A.K. 47 - Selections from the Works of Alexandra Kollontai

Kristen R. Ghodsee

Kristen R. Ghodsee reads and discusses 47 selections from the works of Alexandra Kollontai (1872-1952), a socialist women's activist who had radical ideas about the intersections of socialism and women's emancipation. Born into aristocratic privilege, the Russian Kollontai was initially a member of the Mensheviks before she joined Lenin and the Bolsheviks and became an important revolutionary figure during the 1917 Russian Revolution. Kollontai was a socialist theorist of women’s emancipation and a strident proponent of sexual relations freed from all economic considerations. After the October Revolution, Kollontai became the Commissar of Social Welfare and helped to found the Zhenotdel (the women's section of the Party). She oversaw a wide variety of legal reforms and public policies to help liberate working women and to create the basis of a new socialist sexual morality. But Russians were not ready for her vision of emancipation, and she was sent away to Norway to serve as the first Russian female ambassador (and only the third female ambassador in the world).In this podcast, Kristen R. Ghodsee – a professor of Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism: And Other Arguments for Economic Independence (Bold Type Books 2018) – selects excerpts from the essays, speeches, and fiction of Alexandra Kollontai and puts them in context. Each episode provides an introduction to the abridged reading with some relevant background on Kollontai and the historical moment in which she was writing.

  • 23 minutes 42 seconds
    138 - Bonus Episode – Socialism: A Logical Introduction with Professor Scott Sehon

    Kristen Ghodsee speaks to Scott R. Sehon, a professor of philosophy, about his new book, Socialism: A Logical Introduction, and why we should use arguments to make a case for socialism and against capitalism. 

    The first ten U.S.-based listeners to email [email protected] with a name and address will get a free copy of Professor Sehon's new book. 

    Mentioned in this episode:




    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

    25 March 2024, 10:00 am
  • 22 minutes 1 second
    137 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - Claudia Jones's 8 March 1950 International Women's Day Speech

    For International Women's Day, Kristen Ghodsee reads the Black Trinidadian activist and journalist Claudia Jones's speech for International Women's Day in 1950. This speech, (and the published version which appeared afterwards) led to Jones's arrest and eventual deportation from the United States. Jones was a member of the CPUSA, and believed that women's emancipation and civil rights required a strong stance against imperialism and militarism. She say capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy are deeply intertwined ideologies.

    Read the full text of Claudia Jones's speech here
    Listen to Kristen Ghodsee's IWD guest appearance on the Upstream Podcast
    Watch Kristen Ghodsee's IWD guest appearance on the Total Liberation Podcast
    Read Kristen Ghodsee's 2019 Op-Ed in the New York Times on IWD
    Read an Associated Press article about 8 March 2024

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

    8 March 2024, 8:00 am
  • 20 minutes
    136 - A.K. 47 - "Diplomat, Novelist, Leader - Versatile Mme. Kollontay"

    Kristen Ghodsee reads a profile of Alexandra Kollontai which appeared in the Washington Post on May 15, 1927 when Kollontai was serving as the Soviet ambassador to Mexico.

    Mentioned in this episode: The hardcover of Everyday Utopia is on sale at Amazon.com for $14.99 (50% off)

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

    17 February 2024, 7:00 pm
  • 32 minutes 59 seconds
    135 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - 5th Anniversary Conversation about Parenthood

    Kristen Ghodsee and her daughter share a conversation about Kollontai's pro-natalism and the current discourse about the BirthStrike. Are the relevant moral imperatives about having or not having children? And how does the climate crisis factor into people's decisions? We also discuss the future of the podcast and the newly discovered fact that it is listened to in 100 countries around the world. 

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

    8 January 2024, 9:00 am
  • 17 minutes 53 seconds
    134 - A.K. 47 - The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy - Part 3

    Kristen Ghodsee reads the final part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 essay, "The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy" to explore Kollontai's arguments for the socialization of the family and the socialist uses of the maternal instinct. Although Kollontai is openly pro-natalist, and emphasizes that motherhood is a social obligation to help produce new workers for the world's first workers state, she is making these arguments to suspicious men in the Bolshevik government who do not want to expend resources to socialize the domestic labor that Russian women historically did for free. 

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Also, wishing everyone a Happy New Year!


    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

    31 December 2023, 9:00 pm
  • 22 minutes 36 seconds
    133 - A.K. 47 - The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy - Part 2

    Kristen Ghodsee reads the second part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 essay, "The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy" to explore Kollontai's arguments for the socialization of the family and the socialist uses of the maternal instinct. Although Kollontai is openly pro-natalist, and emphasizes that motherhood is a social obligation to help produce new workers for the world's first workers state, she is making these arguments to suspicious men in the Bolshevik government who do not want to expend resources to socialize the domestic labor that Russian women historically did for free. 

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

    23 December 2023, 10:00 pm
  • 22 minutes 38 seconds
    132 - A.K. 47 - The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy - Part 1

    Kristen Ghodsee reads the first part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 essay, "The Labor of Women in the Evolution of the Economy." A portion of this essay on abortion was discussed on the 6 March 2019 episode, but here Ghodsee digs in to Kollontai's argument for the socialization of the family. 

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • The eight Season 22 finalists for The Next Big Idea Club curated by Adam Grant, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink, and Malcolm Gladwell.
    • Just in time for the holidays, the first 15 listeners in the United States who email [email protected] will receive a free, signed, and dedicated copy of Everyday Utopia: What 2000 Years of Wild Experiments Can Teach Us About the Good Life. Please be sure to send your address and the text of your dedication. Books will be sent via Media Mail and may take 7-10 business days to reach you depending on your distance from Philadelphia. Only available for listeners in the United States. 

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

    14 November 2023, 11:00 pm
  • 27 minutes 59 seconds
    131 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - The Fun Manifesto

    In this bonus episode, Kristen Ghodsee welcomes back her now almost 22-year-old daughter to discuss a theory of fun. What would a society look like if we prioritized the ability of everyone to have as much fun as they wanted (in whatever form that fun might take)? Rather than worrying about the fitness benefits of different human behaviors, maybe all we really need to do is focus on having a good time, and the rest will take care of itself.

    Mentioned in this episode:


    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

    23 October 2023, 1:00 pm
  • 19 minutes 45 seconds
    130 - A.K. 47 - The Workers Opposition - Part 5

    Kristen Ghodsee reads the fifth and final part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 text: "The Workers Opposition."

    Mentioned in this episode are: 




    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

    4 October 2023, 12:00 am
  • 20 minutes 48 seconds
    129 - A.K. 47 - The Workers Opposition - Part 4

    Kristen Ghodsee reads the fourth part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 text: "The Workers Opposition" and moans a bit about joining Instagram: @kristenghodsee

    Mentioned in this episode are: 

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

    5 September 2023, 7:00 am
  • 20 minutes 20 seconds
    128 - A.K. 47 - The Workers Opposition - Part 3

    Kristen Ghodsee reads the third part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 text: "The Workers Opposition." 

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:

    Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: Everyday Utopia

    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee's (very occasional) free newsletter.

    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work at: www.kristenghodsee.com

    22 August 2023, 11:00 am
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