[TEASER] Cuba Ep. 11: Actually Existing Ecology w/ Henry Hakamäki & Salvatore Engels-Di Mauro

Yes.

And the basis of this conversation, we'll be referring to this book, which I also want to introduce the author of the book, because I think that's important too.

So we're together today to talk about communism, the highest stage of ecology, and this is by Guillaume Swang.

And so, yes, Henry, can you introduce Guillaume Swang for us? And then Salvatore, can you introduce the book?

I can, although I'm sure that Salvatore can introduce Guillaume much better than I can, because Salvatore has much more direct connection with Guillaume than I do.

But Guillaume is a French scholar of ecology and of socialism.

He's written several works, and the book that we're talking about today, which also was the topic of the previous conversation that we had, was released... forget what year it came out in france but it came out under the title real ecology which would translate uh something is like real ecology or if we wanted to be a bit more poetic with that actually existing ecology which would have been a great name as well we went with the title communism the highest stage of ecology which was a draft title unpublished draft title of this work and um We had a discussion on the previous episode about why that title is relevant.

I don't want to reiterate it too much right here, so I'll just leave it there.

But Salvatore can certainly introduce much more about Guillaume and the book than I can.

Thank you so much, Henri, and for the question.

I mean, Guillaume, so here's the Iskra version of the translation that I and Henri made of this book, the original, which is a play on words with really existing socialism, so real existing ecology, and it's focused on the history of the Soviet Union and Cuba.

And Guillaume, just to follow through a little bit, he's a French communist.

He's involved in, he's a militant communist involved in trying to draw together various communist movements and parties in France, which is, to say the least, an enormous struggle in itself.

He's the author of several books.

And if people are interested, there's Les Editions d'Elgar is where his books have been published.

if one understands or reads French, is where his books have been published.

And he has a recent book that's come out called Fuir le Progrès, which is Escaping Progress, which is about facing the difficulties of false narratives on climate change, on artificial intelligence and the like.

So that's his most recent book.

The book that we translated came out in 2018.

And there's a bit of a story behind that, I mean, with Guillaume contacting me.

I knew of his book.

I couldn't get a hold of it.

Once I did, I just devoured it because it was something that I was also researching at the same time that he was.

I had published something in 2017, and there comes out this book, and he's interviewed in Café Marxiste in French.

So he contacts me about that book that I produced that Henry's holding up.