Alexander Tarasov

Alexander Tarasov
Alexander Tarasov
Born	(1958-03-08) March 8, 1958 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Website	New Ideology – New Revolution "Tarasovschina"
Main interests	Politics, sociology, culture, philosophy
Influences Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Jean-Paul Sartre, Georg Lukács, Che Guevara, Herbert Marcuse, Frantz Fanon

Alexander Nikolaevich Tarasov (Russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Тара́сов, born March 8, 1958 in Moscow) is a Soviet and Russian left-wing sociologist, politologist, culturologist, publicist, writer, and philosopher. Up until the beginning of the 21st century he referred to himself as a Post-Marxist^[1][2] alongside István Mészáros and a number of Yugoslav Marxist philosophers who belonged to Praxis School and emigrated to London. Since in the 21st century the term Post-Marxism has been appropriated by Ernesto Laclau, Chantal Mouffe and their followers, Alexander Tarasov (together with the above-mentioned István Mészáros and Yugoslav philosophers) stopped referring to himself as a Post-Marxist.^[3]

Early political activity and arrest

In December 1972 – January 1973 together with Vasily Minorsky, Tarasov has founded a clandestine radical left group called the "Party of New Communists" (PNC) (Russian: Партия новых коммунистов (ПНК)), and became the group's informal leader in the summer of 1973. In 1974 PNC merged with another clandestine radical left group called “Left School" (Russian: Левая школа) to form the “Neo-Communist Party of the Soviet Union" (NCPSU) (Russian: Неокоммунистическая партия Советского Союза (НКПСС)). Tarasov has become one of the NCPSU leaders and theorists, writing the party program, The Principles of Neo-communism (Russian: Принципы неокоммунизма) in 1974. The KGB arrested him in 1975. Upon preliminary imprisonment and a yearlong confinement in a special psychiatric hospital he was released because the NCPSU case was never brought to trial. In the psychiatric hospital Tarasov was subjected to cruel treatment and (de facto) to torture (beatings, ETC – electroconvulsive therapy, induced hypoglycemia, injection of large doses of neuroleptics) all resulting in severe somatic disorders, which A.Tarasov has been suffering from since his release, leaving him virtually disabled (Hypertonia, Ankylosing Spondylitis, liver and pancreas diseases).^[4][5] After his release, Tarasov participated in restoration of NCPSU, which he had led until its self-dissolution in January 1985. In 1988, two State Psychiatric Commissions examined Tarasov and found him completely psychologically healthy.^[5] (Also read: Political abuse of psychiatry in the Soviet Union)

Education and career

Tarasov held many different jobs: he worked as a draughtsman; laboratory assistant in a design institute; graveyard warden at Vagankovo Cemetery (Moscow); machinist; boiler technician; librarian; editor; feldsher; gas boiler operator; bookkeeper at the Central Warehouse of Mikoyan Meat Processing Plant Corp.; light board operator at Moscow Hermitage Theatre (located in Moscow Hermitage Garden); research associate at the Centre for Scientific Analysis (Russian Academy of Sciences); university teacher; consultant for the Ministry of Education and Science; political columnist; expert at Information Research Centre "Panorama" and Moscow Human Rights Committee; etc. He got a degree in Economics from All-Russian State Distance Learning Institute of Finance and Economics and a degree in History (started at the Moscow State Pedagogical University and finished at Lomonosov Moscow State University). When "perestroika" started, he soon firmly positioned himself as a professional sociologist and politologist.

Publishing and literary activity

In 1984 Tarasov started publishing his works (under a pseudonym) in the USSR ("samizdat") and in foreign press. In 1988, his articles started appearing (under pseudonyms) in independent press and from 1990 he has been publishing his works in independent and official press under his own name.

In 1988 he founded the "Independent Archive" (from 1990: "Independent Archive – Independent Sociological Service") and in 1991 he became an associate at the Centre for New Sociology and the Study of Applied Politics "Phoenix" (Russian: Центр новой социологии и изучения практической политики "Феникс"). In 2004, he became a co-director of "Phoenix" and, in February 2009, its Director.

In the first half of 1993 Tarasov was one of the three editors of a monthly magazine called The House of the Unions, published by the same team as Solidarnost (Russian: Солидарность (Solidarity), the newspaper founded by the Moscow Federation of Trade Unions (MFP) (currently the newspaper of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia). The magazine had a circulation of 30,000. In his address to the readers of the first issue A.Tarasov has noted that The House of the Unions makes it its mission to "update Socialist thought" and "create a theory that matches current reality." After just five issues the magazine was closed down by Andrey Isaev, Editor in Chief of "Solidarnost", for non-conforming to the political line of MFP, i.e. for "excessive" radicalism.^[6]

In the second half of 1993 Tarasov was a member of the editorial board of the newspaper The Working Class Action; in 1993–1994 – a member of the editorial board of a counterculture magazine Vugluskr (Russian: Вуглускр); in the mid-1990s – political adviser for a radical student union "Students’ Advocacy".^[7]

Tarasov has penned more than 1100 publications in sociology (mainly on youth studies,^[8] education issues and conflict resolution); politology^[9] (current politics,^[10] political radicalism in Russia and abroad, mass social movements); history (history^[11] and theory of revolutionary movement^[12] and guerrilla warfare); culturology^[13][14] (popular culture issues, intercultural and inter-civilization contradictions); economics^[15](comparative research). He is also a literary and movie critic (modern literature and cinema, popular culture and politics, history and theory of the cinematography of the 1960s and 1970s). He has been the first to study and describe Nazi-skinhead subculture in Russia.^{[16][17][18][19]} A.Tarasov is the author of the first profound research on the influence of far-right ideas and organizations on the subculture of football fans in Russia^[20] (November 2009 – January 2010).

In 2002 he was one of the founders, compilers and a scientific editor of a book series Zero Hour: Contemporary World Anti-Bourgeois Thought (Russian: "Час "Ч". Современная мировая антибуржуазная мысль" – “Gilea” Publishing House). He followed this with two additional book series: Class Struggle (German: Klassenkampf; co-edited with Boris Yuliyevich Kagarlitsky – "Ultra.Culture" Publishing House) in 2005, and The Rose of the Revolution (Russian: "роЗА РЕВОлюций") in 2006 (“Cultural Revolution” Publishing House). These series include modern left-wing socio-political literature (mainly foreign).

Political extremists

On November 4, 1995, Tarasov was the victim of an unprovoked assault near his house: after calling him by name, unknown attackers beat him so severely that he lost consciousness (although he tried to defend himself). The attackers escaped with his passport (likely to be used for reporting), but did not touch a large amount of money, a dictation machine and a bottle of Italian Vermouth "Cinzano". Police opened a criminal investigation into the assault, but the attackers have never been found.^{[21][22][23][24][25][26]}

In 2008, neo-Nazis included A. Tarasov on the list of their enemies who must be physically exterminated. The list was published on radical right-wing sites.^[27][28] In 2011, Russian pro-Kremlin group "Nashi" named Tarasov among "168 most loathsome enemies" of this group, of Vasily Yakemenko (group's leader) and of Vladimir Putin's regime.^{[29][30][31][32]}

Tarasov is known among Russian anarchists as their consistent critic, firstly, of the practice of anarchism (as fruitless and unpromising), and partially – of the theory (as outdated and unscientific).^[33][34][35] Tarasov’s criticism has caused open animosity towards him among anarchists.^[36][37]

Tarasov's reaction to 2011–2012 Russian protests was negative. He criticized the protests from the left, considering them to be the movement of petit bourgeoisie and "consumers' rebellion" alien to the goals and objectives of left-wing forces in Russia and irrelevant to the revolutionary struggle against capitalism.^[38][39]

Recognition and awards

Tarasov is an accomplished prose and poetry writer (since 1992). He is also a translator from English and Spanish (since 1997). Tarasov’s works have been published, apart from Russia, in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Spain, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Serbia, India, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Argentina, Cuba, Panama, South Africa, Morocco, Réunion, New Zealand, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Transnistria. He is a laureate of the prizes of several literary magazines: “Druzhba Narodov” (Fraternity of Peoples, Russian: «Дружба Народов» (2000),^[40] “Yunost" (Youth, Russian: «Юность» (2001) and "Oktyabr'" (October, Russian: «Октябрь» (2011).^[41][42][43]

References

Books

• "Провокация. Версия событий 3–4 октября 1993 г. в Москве". – М.: Центр новой социологии и изучения практической политики "Феникс", 1993. ("The Provocation. A Version of Events in Moscow on October 3–4, 1993". – Moscow: Center for New Sociology and Research in Applied Politics "Phoenix", 1993)
• "Правда о Югославии". — Пермь: ОПОР, 1993. ("The Truth About Yugoslavia". — Perm': OPOR, 1993 (co-author)
• "Провокация. Версия событий 3–4 октября 1993 г. в Москве. — Постскриптум из 1994–го". — М.: Центр новой социологии и изучения практической политики "Феникс", 1994. ("The Provocation. A Version of Events in Moscow on October 3–4, 1993. — Post scriptum from 1994". — Moscow: Center for New Sociology and Research in Applied Politics "Phoenix", 1994)
• "Политический экстремизм в России". — М.: Информационно-экспертная группа "Панорама", 1996. ("Political Extremism in Russia". — Moscow: Information-expert group "Panorama", 1996 (co-author)
• "Политический экстремизм в России". — М.: Институт экспериментальной социологии, 1996. ("Political Extremism in Russia". — Moscow: Institute of Experimental Sociology, 1996 (co-author). ISBN 5-87637-043-6
• "Левые в России: от умеренных до экстремистов". — М.: Институт экспериментальной социологии, 1997. ("The Left Wing in Russia: From Moderate to Extremists". — Moscow: Institute of Experimental Sociology, 1997 (co-author). ISBN 5-87637-006-1
• "Очень своевременная повесть. Феминистка как стриптизёрша: культурологический анализ". — М.: Издательство Академии Искусства и Науки XXI века "Норма", 1999. ("A Very Timely Novel. A Feminist as a Stripper: Culturological Analysis". — Moscow: "Norma" Publishing House (the Academy of 21st Century Art and Science), 1999). ISBN 5-85302-194-X
• "Революция не всерьёз. Штудии по теории и истории квазиреволюционных движений". — Екатеринбург: "Ультра.Культура", 2005. ("Not A Serious Revolution. Study of the Theory and History of Quasi-Revolutionary Movements". — Yekaterinburg: "Ultra.Culture" Publishing House, 2005). ISBN 5-9681-0067-2
• "Страна Икс". — М.: АСТ; Адаптек, 2006. ("Country X". — Moscow: AST; Adaptek, 2006. ISBN 5-17-032525-8; 2nd edition: 2007, ISBN 5-17-040213-9)
• "Le rouge et le noir. Extrême droite et nationalisme en Russie". ("The Red and the Black: The Extreme Right and Nationalism in Russia") — Paris: CNRS Éditions, 2007 (co-author). ISBN 978-2-271-06505-6.
• "XX əsr radikalı üçün Erix Fromm irsi. — Fromm E. Marksın insan konsepsiyası". — Bakı: Solfront, 2012. (Fromm E. "Marx’s Concept of Man". Tarasov A. "The Legacy of Erich Fromm for a Radical of the End of XX – Beginning of XXI Century". — Baku: Solfront, 2012). ISBN 978-9952-444-73-5.

External links

• "Тарасовщина" (A.Tarasov's Personal Website)
• "Тарасовщина"/Английский язык (A.Tarasov's Personal Website/English)
• Скепсис/Александр Тарасов (A.Tarasov's page on Scepsis website)
• К Новой Идеологии – К Новой Революции (Website of A.Tarasov, his Friends and Allies)
• А. Тарасов на «Хроносе» (A. Tarasov on historical portal Chronos)

Soviet dissidents
Human rights movement in the Soviet Union: Initiative Group for the Defense of Human Rights in the USSR Committee on Human Rights in the USSR Solzhenitsyn Aid Fund Moscow Helsinki Group Ukrainian Helsinki Group Lithuanian Helsinki Group‎ Working Commission to Investigate the Use of Psychiatry for Political Purposes Helsinki-86 Memorial
Mikhail Agursky Vasily Aksyonov Lyudmila Alexeyeva Andrei Amalrik Chabua Amirejibi Anton Antonov-Ovseyenko Gunārs Astra Mykola Bakay Anna Barkova Vasile Bătrânac Arkadiy Belinkov Nikolai Berdyaev Yuri Bezmenov Larisa Bogoraz Alexander Bolonkin Yelena Bonner Leonid Borodin Vladimir Bougrine Joseph Brodsky Vladimir Bukovsky Valery Chalidze Lev Chernyi Boris Chichibabin Viacheslav Chornovil Lydia Chukovskaya Yuli Daniel Vadim Delaunay Andrey Derevyankin David Devdariani Ivan Drach Yuri Druzhnikov Mustafa Dzhemilev Ivan Dziuba Abulfaz Elchibey Alexander Esenin-Volpin Eliyahu Essas Efim Etkind Benjamin Fain Viktor Fainberg Moysey Fishbein Ilya Gabay Balys Gajauskas Yuri Galanskov Alexander Galich Sultan Galiev Zviad Gamsakhurdia Vladimir Gershuni Alexander Ginzburg Yevgenia Ginzburg Anatoly Gladilin Semyon Gluzman Natalya Gorbanevskaya Pyotr Grigorenko Sergei Grigoryants Vasily Grossman Igor Guberman Tengiz Gudava Paruyr Hayrikyan Ivan Hel Oleksa Hirnyk Mykola Horbal Bohdan Horyn Mykhailo Horyn Grigory Isayev Boris Kagarlitsky Romas Kalanta Sofiya Kalistratova Ihor Kalynets Iryna Kalynets Vitaliy Kalynychenko Dina Kaminskaya Ivan Kandyba Ephraim Kholmyansky Yuliy Kim Nikolai Klyuev Lev Kopelev Boris Korczak Anatoly Koryagin Nahum Korzhavin Merab Kostava Lina Kostenko Sergei Kovalev Zoya Krakhmalnikova Victor Krasin Yuri Kublanovsky Jüri Kukk Anatoly Kuznetsov Eduard Kuznetsov Alexander Lavut Mikhail Leontovich Alexander Lerner Yaroslav Lesiv Eugene Levich Veniamin Levich Eduard Limonov Pavel Litvinov Levko Lukyanenko Nikolay Lossky Kronid Lyubarsky Michail J. Makarenko Vasyl Makukh Guram Mamulia Nadezhda Mandelstam Anatoly Marchenko Valeriy Marchenko Myroslav Marynovych Gregori Maximoff Roy Medvedev Zhores Medvedev Naum Meiman Mykhailo Melnyk Alexander Men Yosef Mendelevitch Vazif Meylanov Andrei Mironov Ion Moraru Viktor Nekipelov Viktor Nekrasov Alexander Nekrich Valeriya Novodvorskaya Vasile Odobescu Alexander Ogorodnikov Yuri Orlov Raisa Orlova Lagle Parek Boris Pasternak Konstantin Paustovsky Gleb Pavlovsky Yekaterina Peshkova Viktoras Petkus Alexander Piatigorsky Leonid Plyushch Alexandr Podrabinek Grigory Pomerants Vladimir Pribylovsky Dmitri Prigov Anatoly Pristavkin Boris Pustyntsev Irina Ratushinskaya Eliyahu Rips Arseny Roginsky Maria Rozanova Mykola Rudenko Yuly Rybakov Ain Saar Valery Sablin Andrei Sakharov Dmitri Savitski Shmuel Schneurson Victor Serge Efraim Sevela Igor Shafarevich Varlam Shalamov Avital Sharansky Natan Sharansky Vladimir Shelkov Yuriy Shukhevych Danylo Shumuk Andrei Sinyavsky Vladimir Slepak Victor Sokolov Sergei Soldatov Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Pitirim Sorokin Vladimir Strelnikov Aleksandras Štromas Vasyl Stus Nadiya Svitlychna Ivan Svitlichny Vasyl Symonenko Les Tanyuk Alexander Tarasov Valery Tarsis Enn Tarto Lev Timofeev Valentin Turchin Andrei Tverdokhlebov Tatyana Velikanova Tomas Venclova Georgi Vins Georgi Vladimov Vladimir Voinovich Michael Voslenski Anatoly Yakobson Gleb Yakunin Venedikt Yerofeyev Yevgeny Zamyatin Alexander Zinoviev Yosyf Zisels