist humanism and empiricist traditions;
• studies of the Marxist method and its application in other sciences;
• institutions of political control over Marxist theory;
evolution and institutionalisation of “official doctrine”
The deadline for articles is January, 15th, 2025. We ask prospective contributors to submit 300-word (max.) abstracts by September 30, 2024. Send abstracts and articles to kontradikce@flu.cas.cz. Further guidelines for authors are available here.
Submissions can take the form of:
• Studies and essays: These may be articles of a more or less traditional academic
character, but with an emphasis on the social significance of the material presented
and on original and provocative argumentation. But we also welcome more essayistic
contributions that break with some of the conventions of scholarly form. We are
interested in rigorously theoretical essays, works of high scholarly value but which
might not find a place in other scholarly journals. Texts for this volume should be no longer than 8,000 words (including notes and bibliography). Include a list of key words and an abstract of approximately 200–300 words. All studies and essays will be subject to independent, double-blind peer review.
• Discussion contributions: polemical texts addressing a theme of particular interest to
the journal’s readership. Approximately 2500–5000 words.
• Translations and materials: Important contributions to Central/Eastern European
social thought that can be brought to international attention in English translation; and previously unpublished or long-unavailable “materials,” accompanied by annotation that presents the materials’ significance to contemporary readers. 3000–10,000 words.
• Reviews of recent publications. Reviews may be brief (1000–2500 words) or may constitute longer review essays (2500–7500 words). We especially welcome review essays or bibliographical overviews that present and discuss works relevant to freudo-marxist studies in CEE. Otherwise, we welcome any reviews on topics and issues related to the history and contemporary developments of the radical intellectual traditions and movements in the region. Please contact us beforehand if you are interested in writing a review.
• We accept submissions written in English, Czech, or Slovak.
