Debray and the Cuban Experience

Theoretical conceptions are forever being attacked by other conceptions, from the Right and from the Left. Regis Debray's Revolution in the Revolution? is no exception. Its publication produced an immediate reaction from the camp of reformism. A long political practice with its corresponding theorizing was shown up for what it is. And it is precisely this which constitutes the strong part of the work. But it is not enough for criticism to be sound for the theory on which it is based to take the place of the theory being criticized. Although it may seem paradoxical, a criticism which is fundamentally correct may be ill-founded. And inasmuch as theories which are upheld by strong political organizations with international support do not immediately yield the field when they are subjected to criticism, but rather cling to it more tenaciously, such theories find the condition for their own permanence in the weakness of critics' arguments.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.