This author event took place at the Free Library of Philadelphia on October 24, 2026 as part of “The Compatible Postmodern Left vs. Marxism: A Book Tour.”

Authors Aymeric Monville, Gabriel Rockhill and Jennifer Ponce de León engage with major issues like the effects of postmodernism on theory and practice, the rise of fascism, and the struggle for socialism in the 21st century in two new books:

Requiem for French Theory https://monthlyreview.org/9781685901493/

The Poverty of Left Nietzscheanism https://www.iskrabooks.org/books/p/poverty-left-nietzscheanism

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This dual book launch took place on July 17, 2026 at the Marx Memorial Library in London. Speakers included Gabriel Rockhill, Jennifer Ponce de León, and Aymeric Monville. The moderator was Alex Gordon.

The books under discussion were:

Gabriel Rockhill, “Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism?” (New York: Monthly Review Press, 2025): https://monthlyreview.org/9781685901363/

Aymeric Monville and Gabriel Rockhill, in conversation with Jennifer Ponce de León, “Requiem for French Theory” (New York: Monthly Review Press, 2026): https://monthlyreview.org/9781685901516/

For more information about the Marx Memorial Library: https://www.marx-memorial-library.org...

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A special thanks to Wilton Vought for his assistance with the audio, as well as to the members of the Philly Liberation Center for all of their help organizing this event.

For more information about the Liberation Center: https://www.phillyliberationcenter.org/

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The book under discussion is available here: https://monthlyreview.org/9781685901363/

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The book under discussion is available here: https://monthlyreview.org/9781685901363/

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Original Show Notes:

Celebrating the life and work of Michael Parenti, a towering figure in Marxist scholarship and activism. We will discuss Parenti’s profound impact on the study of imperialism, war, propaganda, fascism, and the difficulties of socialist construction, as well as his unwavering commitment to the global class struggle. Speakers Ali Kadri (Professor, Sun Yat-sen University) Ben Norton (Editor, Geopolitical Economy Report) Corinna Mullin (Associate Editor, Middle East Critique) Immanuel Ness (Professor, City University of New York) Gabriel Rockhill (Author, Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism?) Sara Flounders (Co-director, International Action Center) Shiran Illanperuma (Researcher, Tricontinental Institute) Barry Lituchy (Professor, City University of New York) Chair: Carlos Martinez (Co-editor, Friends of Socialist China) Organisers International Manifesto Group / Critical Theory Workshop Co-sponsored by United National Anti-War Coalition, Iskra Books, Manifesto Press, Friends of Socialist China

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Original Show Notes:

Join us for a book launch and panel discussion on Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism? by Gabriel Rockhill. This event will be moderated by Jennifer Ponce de León, Associate Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania. We begin with opening remarks from representatives from the Cuban embassy who will discuss the importance of the themes raised in the book. We will then have a lecture on the main ideas of the book from Gabriel Rockhill, author of Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism? followed by a panel discussion with Farhang Erfani, professor of philosophy at American University, Carl Sachs, professor of philosophy at Marymount University and Daniel Tutt, philosopher, writer and host of the Emancipations podcast. The event will be moderated by Jin Y Park, chair of philosophy at American University. Audience Q and A and book signing to follow. About Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism? This book offers a crash course in the history of imperialist propaganda, as well as in the Marxist method for analyzing culture and ideology. Author Gabriel Rockhill demonstrates the explanatory and transformative superiority of a dialectical and historical materialist approach, while elucidating how the world of ideas is a crucial site of class struggle. He then engages in a meticulous counter-history of the Frankfurt School—which made a foundational contribution to Western Marxism—by situating it within the global relations of class struggle and the imperialist war on actually existing socialism. With the explicit and direct backing of powerful elements in the capitalist ruling class and the world’s leading imperialist state, the Frankfurt School developed a widely promoted form of compatible critical theory as an ersatz for dialectical and historical materialism. The volume concludes by bringing to the fore the positive project that serves as the guiding methodological framework for the work as a whole: a thoroughly anticolonial and anti-imperialist Marxism dedicated to building socialism in the real world.

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Original Show Notes:

**Producer's note: The folks at Popular Front asked me to moderate this discusssion of Gabriel Rockhill's latest book on the history of the Frankfurt School. Make sure to check out Popular Front! Unfortunately, my recording software crashed 75 mins into the episode, so I had to use the (notably inferior) backup camera feed from that point on. ** --- We’re thrilled to host author and philosopher Gabriel Rockhill on his book tour in Toronto. One of the key intellectuals of our movement today, his latest work explores ideas that are essential to understanding the challenges and necessities in building a socialist movement—especially for those of us living in the West. Starting with a talk from the author, followed by a discussion with a guest panel and an audience Q&A – this will be an important evening to explore the past, present, and future of socialist thought, and the principles we need to uphold in order to succeed (which the ruling class desperately wants us to abandon). Featuring an exciting guest panel, including: Sina Rahmani (co-host) Sardana Nikolaeva Justin Podur Zeyad El-Nabolsy Special thanks to our partners in co-organizing this event: Qiao Collective (@qiaocollective) Critical Theory Workshop (@criticaltheoryworkshop) Monthly Review (@monthlyreview) East is a Podcast (@eastpodcast) And to our additional media partners: Anti-Empire Project (@jpodur) Journal of International Solidarity (@journalofintlsolidarity) --- ABOUT THE BOOK: “Rockhill’s book elucidates how the intellectual world war on the socialist alternative has sought to promote a “compatible left” intelligentsia while misrepresenting, maligning, and trying to destroy the revolutionary left. […] The volume concludes by bringing to the fore the guiding methodological framework: a thoroughly anticolonial and anti-imperialist Marxism dedicated to building socialism in the real world.” More info at Monthly Review Press: https://monthlyreview.org/9781685901349/ Canada: Available at most online book sellers, including University of Toronto Bookstore: https://utpdistribution.com/978168590...

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Original Show Notes:

Join us here for a launch of João Romeiro Hermeto’s Phenomenology of the Capitalist Eternisation, recently published by Iskra Books. This new book is a brilliant, approachable theoretical work on the ontology of late capitalism and the social logic of capitalism’s self-perpetuation. Written between Berlin and Pavia, this book offers a rigorous analysis of what Hermeto calls “the perpetual present”—a condition in which capitalism reproduces itself through historical amnesia, ideological domination, and aesthetic illusion.

Across essays on aesthetics, ontology, and political economy, Hermeto traces how capitalism has reconstituted time itself: dissolving the collective capacity for historical transformation and turning social critique into a mirror of its own logic. Combining philosophy, critical theory, and cultural analysis, Phenomenology of the Capitalist Eternisation argues that the apparent eternity of capitalism is not a metaphysical inevitability but a historical illusion—one that can and must be shattered through renewed dialectical critique and revolutionary praxis.

Link to the book: https://www.iskrabooks.org/capitalist-eternisation

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The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) originated on September 16, 2023, bringing together Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Its primary objectives were to improve mutual security, foster independent economic growth, and develop political sovereignty.

In a global context in which the contradiction between the imperial powers and the rising multipolar world continues to sharpen, some see in the AES a sign of one of the major fissures in the imperial world order, and perhaps even the emergence of the early stages of a Pan-African socialist project. Here, they say, we have countries that appear to be taking full advantage of major geopolitical shifts to develop their own projects of national sovereignty, breaking with years of colonial and neocolonial subjugation. Others have raised questions about the role of military rule in these countries, the persistence of neocolonial control mechanisms like the CFA franc, as well as the AES’s reticence to run elections until the countries are on a more sovereign footing (in order to guarantee their democratic legitimacy).

Two years into the AES, this webinar will discuss these issues and more in order to provide a general overview of liberation struggles in West Africa. Themes to be discussed will include the following: the history of colonial and neocolonial Africa, Pan-African revolutionary struggles, the AES, multipolarity, the role of China and Russia in Africa, anti-imperialism, and socialism.

Speakers:
Gabriel Rockhill, Founding Director, Critical Theory Workshop
Ndongo Samba Sylla, development economist
Rob Lemkin, filmmaker
Myriam Kane, founder, Black Liberation Alliance

Moderator: Radhika Desai, International Manifesto Group

Organisers: International Manifesto Group, Critical Theory Workshop

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