The French Project of Revising Marxism and Democratic Thought: The Special Position of Kostas Papaioannou's Thought

PDF (ελληνικά)
Published: Feb 28, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/ethiki.33686
Keywords:
Marxism; Democracy; Totalitarianism; Kostas Papaioannou; French Philosophy; Bureaucracy; Social Theory; Radical Democracy
Giannis Flytzanis
Abstract

This article examines the unique contribution of Kostas Papaioannou to the French intellectual movement of the 1960s and 70s, which sought to revise and transcend traditional Marxist theory. The author situates Papaioannou within a broader "anti-totalitarian moment" alongside thinkers like Castoriadis, Lefort, and Lefebvre, who critiqued "orthodox" Marxism for its deterministic and bureaucratic nature. The study highlights Papaioannou’s focus on the tension between radical democracy and authoritarianism within Marx’s own work. It specifically explores his analysis of the Soviet Union as a "bureaucratic revolution" where the state and party achieved a monopoly on power, transforming Marxism into a "Cold Ideology" to justify totalitarian rule. Ultimately, the article assesses Papaioannou's role in developing a critical social theory that prioritizes democratic autonomy over historical necessity.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Articles

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). This license allows others to share and adapt the work, provided that the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal are properly acknowledged.
  2. Authors are permitted and encouraged to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their personal websites) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Bordes, François. Kostas Papaioannou (1925-1981). Les idées contre le néant. Paris: La Bibliothèque, 2015.
Castoriadis, Cornelius. "The Movements of the 1960s" ["Τα κινήματα της δεκαετίας του '60"]. In E. Morin, C. Lefort, and C. Castoriadis, May '68: The Crack. Appendix: Twenty Years Later [Μάης του '68: η ρωγμή. Παράρτημα: είκοσι χρόνια μετά], translated by Giorgos Karabelas, edited by Dimitra Messini. Athens: Ypsilon, 2018.
Delivogiatzis, Sokratis. "The Adventures of Dialectics and the Philosophy of History" ["Οι περιπέτειες της διαλεκτικής και η φιλοσοφία της ιστορίας"]. Hellenic Philosophical Review [Ελληνική Φιλοσοφική Επιθεώρηση] I (1984): 264–277.
Flytzanis, Ioannis. "Critical Social Theory for Democracy and Rights Politics: Re-examining the Work of Henri Lefebvre" ["Κριτική κοινωνική θεωρία για τη δημοκρατία και πολιτική δικαιωμάτων: επανεξετάζοντας το έργο του Henri Lefebvre"]. PhD diss., School of Law, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA), 2021.
Frager, Dominique. Socialisme ou Barbarie. L’aventure d’un groupe (1946-1969). Paris: Syllepse, 2009.
Lefebvre, Henri. Le Matérialisme Dialectique. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1990.
Papaioannou, Kostas. "Hegel et Marx: l’ interminable débat." In Karl Marx, Critique du droit politique hegelien, translated by Kostas Papaioannou. Paris: Allia.
Raynaud, Philippe. "Preface." In Kostas Papaioannou, Marx et les Marxistes. Paris: Gallimard, 2001.
Rosanvallon, Pierre. Our Own Intellectual and Political History: 1968-2018 [Η δική μας διανοητική και πολιτική ιστορία. 1968-2018], translated by Katerina Lamprinou, edited by Giannis Balabanidis. Athens: Polis, n.d.
Rubel, Maximilien. Marx critique du marxisme. Paris: Payot, 1974.
Worms, Frédéric. La Philosophie en France au XXe siècle. Moments. Paris: Gallimard, 2009.