Introduction

This is the website of Roland Boer, who is a retired scholar of Marxist philosophy.

The site has a number of pages, including a list of selected publications from 2015 to 2026, recommended links, and a contact form.

Over the last four decades, my research has covered – from the most recent to the earliest – Marxist philosophy and socialism in China; political philosophy and the history of socialist governance; Marxist philosophy and socialism in the Soviet Union; the complex interactions between Marxist thought and religion in “Western” contexts; Marxist political economy in relation to ancient Southwest Asia; and interpretations of classical foundational texts in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.

This experience had led me to a foundational research methodology: it is imperative to read and study texts in their original languages. It matters not whether these texts are classical Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, or the German and French used by Marx and Engels, or the Russian used by Lenin and Stalin, or indeed the Chinese originals of Marxist thought and research in China. This is the reason why I began more than ten years ago now to learn the Chinese language.

My recently completed ten-year research project concerned the philosophical aspects of the construction of socialism and socialist governance, as well as final monograph on the history of Marxist philosophy in China from the reform and opneing-up to the new era. You may view the publications page to see the items published in relation to this project, which includes four monographs and two “duographs,” along with a significant number of book chapters and scholarly journal articles. Over the last few years, I have also been interviewed and taken part in panels on many occasions in relation to this project and also in regard to my life in China. A selection of these items may be found on the publications page.

As a result of twenty years of direct experience, extensive research, and living in China for many of those years in both city and countryside, it has become clear that not only is China’s socialist system the most advanced in human history, but that its economic, social, political and cultural dimensions are more mature and robust than what you will find anywhere else. And while my many colleagues and friends in China are fully aware that much work still needs to be done in developing their socialist system, more and more developing countries are looking to the Chinese model of development so as to see what can be learned for constructing their own models in light of their own concrete conditions.

A personal note: since I am now retired, I can choose to what I would like to do. Thus, I spend most of my time between China and Australia, although I also move further afield.