Re: [Marxism] Fwd: Syria and the Left | Jacobin

[Nick Fredman via Marxism]

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Louis is exaggerating and cherry picking, whether wilfully or not. Salih
Muslim whatever faults he may have (and the PKK current seems to have
clearer and more radical spokespeople than him), has never said "there can
be no solution to the conflict in Syria without Bashar al-Assad remaining
in power".

Louis might be misremembering this article
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/10/syria-kurds-assad-solution-salih-muslim.html,
from more than 3 years ago, in which he was briefly paraphrased as saying
there could be "no solution without Assad". That seems to be a call for a
negotiated solution. Whether or not you think this was utopian at that
point, it's not the same as insisting Assad had to stay in power.

In the two more recent articles Chris posted, he's paraphrased as being
"fully in favour of Mr Assad and his government being replaced by a more
acceptable alternative" in the first and quoted as saying "we are ready to
fight Assad under a secular, democratic and civilian umbrella...Assad is
falling no matter how long it takes, and the era of the Baath (Party) is
gone, never to return".

Louis might find Muslim's antipathy to extreme right Islamism disgusting,
but when for example he's seen Kurd and poor Arab civilians in the Sheikh
Masoud district of Aleppo attacked by chemical weapons by Islamist rebels
maybe we should cut the guy a little slack. If some spokespeople of the
PKK-current and their allies present too homogenous a picture of the
rebels, it's also deluded to deny the reactionary nature of some of them,
and also quite "Orientalist" to deny that a whole lot of people in Syria
and the region who oppose Assad don't want reactionary Islamism in power.

I'm currently reading Jonathon Littel's Syrian Notebooks, which is a moving
and sympathetic first-hand account account of the rebels in Homs in early
2012, but in which Littel is disturbed to notice a creeping
sectarianisation, which he's convinced in his more recent introduction and
epilogue to have marginalised the progressive aspect of the rebellion. He
puts the main blame on the regime but summarises the process as
"transforming a popular, broad-based proletarian and peasant uprising into
a sectarian civil war".


On Wed, Jan 11, 2017 at 12:40 PM, Chris Slee via Marxism <
marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> wrote:

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>
> Louis Proyect may be referring to this article:
>
> http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-
> civil-war-kurdish-leader-says-collapse-of-assad-regime-
> would-be-a-disaster-despite-its-10515922.html
>
>
>
> But see also this article:
>
> http://www.syrianobserver.com/EN/News/30898/Saleh_Muslim_We_
> Are_Ready_Fight_Assad_Regime_Establish_Secular_State
>
>
>
>
> 
> From: Louis Proyect 
> Sent: Wednesday, 11 January 2017 1:30 AM
> To: Chris Slee; Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition
> Subject: Re: [Marxism] Fwd: Syria and the Left | Jacobin
>
> On 1/10/17 8:19 PM, Chris Slee wrote:
> > The interview  with Yasser Munif is in some ways very good, but it is
> > spoiled by his hostile attitude towards the PYD.
>
> Maybe he took exception to the PYD leader Salih Muslim saying that there
> can be no solution to the conflict in Syria without Bashar al-Assad
> remaining in power. As someone who supports Kurdish self-determination,
> I found this utterance and others by this man utterly disgusting.
>
> --
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[Marxism] Fwd: Syria and Leftwing Hasbara – P U L S E

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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Detached from reality, hawkish Zionists will deny any evil inflicted by 
Israel on the Palestinians. When acknowledged, the evil will be 
justified as a collateral damage or a necessary step in the name of 
security and counterterrorism. Their denialism will frequently lead them 
to claims of forgery and fake (“Pallywood”) even in the face of 
insurmountable evidence to the contrary.


Detached from reality, the Geo-Stalinist anti-Imperialist Left will deny 
any evil inflicted by Assad and his allies on the Syrian people. When 
acknowledged, the evil will be justified as a collateral damage or a 
necessary step in the name of security and counterterrorism. Their 
denialism will frequently lead them to claims of fabrication (“White 
Helmets’ soap opera, just to force NATO to intervene”), all evidence to 
the contrary notwithstanding.


full: https://pulsemedia.org/2017/01/10/syria-and-leftwing-hasbara/


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Re: [Marxism] Fwd: Syria and the Left | Jacobin

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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On 1/10/17 8:40 PM, Chris Slee wrote:


But see also this article:

http://www.syrianobserver.com/EN/News/30898/Saleh_Muslim_We_Are_Ready_Fight_Assad_Regime_Establish_Secular_State


https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/publish-the-biography-of-socialist-louis-proyect#/


In the article above, you find this:

“We are not willing to fight Assad so that Syria falls into the hands of 
jihadis, who have destroyed everything and turned it into a bloodbath,” 
Muslim added.


Once again, I find this disgusting.



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Re: [Marxism] Fwd: Syria and the Left | Jacobin

[Chris Slee via Marxism]

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Louis Proyect may be referring to this article:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-civil-war-kurdish-leader-says-collapse-of-assad-regime-would-be-a-disaster-despite-its-10515922.html



But see also this article:

http://www.syrianobserver.com/EN/News/30898/Saleh_Muslim_We_Are_Ready_Fight_Assad_Regime_Establish_Secular_State





From: Louis Proyect 
Sent: Wednesday, 11 January 2017 1:30 AM
To: Chris Slee; Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition
Subject: Re: [Marxism] Fwd: Syria and the Left | Jacobin

On 1/10/17 8:19 PM, Chris Slee wrote:
> The interview  with Yasser Munif is in some ways very good, but it is
> spoiled by his hostile attitude towards the PYD.

Maybe he took exception to the PYD leader Salih Muslim saying that there
can be no solution to the conflict in Syria without Bashar al-Assad
remaining in power. As someone who supports Kurdish self-determination,
I found this utterance and others by this man utterly disgusting.

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Re: [Marxism] Fwd: Syria and the Left | Jacobin

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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On 1/10/17 8:19 PM, Chris Slee wrote:

The interview  with Yasser Munif is in some ways very good, but it is
spoiled by his hostile attitude towards the PYD.


Maybe he took exception to the PYD leader Salih Muslim saying that there 
can be no solution to the conflict in Syria without Bashar al-Assad 
remaining in power. As someone who supports Kurdish self-determination, 
I found this utterance and others by this man utterly disgusting.


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Re: [Marxism] Fwd: Syria and the Left | Jacobin

[Andrew Pollack via Marxism]

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for more on the diverse politics of Syrian and other Kurds see various
posts at syriafreedomforever.wordpress.com

On Tue, Jan 10, 2017 at 8:19 PM, Chris Slee via Marxism <
marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> wrote:

>   POSTING RULES & NOTES  
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> *
>
> The interview  with Yasser Munif is in some ways very good, but it is
> spoiled by his hostile attitude towards the PYD.
>
>
> Munif claims that the PYD has "alliances...with  the Russians and the
> Syrian regime".  He says that "The Syrian regime does not bomb them [the
> PYD]".
>
>
> In fact the Assad regime has bombed the PYD on a number of occasions.  See
> for example:
>
> http://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/syrian-regime-attacks-sheikh-maqsoud
>
>
> But it is true that the PYD tries, as far as possible, to avoid armed
> clashes with the Assad regime forces.  The PYD also wanted to avoid clashes
> with the anti-Assad rebels.  It tried to remain neutral.
>
>
> However, some Turkish-backed rebel groups repeatedly attacked
> PYD-controlled areas such as Sheikh Maqsoud, a predominantly Kurdish
> neighbourhood of Aleppo.   See for example:
>
>  http://kurdishquestion.com/article/3132-138-civilians-
> killed-912-wounded-in-sheikh-maqsoud-attacks
>
>
> The problem is that some Syrian rebel groups have been coopted by Turkey
> and used in its war against the PYD.  Recently some rebels have
> participated in the Turkish invasion of the northern part of Aleppo
> province.
>
>
> But not all rebel groups are lining up with Turkey.  Some groups from the
> very diverse "Free Syrian Army" tradition have joined the Syrian Democratic
> Forces and are fighting alongside the YPG/YPJ.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 
> From: Marxism  on behalf of Louis
> Proyect via Marxism 
> Sent: Monday, 9 January 2017 4:55 PM
> To: Chris Slee
> Subject: [Marxism] Fwd: Syria and the Left | Jacobin
>
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> *
>
> An important about face from Jacobin.
>
> https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/01/syria-war-crisis-
> refugees-assad-dictatorship-arab-spring-intervention-russia/
>
>
> --
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> biography-of-socialist-louis-proyect#/
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Re: [Marxism] Fwd: Syria and the Left | Jacobin

[Chris Slee via Marxism]

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The interview  with Yasser Munif is in some ways very good, but it is spoiled 
by his hostile attitude towards the PYD.


Munif claims that the PYD has "alliances...with  the Russians and the Syrian 
regime".  He says that "The Syrian regime does not bomb them [the PYD]".


In fact the Assad regime has bombed the PYD on a number of occasions.  See for 
example:

http://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/syrian-regime-attacks-sheikh-maqsoud


But it is true that the PYD tries, as far as possible, to avoid armed clashes 
with the Assad regime forces.  The PYD also wanted to avoid clashes with the 
anti-Assad rebels.  It tried to remain neutral.


However, some Turkish-backed rebel groups repeatedly attacked PYD-controlled 
areas such as Sheikh Maqsoud, a predominantly Kurdish neighbourhood of Aleppo.  
 See for example:

 
http://kurdishquestion.com/article/3132-138-civilians-killed-912-wounded-in-sheikh-maqsoud-attacks


The problem is that some Syrian rebel groups have been coopted by Turkey and 
used in its war against the PYD.  Recently some rebels have participated in the 
Turkish invasion of the northern part of Aleppo province.


But not all rebel groups are lining up with Turkey.  Some groups from the very 
diverse "Free Syrian Army" tradition have joined the Syrian Democratic Forces 
and are fighting alongside the YPG/YPJ.








From: Marxism  on behalf of Louis Proyect 
via Marxism 
Sent: Monday, 9 January 2017 4:55 PM
To: Chris Slee
Subject: [Marxism] Fwd: Syria and the Left | Jacobin

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An important about face from Jacobin.

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/01/syria-war-crisis-refugees-assad-dictatorship-arab-spring-intervention-russia/


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[Marxism] New on Redline

[Philip Ferguson via Marxism]

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Firefighters black entire fleet of engines:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2017/01/11/firefighters-black-entire-unsafe-fleet/

Militant in America: 1998 interview with veteran shopfloor and marxist
activist Fred Ferguson:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2017/01/11/from-the-vaults-militant-in-america-interview-with-fred-ferguson-1998/

Gattaca and the nervous nineties:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2017/01/07/from-the-vaults-gattaca-and-the-nervous-nineties/

Eirigi New Year statement 2017:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2017/01/05/eirigi-new-year-statement-2017/

Engels on Marx on the working day:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2017/01/04/engels-on-marx-on-the-working-day/

This is what workers resistance looks like:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2017/01/01/this-is-what-resistance-looks-like/
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Re: [Marxism] [pen-l] Fwd: Trump-Intelligence-Allegations.pdf

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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On 1/10/17 7:03 PM, Louis Proyect wrote:

Donald Trump paid prostituted to perform "golden showers" in the same
bed in a 5-star hotel in Russia that the Obamas stayed in just to spot
them.

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3259984/Trump-Intelligence-Allegations.pdf





So excited I didn't check for typos. It is "spite", not "spot" and 
"prostitutes", not "prostituted".


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[Marxism] Fwd: Trump-Intelligence-Allegations.pdf

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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Donald Trump paid prostituted to perform "golden showers" in the same 
bed in a 5-star hotel in Russia that the Obamas stayed in just to spot them.


https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3259984/Trump-Intelligence-Allegations.pdf


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[Marxism] Fwd: Intel chiefs presented Trump with claims of Russian efforts to compromise him - CNNPolitics.com

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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Trump never should have messed with the CIA. These guys are past masters 
of dirty tricks.


http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/10/politics/donald-trump-intelligence-report-russia/index.html



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[Marxism] Gilbert Achcar: No Enduring Peace in Syria Under Assad

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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http://www.tmimag.com/Continue-Reading.aspx?id=11



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Re: [Marxism] Fwd: Russia and the Left | New Politics

[Gary MacLennan via Marxism]

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I call the fans of Putin, Vladmirers.  As for the "liberation" of Aleppo, I
am reminded of Tacitus' 'ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant'.

comradely

Gary

On Tue, Jan 10, 2017 at 11:09 PM, Louis Proyect via Marxism <
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>
> In terms of Islamophobia and anti-LGBT repression, Russia makes the United
> States look like Paradise. Male life expectancy in Russia is six years less
> than in Brazil and a decade less than in Mexico; its spending on education
> as a share of GDP is 80 percent that of Mexico and less than three quarters
> that of Brazil.11 In terms of the size of the public sector, Russian
> government spending as a percent of GDP is smaller than that of Japan,
> Greece, the UK, and Spain (and its military spending is a far greater share
> of its overall government spending than any of these countries).12 Neither
> in practice nor in inspiration nor even in rhetoric does current-day Russia
> reflect left values.
>
> So why then the left enthusiasm for Russia?
>
> For some, no doubt, it’s simply nostalgia. The U.S. Peace Council, a
> slavish Moscow tool during the Cold War, fondly recalls the Soviet alliance
> with the Baathist regime in Syria under Hafez al-Assad, and so perhaps it’s
> a simple move to glorify Russian support today for the successor to the
> Assad dynasty. (And thus the Peace Council’s awful propaganda trip to
> Damascus and subsequent participation in Syrian-government sponsored
> propaganda events.13)
>
> But wistful longing for the glory days of the Soviet Union doesn’t explain
> most left attachment to Russia. Instead it’s the pernicious doctrine of
> “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” that unfortunately has permeated large
> sectors of the left.
>
> full: http://newpol.org/content/russia-and-left
>
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[Marxism] Fwd: Twin Cities; Go North | Louis Proyect: The Unrepentant Marxist

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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Two narrative films have come my way recently whose combined budget is 
probably less than 3 percent of what it cost to make La La Land but for 
my money are far more interesting films. One is titled “Twin Cities” and 
defies easy description. Even if writer/director Dave Ash is a Twin 
Cities resident, don’t expect it to be a warm and whimsical treatment of 
the region’s foibles a la Lake Woebegon. Or like fellow Twin Cities 
favorite sons Coen brothers whose trademark irony seems toothless 
compared to Ash, whose sensibility is a mixture of Kafka and 
Kierkegaard. The other is titled “Go North”, a post-apocalyptic tale 
inspired by “Lord of the Flies” that eschews the cheap thrills of the 
Road Warrior series in favor of a simple, even minimalist tale of 
survival in a world where children seek to build a new civilization 
based on the worst instincts of the one that has died.



full: https://louisproyect.org/2017/01/10/twin-cities-go-north/


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[Marxism] Fwd: Prensa Latina THE END OF IDEOLOGY IN CUBA?

[Jon Flanders via Marxism]

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The End of Ideology in Cuba?

By Arnold August.

In 1960, the American sociologist and academic Daniel Bell (1919–2011) 
published /The End of Ideology/. It became a classic book in official 
political science. The publication was listed by /Times Literary 
Supplement/ as one of the 100 most influential non-fiction books in the 
second half of the 20th century. While there were other “end of 
ideologies” in the 1950s and early 1960s, Bell’s is considered the most 
authoritative. The many varieties that emerged from this school of 
thought have a common denominator. While not oversimplifying this 
important trend, for the purposes of this article one can say that it 
surfaced out of the perceived failures of both socialism in the former 
U.S.S.R. and capitalism in the West. It was born out of opposition to 
“extremism.”


In November 1968, along with other political science students at McGill 
University in Montreal, I founded the Political Science Students 
Association. It organized a strike around two basic demands. The first 
was student participation on faculty hiring committees; the second, 
linked to this potential student empowerment, demanded a more inclusive 
faculty and curriculum. This would include writings other than by Daniel 
Bell (who, of course, was considered mandatory reading and enjoyed 
uncontested reference in political science), progressive social 
scientists and the works of Marx and Lenin. These were all excluded at 
the time. After a 10-day occupation and strike, the students’ demands 
were finally met by the university.


Bell was blind to the inevitable uprisings that were about to take place 
in the U.S. among African-Americans shortly after his best-seller rolled 
off the press. These progressive struggles, like those of the Native 
peoples, who also revolted, have their origins in the Thirteen Colonies. 
In the 1960s, American students were also attracted to alternative 
ideologies and politics. In fact, the youth movement was omnipresent 
throughout North America and much of Europe. While this inclination in 
the 1960s was characterized by different left-wing political and 
ideological features, and experienced its ups and downs, it was the 
death knell for the End of Ideology hypothesis. However, Bell’s heritage 
keeps coming back to haunt us.


In Cuba, in the last year or so, there has been a steady increase in the 
End of Ideology code words and buzz phrases emitted by some marginal 
Cuban bloggers and intellectuals. They were timid at first but became 
increasingly bold. To mention just a few: complaining of what they see 
as a “sterile dichotomy between socialism and capitalism”; advising 
Cuban revolutionaries to be “balanced and more profound in offering 
their criticism” of U.S. imperialism; opposing what they consider the 
extremist “Fidelista” and “anti-Castro” positions, placing both on the 
same footing; labelling those who are Marxist-Leninist or Fidelista as 
“extremists” or “fanatics”; writing about “two major fallacies of what 
it means to be a revolutionary in Cuba, from the left and right,” both 
being based on “exclusive dogma”; and, finally, asserting that “life is 
much more profound than even ideology.”


Reading these pieces, my university days back in 1968 kept piercing 
through my thought process. How was it possible that we opposed the End 
of Ideology in the heart of capitalism yet now it rears its head in 
Cuba, of all places? One can argue that the opposition in Cuba is coming 
from the “left,” that is, from those who claim that they support the 
Revolution. Well, where else can it emerge if not from the so-called 
left? This is Cuba. Let us not forget that Bell had identified as a 
leftist. His opposition to ideology was ostensibly from the leftist 
outlook and not the right. This, after all, was how he won his 
credibility and credentials. Bell became disillusioned with socialism. 
He could not see an alternative so he decided to wage a struggle against 
both capitalism and socialism. His work is a reflection of his own 
personal/political predicament. Objectively, however, this so-called 
neutrality against extremes consists in throwing a life jacket in 
support of capitalism. It is no accident that he is so appreciated by 
the ruling elites of the West.


I have always maintained that the most dangerous opposition to the Cuban 
Revolution comes from the so-called left, and not from the openly right 
Plattists, or annexationists. It is a cancer in Cuban society that, if 
left to grow without sharp ideological resistance, can influence the 
most naive, especially among youth, intellectuals and artists.


When Bell wrote his 

[Marxism] Call for Papers ECREA Symposium Digital Democracy: Critical Perspectives in the Age of Big Data

[Anne Kaun via Marxism]

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Call for Papers ECREA Symposium Digital Democracy: Critical Perspectives in the 
Age of Big Data

10-11 November 2017, Södertörn University, Stockholm, Sweden
Joint Conference of two ECREA Sections: Communication and Democracy; and Media 
Industries and Cultural Production

Abstract Deadline 1 June 2017

Keynote speakers

  *   Helen Kennedy (University of Sheffield)
  *   Joseph Turow (University of Pennsylvania)
  *   Mikkel Flyverbom (Copenhagen Business School)

The coordinates of democracy, civic engagement and political participation are 
being fundamentally reconfigured in the context of digital media, Big Data and 
algorithmic culture, and so too are the media industries. This joint conference 
of the ECREA Communication and Democracy and Media Industries and Cultural 
Production Sections provides the opportunity to analyse and assess these 
changes.

The constant need to measure and capture our behavior and attitudes has 
consequences for our political agency and subjectivities. What do big data and 
algorithmic culture mean in the context of democratic participation and 
engagement? What are the consequences of ubiquitous surveillance, preemptive 
policing and social bots for our understanding of democracy and exercise of 
civic rights? How do current discussions of political agency in the digital age 
compare to previous moments of disruption in terms of the introduction of media 
technologies?

Big data and issues related to algorithmic governance have become a major topic 
of enquiry in the context of media industries as well. ‘Legacy media’ are 
trying to respond by integrating new digital services with their existing ones 
and new data-driven journalistic and media production practices emerge. This 
presents policy challenges, as, for example, public service media need to adapt 
to a situation in which data is increasingly commercialized. There are 
implications too for media workers in this new moment. In this context, we wish 
to explore issues related to the integration of Big Data and the media 
industries as well as online production, creativity and digital labour.

During this section conference, we aim to engage with questions concerning 
datafication, media industries and (digital) democracy through addressing 
topics such as (but not limited to):


  *   Political subjectivities and political agency in the age of Big Data
  *   Political consequences of storing, processing and organizing of data
  *   Civic engagement and political participation in times of Big Data
  *   Surveillance and preemptive policing
  *   Materiality and environmental issues of Big Data and algorithmic culture
  *   New actors and discourses in the context of datafication
  *   Democratic potential of Big Data and algorithmic culture
  *   Algorithmic taste management in the media industries
  *   Archives and archiving of cultural production and civic engagement
  *   Media work and labour in datafied media industries
  *   Data Journalism

A YECREA workshop for PhD candidates and junior researchers will be organised. 
Details are going to be announced in early spring 2017.
Submission details
Please submit a 300-word abstract for individual proposals
Panel proposals should include a 300-word panel rationale plus individual 200 
word abstracts from a minimum of four speakers.
All abstracts for individual as well as panel proposals should be submitted 
through: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ecreadigdem2017
Deadline for submission is 1 June 2017. Notifications of acceptance will be 
issued by 15 August 2017.
Registration and Fees
Early bird registration €50 (until 1 September 2017)
Early bird reduced student fee €30 (until 1 September)
Full fees €75
Reduced student fee €40
Organising Committee:
Göran Bolin, Hanne Bruun, David Hesmondhalgh, Anne Kaun, Maria Michalis, Maria 
Kyriakidou, Fredrik Stiernstedt, Julie Uldam, Julia Velkova


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[Marxism] Fwd: Q with authors of book on scholarly activism

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/01/10/qa-authors-book-scholarly-activism



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[Marxism] Fwd: [ufpj-activist] Chris Hedges on Russian "hacking"

[Andrew Pollack via Marxism]

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Gronowicz is one of the most loony, slanderous and reactionary members of
the UFPJ email list. But the Hedges piece he shares is calm and dangerous
and will be widely believed.

-- Forwarded message --
From: anthony gronowicz 
Date: Tue, Jan 10, 2017 at 8:18 AM
Subject: [ufpj-activist] Chris Hedges on Russian "hacking"
To: Ufpj-activist 


http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_real_purpose_of_the_
us_governments_report_on_alleged_hacking_by_russi
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[Marxism] Fwd: Hillary Clinton Helped Pave Way for Jared Kushner In the White House - The Daily Beast

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/01/09/hillary-clinton-helped-pave-way-for-jared-kushner-in-the-white-house.html



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[Marxism] Fwd: Russia and the Left | New Politics

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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In terms of Islamophobia and anti-LGBT repression, Russia makes the 
United States look like Paradise. Male life expectancy in Russia is six 
years less than in Brazil and a decade less than in Mexico; its spending 
on education as a share of GDP is 80 percent that of Mexico and less 
than three quarters that of Brazil.11 In terms of the size of the public 
sector, Russian government spending as a percent of GDP is smaller than 
that of Japan, Greece, the UK, and Spain (and its military spending is a 
far greater share of its overall government spending than any of these 
countries).12 Neither in practice nor in inspiration nor even in 
rhetoric does current-day Russia reflect left values.


So why then the left enthusiasm for Russia?

For some, no doubt, it’s simply nostalgia. The U.S. Peace Council, a 
slavish Moscow tool during the Cold War, fondly recalls the Soviet 
alliance with the Baathist regime in Syria under Hafez al-Assad, and so 
perhaps it’s a simple move to glorify Russian support today for the 
successor to the Assad dynasty. (And thus the Peace Council’s awful 
propaganda trip to Damascus and subsequent participation in 
Syrian-government sponsored propaganda events.13)


But wistful longing for the glory days of the Soviet Union doesn’t 
explain most left attachment to Russia. Instead it’s the pernicious 
doctrine of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” that unfortunately has 
permeated large sectors of the left.


full: http://newpol.org/content/russia-and-left

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[Marxism] Fwd: Command and Control | Louis Proyect: The Unrepentant Marxist

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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I reviewed a documentary that showed at the Film Forum in NYC in 
September that can now be seen on PBS at 9pm EST tonight. From my review:


The film is directed by Robert Kenner and based on a 2014 book by Eric 
Schlosser titled “Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus 
Accident, and the Illusion of Safety”. No, this is not Damascus, Syria 
(although people like Engdahl would likely jump to that conclusion) but 
Damascus, Arkansas, the site of a Titan II Missile Complex that had a 
disastrous fire caused by a minor accident on September 18, 1980.


A single Titan II missile in the Damascus underground silo had a 9 
megaton H-Bomb warhead that packed an explosive power three times as 
great as every bomb dropped during WWII, including those over Hiroshima 
and Nagasaki. Its firestorm could cover 1000 square miles and a 
radiation plume much greater in distance.


For comparison’s sake, a B-52 broke apart accidentally over Goldsboro, 
North Carolina on January 24, 1961, dropping two 4-megaton H-Bombs in 
the process. When searchers recovered one of the bombs, they were 
shocked to discover that three of the four safety devices had failed. 
This was according to a declassified document obtained by Schlosser and 
revealed in his book. So even if that was half the payload of the 
Damascus bomb, the death toll would have been over 100,000 while 
millions would have suffered debilitating chronic diseases from 
radiation exposure.


Director Robert Kenner was able to get the approval of a Titan II museum 
in Green Valley, Arizona to use their facilities to recreate the 
seemingly trivial accident that could have killed hundreds of thousands 
of people in a couple of days. Using archival footage of the Damascus 
explosion mixed with recreations at the museum, you really feel as if 
you are there on the day of the fateful incident.


full: https://louisproyect.org/2016/09/13/command-and-control/



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