Volodymyr Iurynets as Theorist of 'Militant Materialism' in Soviet Ukraine in the 1920s

• In Event: Left Perspectives on State- and Post-Socialism III: Bolshevik Marxism

Abstract

This paper explores the phenomenon of “militant materialism,” focusing on the figure of Ukrainian Marxist philosopher and the activities of the “Society of Militant Materialists” operating in Kharkiv in late 1920s. The study situates Iurynets’s ideas within two key intellectual debates of the period: the discussion on dialectical materialism and the broader ideological struggle between “mechanists” and “dialectics.” Drawing on primary sources from the journals Under the Banner of Marxism (Moscow) and The Banner of Marxism (Kharkiv), this analysis pays particular attention to the “synthetic” approach to dialectical materialism developed by V. Iurynets, a student of Abram Deborin. By examining Iurynets’s theoretical contributions, this paper sheds light on alternative interpretations of Marxism-Leninism and its internal tensions in the late 1920s.

Author

• Galina Babak, U Konstanz (Germany) / Masaryk Inst and Archives CAS (Czech Republic)