Anjan Ghosh (1951–2010), an exemplary Marxist sociologist and teacher, belonged to the generation of intellectuals that dreamt of a socialist India, and saw both the rise and demise of the Communist Party in West Bengal. He died a year before Trinamool Congress dislodged the Left from power. But long before his death, the fall of the Soviet Union had initiated a re-evaluation—among Marxists in West Bengal and elsewhere—of the twentieth-century history of socialism. The present crisis of liberal capitalism, however, compels a fresh, critical look at the legacy of the Russian Revolution today. After the Revolution is a tribute by Anjan Ghosh’s friends and colleagues not only to his memory, but also to the idea of revolution, through a cosmopolitan quest for a liveable alternative to capitalism. It reflects on the Russian Revolution, as viewed from our current location, and re-examines some of the basic tenets of revolutionary theory and practice in the twentieth century, to shed light on the present. Exploring the limits of capitalism, liberal democracy and socialism, the essays examine a range of issues, including contemporary political movements, Maoism and Indian democracy, the later Marx’s thoughts on Russia, global finance dynamics, and the impact of a revolution aesthetic on literature, music and cinema. Original, eclectic, insightful, these timely essays are addressed to students and scholars of sociology, history and culture studies. Contents: List of Abbreviations List of Images Publishers’ Acknowledgements Acknowledgements Foreword Dipesh Chakrabarty Introduction Partha Chatterjee REVOLUTIONS 1. The Character of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 Paresh Chattopadhyay 2. Partyarchy and the Tyranny of Theory Interrogating the Russian Revolution Sanjeeb Mukherjee 3. Maoism and Indian Democracy Partha Chatterjee TRANSLATIONS 4. Early ‘Marxism’ and the Parapolitics of Revolution Thinking the Question of Thought Aditya Nigam 5. Words, Poetry, Music An Analysis of Leftist Reception Aesthetics Sudipta Kaviraj 6. Film, Revolution, Politics Criticism in the Seventies Moinak Biswas 7. The World of Khoabnama The Dynamics of Social ‘Unchange’ Pradosh Nath RECONSIDERATIONS 8. Class Analysis and Political Mobilisation The Contemporary Conjuncture Gyanendra Pandey 9. Financialisation and the Business of the Soul Pranab Kanti Basu 10. The Real (of) Marx Adivasi Worlds as Tombstone of the Illicit Anup Dhar 11. Politics of Desire in South Asia A Preface Bibhas Bagchi 12. On Socialism Anirban Biswas