Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Democratic Communists: Party and Class in South Africa and Kerala

20世纪是马克思主义实践兴衰沉浮的世纪。在本世纪初，国际共产主义运动受到解放思想的鼓舞，是一股日益壮大的社会和政治力量，但到本世纪末，这一运动实际上已经消失了。今天，这场运动主要是与过去的极权主义和专制政权联系在一起。然而，至少有两个20世纪的共产党可以宣称拥有更民主的历史和充满希望的未来：南非共产党和喀拉拉邦的印度社区党。双方都是20世纪国际共产主义历史规范的例外。然而，两党也有所不同：在喀拉拉邦，该党发展了参与性民主取向，而在南非，该党发展了代议制民主取向。通过比较的方法，本项目研究了为什么两党在20世纪50年代末发展出大致相似的民主承诺和方向后出现分歧。根据对党的领导人、活动人士和党员的采访，以及查阅党的文件、备忘录、通信和报告，调查人员确定了促进各种类型民主共产主义成长和发展的条件。

The twentieth century saw the rise and fall of Marxist practices. At the beginning of the century, the international communist movement was a growing social and political force inspired by emancipatory ideas, but by its end the movement has virtually disappeared. Today, the movement is mostly talked about in association with totalitarian and authoritarian regimes of the past. However, at least two twentieth century communist parties can lay claim to more democratic histories and hopeful futures: the South African Communist Party and the Community Party of India in Kerala. Both parties represent exceptions to the historical norms of twentieth century international communism. Yet, the two parties also differ: in Kerala the party developed a participatory democratic orientation, and in South Africa the party developed a representative democratic orientation. Through the comparative method, this project examines why the two parties diverged after having developed by the late 1950s broadly similar democratic commitments and orientations. Based on interviews with party leaders, activists, and members, and access to party papers, memos, correspondence, and reports, the investigator identifies the conditions that facilitate the growth and development of various types of democratic communism.