Statement of purpose

Taking stock of the universe of positions and goals that constitutes leftist politics today, we are left with the disquieting suspicion that a deep commonality underlies the apparent variety: What exists today is built upon the desiccated remains of what was once possible.

In order to make sense of the present, we find it necessary to disentangle the vast accumulation of positions on the Left and to evaluate their saliency for the possible reconstitution of emancipatory politics in the present. Doing this implies a reconsideration of what is meant by the Left.

Our task begins from what we see as the general disenchantment with the present state of progressive politics. We feel that this disenchantment cannot be cast off by sheer will, by simply “carrying on the fight,” but must be addressed and itself made an object of critique. Thus we begin with what immediately confronts us.

The Platypus Review is motivated by its sense that the Left is disoriented. We seek to be a forum among a variety of tendencies and approaches on the Left—not out of a concern with inclusion for its own sake, but rather to provoke disagreement and to open shared goals as sites of contestation. In this way, the recriminations and accusations arising from political disputes of the past may be harnessed to the project of clarifying the object of leftist critique.

The Platypus Review hopes to create and sustain a space for interrogating and clarifying positions and orientations currently represented on the Left, a space in which questions may be raised and discussions pursued that would not otherwise take place. As long as submissions exhibit a genuine commitment to this project, all kinds of content will be considered for publication.

Submission guidelines

Articles in the Platypus Review will typically range in length from 750–4,500 words, but longer pieces will also be considered. Please send article submissions and inquiries about the project to: review_editor@platypus1917.org. All submissions should conform to the Chicago Manual of Style.

Readable PDFs of past issues

• The Platypus Review, â„– 1 — November 2007
• The Platypus Review, â„– 2 — February 2008
• The Platypus Review, â„– 3 — March 2008
• The Platypus Review, â„– 4 — April-May 2008
• The Platypus Review, â„– 5 — May-June 2008
• The Platypus Review, â„– 6 — July 2008
• The Platypus Review, â„– 7 — October 2008
• The Platypus Review, â„– 8 — November 2008
• The Platypus Review, â„– 9 — December 2008
• The Platypus Review, â„– 10 — February 2009
• The Platypus Review, â„– 11 — March 2009
• The Platypus Review, â„– 12 — May 2009
• The Platypus Review, â„– 13 — July 2009
• The Platypus Review, â„– 14 — August 2009
• The Platypus Review, â„– 15 — September 2009
• The Platypus Review, â„– 16 — October 2009
• The Platypus Review, â„– 17 — November 2009
• The Platypus Review, â„– 18 — December 2009
• The Platypus Review, â„– 19 — January 2010
• The Platypus Review, â„– 20 — February 2010
• The Platypus Review, â„– 20, Supplement on the Iranian Revolution — February 2010
• The Platypus Review, â„– 21 — March 2010
• The Platypus Review, â„– 22 — April 2010
• The Platypus Review, â„– 23 — May 2010
• The Platypus Review, â„– 24 — June 2010
• The Platypus Review, â„– 25 — July 2010
• The Platypus Review, â„– 26 — August 2010
• The Platypus Review, â„– 27 — September 2010
• The Platypus Review, â„– 28 — October 2010
• The Platypus Review, â„– 29 — November 2010
• The Platypus Review, â„– 30 — December 2010
• The Platypus Review, â„– 31 — January 2011
• The Platypus Review, â„– 32 — February 2011
• The Platypus Review, â„– 33 — March 2011
• The Platypus Review, â„– 34 — April 2011
• The Platypus Review, â„– 35 — May 2011
• The Platypus Review, â„– 36 — June 2011
• The Platypus Review, â„– 37 — July 2011
• The Platypus Review, â„– 38 — August 2011
• The Platypus Review, â„– 38, Supplement on the Legacy of Trotskyism — August 2011
• The Platypus Review, â„– 39 — September 2011
• The Platypus Review, â„– 40 — October 2011
• The Platypus Review, â„– 41 — November 2011
• The Platypus Review, â„– 42 — December 2011-January 2012
• The Platypus Review, â„– 43 — February 2012
• The Platypus Review, â„– 44 — March 2012
• The Platypus Review, â„– 45 — April 2012
• The Platypus Review, â„– 46 — May 2012
• The Platypus Review, â„– 47 — June 2012
• The Platypus Review, â„– 48 — July-August 2012
• The Platypus Review, â„– 49 — September 2012
• The Platypus Review, â„– 50 — October 2012
• The Platypus Review, â„– 51, Special Issue on the Election — November 2012

Platypus Review: A photo gallery

Our fearless leader and editor-in-chief, Sunit Singh, holding a copy of the Platypus Review (2011)

Nate Smith with some copies of the Platypus Review at the US Social Forum in Detroit, 2010

Slovenian theorist Slavoj Žižek with Haseeb Ahmed in Maastricht (2011), looking over some copies of the Platypus Review

The Platypus Review in a Moscow bookshop (2012), courtesy of Haseeb Ahmed

Lisa Montanarelli, Ross Wolfe, and Brian Hioe with Japanese comrades from Zenko Peace, holding up copies of the Platypus Review

Jacob Cayia and Chris Mansour with a nice display stand of past issues of the Platypus Review at the Left Forum 2012

Soren Whited of Platypus mans our stand of Platypus Reviews at Left Forum 2009

Marco with Platypus Reviews at our 2nd International convention

Pac Pobric and Sacha Amry with Platypus Reviews

Ben Blumberg and Pac Pobric with Platypus Reviews at the Left Forum 2012

DIY Platypus w: Jeremy Cohan and Brian Hioe