CANCELLED: Red Vienna and the Aesthetics of Defeat

In the interwar period, the Austrian capital became the focal point for a socialist experiment: Red Vienna was the first to test the possibility of municipal socialism, the successes of which centered not least on the area of culture. The municipal buildings have remained visible in a very special way, turning the attempt at a cultural counter-hegemony into a concrete reality that continues to the present day. At the same time, the relatively weak position of Red Vienna and the ideological limits of Austromarxism can still be seen today in the example of the municipal buildings. The lecture focuses on these ambivalences and limits of Red Vienna. 

The Marxism in Culture seminar series was conceived in 2002 to provide a forum for those committed to the continuing relevance of Marxism for cultural analysis. Both ‘Marxism’ and ‘culture’ are conceived here in a broad sense. We understand Marxism as an ongoing self-critical tradition, and correspondingly the critique of Marxism's own history and premises is part of the agenda. ‘Culture’ is intended to comprehend not only the traditional fine arts, but also aspects of popular culture such as film, popular music and fashion. 

Image credit: David Mabb