• 19 minutes 46 seconds
    166 - A.K 47 - Who are the social democrats and what do they want? - part III

    Kristen Ghodsee reads a 1906 essay of Alexandra Kollontai, which is weirdly prescient of the present day, 120 years later. This is the third and final installment of a multipart episode with reading, commentary, and analysis of "Who are the social democrats and what do they want?” 

    Mentioned in this episode: 

    Send us Fan Mail

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon-type account and receives no funding. There are no ads and there is no monetization. If you'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.

    Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. Check out Kristen Ghodsee's recent books: 


    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee’s free, episodic newsletter at: https://kristenghodsee.substack.com


    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen 

    27 August 2026, 9:00 pm
  • 20 minutes 25 seconds
    165 - A.K 47 - Who are the social democrats and what do they want? - part II

    Kristen Ghodsee reads a 1906 essay of Alexandra Kollontai, which is weirdly prescient of the present day, 120 years later. This is the second installment of a multipart episode with reading, commentary, and analysis of "Who are the social democrats and what do they want?” 

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Article: "No babies? Blame capitalism.”

    Article: "Der Kapitalismus bestraft das Kinderkriegen"

    Video: Kristen Ghodsee: Antifascism, Anti-colonialism, and the “New Feminism”

    Send us Fan Mail

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon-type account and receives no funding. There are no ads and there is no monetization. If you'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.

    Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. Check out Kristen Ghodsee's recent books: 


    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee’s free, episodic newsletter at: https://kristenghodsee.substack.com


    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen 

    10 June 2026, 1:00 pm
  • 23 minutes 40 seconds
    164 - A.K 47 - Who are the social democrats and what do they want? - part I

    Kristen Ghodsee reads a 1906 essay of Alexandra Kollontai, which is weirdly prescient of the present day, 120 years later. This is the first installment of a multipart episode with reading, commentary, and analysis of "Who are the social democrats and what do they want?” 

    Please examine the paperback of Red Valkyries out on 26 May 2026 with Verso Books, featuring none other than Alexandra Kollontai!

    If you are in Berlin, please join us on Friday, 29 May 2026 at Shakespeare and Sons.

    Send us Fan Mail

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon-type account and receives no funding. There are no ads and there is no monetization. If you'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.

    Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. Check out Kristen Ghodsee's recent books: 


    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee’s free, episodic newsletter at: https://kristenghodsee.substack.com


    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen 

    27 May 2026, 9:00 pm
  • 54 minutes 26 seconds
    163 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - What would Kollontai think of Taylor Swift?

    In this extended episode, Kristen Ghodsee and her daughter enjoy a wide-ranging discussion with two special guests on the music and global influence of Taylor Swift, particularly in light of her recent engagement and rumors of her upcoming wedding in New York on 4 July 2026. Given Kollontai’s own very public romantic life, how could we read Taylor Swift through a Kollontanian lens? This is a deep dive into Taylor Swift’s career and music.

    Dr. Angelina Eimannsberger recently recieved her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at the University of Pennsylvania and Maria Murad is a doctoral student in anthropology at Oxford University.  

    Send us Fan Mail

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon-type account and receives no funding. There are no ads and there is no monetization. If you'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.

    Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. Check out Kristen Ghodsee's recent books: 


    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee’s free, episodic newsletter at: https://kristenghodsee.substack.com


    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen 

    13 May 2026, 11:00 am
  • 32 minutes 15 seconds
    162 - A.K. 47 - “Formative Years” - Celebrating the 154th Anniversary of Kollontai’s Birth

    On the 154th Anniversary of Kollontai’s birth, Kristen Ghodsee reads a section from her chapter "Alexandra Kollontai (1872–1952): Communism as the Only Way Toward Women’s Liberation," written with Natalia Novikova and published in The Palgrave Handbook of Communist Women Activists around the World  in 2023.

    Mentioned in this episode:


    Send us Fan Mail

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon-type account and receives no funding. There are no ads and there is no monetization. If you'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.

    Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. Check out Kristen Ghodsee's recent books: 


    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee’s free, episodic newsletter at: https://kristenghodsee.substack.com


    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen 

    31 March 2026, 1:00 pm
  • 15 minutes 55 seconds
    161 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - 2026 International Women’s Day from the streets of Berlin

    Kristen Ghodsee reports from the streets of Berlin during the 2026 official 8 March demonstration and the march from Oranienplatz to the Rotes Rathaus. 

    Some links to articles about the history of International Women’s Day:

    • NPR Morning Edition: “Women in some countries will mark International Women’s Day with protests”
    • New York Times, “Have you wished your mother a Happy International Women’s Day yet?”
    • New York Times, “Women’s Unpaid Labor is worth $10,900,000,000,000”
    • The Socialist History of International Women’s Day on YouTube.

    Send us Fan Mail

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon-type account and receives no funding. There are no ads and there is no monetization. If you'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.

    Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. Check out Kristen Ghodsee's recent books: 


    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee’s free, episodic newsletter at: https://kristenghodsee.substack.com


    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen 

    9 March 2026, 8:00 am
  • 18 minutes 6 seconds
    160 - A.K. 47 - “Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg: Fighters, Martyrs, Heroes"

    Kristen Ghodsee reads Alexandra Kollontai’s February 1919 obituary for her murdered German comrades: Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.

    An uncorrected proof of Ghodsee's chapter on the Luxemburg-Liebknecht Demo from her 2017 book, Red Hangover, is linked from this page (please scroll right beyond the cover image)


    Send us Fan Mail

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon-type account and receives no funding. There are no ads and there is no monetization. If you'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.

    Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. Check out Kristen Ghodsee's recent books: 


    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee’s free, episodic newsletter at: https://kristenghodsee.substack.com


    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen 

    11 January 2026, 5:00 pm
  • 34 minutes 7 seconds
    159 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - 7th Anniversary of the Podcast!

    Kristen Ghodsee shares a conversation with her daughter in Berlin on the 7th anniversary of the podcast. This is their 17th shared episode.


    Send us Fan Mail

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon-type account and receives no funding. There are no ads and there is no monetization. If you'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.

    Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. Check out Kristen Ghodsee's recent books: 


    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee’s free, episodic newsletter at: https://kristenghodsee.substack.com


    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen 

    1 January 2026, 2:00 pm
  • 35 minutes 25 seconds
    158 - A.K. 47 - Bonus Episode - The Political Economy of Love in Capitalism

    Kristen Ghodsee reads her own December 2025 essay "The Political Economy of Love in Capitalism”

    This text appeared as the featured essay in the Winter 2025 special issue of Jacobin.de on “Love.” Below are the links to the original essay in English, German, and Spanish. You can also watch the Jacobin Germany issue launch discussion on Youtube here


    Send us Fan Mail

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon-type account and receives no funding. There are no ads and there is no monetization. If you'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.

    Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. Check out Kristen Ghodsee's recent books: 


    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee’s free, episodic newsletter at: https://kristenghodsee.substack.com


    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen 

    15 December 2025, 4:00 pm
  • 21 minutes 25 seconds
    157 - A.K. 47 - The Communist Valkyrie - Part 4

    Kristen Ghodsee reads the final part of her biographical chapter on Alexandra Kollontai from Ghodsee's 2022 book, Red Valkyries: Feminist Lessons from Five Revolutionary Women.

    Mentioned in this episode are these new Jacobin articles:

    “The Political Economy of Love in Capitalism” 

    "Der Gebrauchswert der Liebe”

    "La economía política del amor en el capitalismo”

    You can also watch the Jacobin Germany issue launch discussion here

    Send us Fan Mail

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon-type account and receives no funding. There are no ads and there is no monetization. If you'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.

    Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. Check out Kristen Ghodsee's recent books: 


    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee’s free, episodic newsletter at: https://kristenghodsee.substack.com


    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen 

    10 December 2025, 3:00 pm
  • 27 minutes 39 seconds
    156 - A. K. 47 - The Communist Valkyrie - Part 3

    Kristen Ghodsee reads the third part of her biographical chapter on Alexandra Kollontai from Ghodsee's 2022 book, Red Valkyries: Feminist Lessons from Five Revolutionary Women.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Also, please see these new Jacobin articles:

    You can also watch the Jacobin Germany issue launch discussion on Youtube here



    Send us Fan Mail

    Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon-type account and receives no funding. There are no ads and there is no monetization. If you'd like to support the work being done here, please spread the word with your networks.

    Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve critically acclaimed books published in over 20 languages, and a University of Pennsylvania Professor of Russian and East European Studies. Check out Kristen Ghodsee's recent books: 


    Subscribe to Kristen Ghodsee’s free, episodic newsletter at: https://kristenghodsee.substack.com


    Learn more about Kristen Ghodsee's work: www.kristenghodsee.com or request to follow her on Instagram @prof_kristen 

    1 December 2025, 12:00 am
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