[PEN-L:7442] Re: transgressive running dogs of performativity II
On second thought, here's a better idea: a whole *family* of m-l sectarians -- Jed, Jethro, Ellie-may and granma Hoxha -- is accidently granted tenure-track positions at an ivy league comparative lit department. After all, this is America, folks. Land of opportunity. Regards, Tom Walker ^^ knoW Ware Communications | Vancouver, B.C., CANADA | "Only in mediocre art [EMAIL PROTECTED] |does life unfold as fate." (604) 669-3286| ^^ The TimeWork Web: http://mindlink.net/knowware/worksite.htm
[PEN-L:7443] FW: BLS Daily Report
BLS DAILY REPORT, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1996 RELEASED TODAY: PPI -- The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods advanced 0.4 percent in October, seasonally adjusted. This followed a 0.2 percent increase in September and a 0.3 percent rise in August. Prices for both finished energy goods and finished consumer foods rose more than in the prior month. By contrast, the index for finished goods other than food and energy fell 0.3 percent after rising 0.3 percent in September QUALITY CHANGES FOR 1997 MODEL VEHICLES -- The value of quality changes for a sample of 15 1997 model domestic passenger cars included in the PPI for October represented 45.9 percent of the average yearly increase in producers' prices and 55.7 percent of the average yearly increase in manufacturers' suggested list prices A downsizing record -- The Sunbeam Corporation said it would cut its work force by half, or 6,000 jobs, in what is believed to be, in terms of percentage, the biggest corporate staff cut ever (New York Times, page D1)_Sunbeam would eliminate 50 percent of the company's 12,000 employees and sell or consolidate 39 of its 53 facilities. The company will shed several lines of businesses and scrap 87 percent of Sunbeam's products (Wall Street Journal, page B1). Major airlines are tightening their grip at large airports, blocking use by new carriers and causing ticket prices to rise, a General Accounting Office report says (Wall Street Journal, page A2). The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, in its annual report card on the U.S. economy, gave it an "A" and predicted another couple of years of "full employment with fairly low inflation" (Wall Street Journal, page A2). DUE OUT TOMORROW: Consumer Price Index -- October 1996 Real Earnings: October 1996
[PEN-L:7444] FW: BLS Daily Report
FYI, believe that the CPI was up 0.3% but don*t place any great store by the *reasons* given. Dave Richardson -- BLS DAILY REPORT, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1996 RELEASED TODAY: CPI -- On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.3 percent in October, the same as in September. The food index rose 0.6 percent in September, reflecting sharp increases in prices for dairy products and for fresh fruits and vegetables. The energy index registered its first increase since May, advancing 0.7 percent in October. The index for petroleum-based energy increased 1.4 percent, while the index for energy services was unchanged. Excluding food and energy, the CPI rose 0.2 percent, following a 0.3 percent increase in September. Declines in vehicle purchase costs and in the index for household furnishings and operation and a smaller increase in the index for airline fares more than offset a larger increase in shelter costs REAL EARNINGS -- Real average weekly earnings fell by 1.5 percent from September to October after seasonal adjustment. This decline is attributed to a 1.2 percent decrease in average weekly hours and a 0.3 percent rise in the CPI-W. Average hourly earnings were unchanged in October Real average weekly earnings declined by 0.6 percent between October of 1995 and 1996 _Although the PPI for finished goods rose 0.4 percent, seasonally adjusted, in October, the core rate dipped 0.3 percent, BLS reports For the year ended in October, the PPI for finished goods has risen 3 percent, but the core rate has advanced only 0.8 percent. Despite a surge in energy and food prices in October, analysts voiced confidence that inflation is well contained BLS also announced quality adjustments for 1997 model vehicles. This is the value BLS places on the improvements and deducts from the cost of each car sampled This change, theoretically at least, can depress the price increases on passenger cars, said Shannon Martin, a BLS economist who works with quality adjustments. Martin could not estimate what effect the quality adjustment had on the October passenger car index (Daily Labor Report, pages 2,D-1). _Amid clear signs that economic growth has slowed and inflation remains low, Federal Reserve policymakers met but, as expected left short-term interest rates unchanged Since mid-September, new figures on the nation's GDP, payroll employment growth, consumer spending and industrial production have all indicated that economic growth has slowed significantly since early summer Earlier yesterday, the Labor Department reported that producer prices for finished goods rose 0.4 percent in October. However, the so-called core portion had declined by 0.3 percent The gyrations in the core portion of the index over the past two months were largely the result of seasonal adjustment problems with prices for 1997 model cars. In recent years, carmakers have varied their schedules for introducing new models. In September, when more new cars than usual were sold to dealers, seasonally adjusted producer prices for the vehicles rose 1.2 percent. Then last month, when prices did not rise as much as normal -- because models had been introduced the month before -- the new car index showed a 1.6 percent decline (Washington Post, page E3). _The Fed leaves interest rates unchanged, and the decline in the "core" producer price index for October confirms that inflation is dormant. The core rate decline was the sharpest in two years (Wall Street Journal, page A2). Employers plan to hire more new college graduates in 1997 than in 1996, due to increased demand for workers with computer and engineering skills, according to a survey released by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The increase in hiring continues an upward trend in recent years (Daily Labor Report, page A-1). Nearly seven out of 10 employers responding to BNA's annual holiday survey (69 percent) designated two-day paid holiday period for both Thanksgiving and the next day, compared with 65 percent in 1995 (Daily Labor Report, page A-2). President Clinton is aiming to name a new secretary of labor prior to his Jan. 20 inauguration, according to Robert B. Reich, the current officeholder. The president would like to fill the post before Reich leaves in hopes that overlap between the two actions will help ensure continuity in the department's operations, the labor secretary tells an employee meeting. Aiming for a smooth transition, Reich says he is working to convince his senior staff to remain at the Labor Department because "continuity is so important" (Daily Labor Report, page A-4).
[PEN-L:7445] Re: more science!
At 6:52 PM 11/17/96, Mark Weisbrot wrote: I would like to think that the traditional left has had as much of an influence on the academy as the pomos have, but it doesn't seem to be true. Noam Chomsky, whose critique of pomo I agree with, has had a pretty small audience for his political writings. Until the recent pamphlets published by Odonian press, his largest-selling book was "The Manufacture of Consent," (co-authored with Ed Herman). This book sold about 25,000 copies. This is very sad but true, and I think if it weren't for his academic superstardom in linguistics, he wouldn't have gotten as far as he did. The last point is 100% true, and it's one of many reasons to admire the guy. Someone of his scholarly stature in linguistics - I'm told that around MIT he's regarded as the equivalent of an Einstein for his scientific work - could easily have joined the ruling class and had a very posh life. Instead he's used his fame to pursue an against-the-grain political line. But his political influence extends beyond the sale of his books. Radio interviews, speeches, a film, excerpts on rock roll records, a column in Z, an alt.fan.noam-chomsky newsgroup - all the while being frozen out of mainstream media, and with a very serious and scholarly style. Is there any radical who's more famous and/or more influential? The comparison with Chomsky is a good one though, for illustrating a couple of points. One is that the pomos have been able to establish themselves in academia partly *because* they have developed an inpenetrable jargon that serves (as does most of the math in economics) to insulate them from criticism of the non-initiated. And because they're safely isolated in literature departments. God forbid they should get appointments in ecnoomics or politics. Doug -- Doug Henwood Left Business Observer 250 W 85 St New York NY 10024-3217 USA +1-212-874-4020 voice +1-212-874-3137 fax email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] web: http://www.panix.com/~dhenwood/LBO_home.html
[PEN-L:7446] FW: BLS Daily Report
BLS DAILY REPORT, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1996 _A surge in energy and food prices drove up the CPI-U by a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent in October, but analysts remain confident inflation is well under control. The so-called core rate of inflation -- minus volatile food and energy components -- edged up just 0.2 percent in October. In the year ended in October, the CPI-U advanced 3 percent and the core rate 2.6 percent. Economists say the inflation picture is as good as it has been in decades. Food and energy prices are likely to calm down in the near future, they say (Daily Labor Report, pages 2,D-3). _The first increase in gasoline prices since May helped push consumer prices up 0.3 percent in October, while retail sales posted a modest advance (The Washington Post, AP story, page C13; Washington Times, page B12). _Stock prices again rose to records, as reports on consumer prices and retail sales added evidence that the economy is growing slowly, with little inflation (New York Times, pages D1,D6; Wall Street Journal, pages A2,C1). Inflation-adjusted weekly earnings of most U.S. workers tumbled a seasonally adjusted 1.5 percent in October, dragged down by a large drop in hours worked plus an uptick in inflation, BLS reported (Daily Labor Report, page D-12). An editorial in the Wall Street Journal on "The Marriage Gap" contains the following -- "Women hold down a lot of jobs in government: BLS reports that in a 1995 work force of some 125 million, about 18 million Americans were employed by governments on all levels (including schools). Another 6 million were employed at nonprofits, which nowadays are often virtual annexes to government. Of this 24 million in government or nonprofit jobs, some 14 million were women." New claims filed with state agencies for unemployment insurance benefits edged down by 4,000 to 328,000, seasonally adjusted, in the week ended Nov. 9, the Labor Department announced (Daily Labor Report, page D-1; New York Times, page D1). The Conference Board, a provider of U.S. economic data, said it would alter the makeup of its index of leading economic indicators in an attempt to improve the tool's forecasting powers. The group will delete two of the index's 11 components: The change in sensitive material prices and the change in manufacturers' unfilled orders for durable goods. Both elements have proven to be poor predictors of recessions in recent years. The group will add to the mix a yield curve that measures the interest rate spread between the long-term 10-year Treasury note and the short-term federal funds rate. "The new leading index should provide better-defined warnings of true turning points in business activity and fewer false signals of recession that do not later materialize," said Michael Boldin, the board's senior economist and director of business cycle research The board, a nonprofit group with 2.700 corporate and other members, took over index calculation from the Commerce Department last December (Daily Labor Report, page A-10; New York Times, page D4; Wall Street Journal, page B24). ATT Corp. has decided to give all 127,000 of its employees a paid day off for volunteer work over the next year, the largest and most public corporate commitment so far in the growing community service movement (Washington Post, page C11). The rapidly developing science and technology sectors have contributed greatly to global economic productivity and growth in the past decade, but major changes in employment will only be seen over time, according to a new report by OECD. "In all likelihood, the jobs of the future will not be in the industries of today," according to OECD's "Science, Technology and Industry Outlook -- 1996." "Rather they will be in new industries, some of which will be hybrids of old ones." The report paints a fairly bleak future for nonskilled workers. It says high-technology industries will change the nature of economic activity and how the labor market will adapt to the new realities (Daily Labor Report, page A-5). DuPont will ax 2,800 jobs, adding to a curious surge of post-election layoffs Despite a 20 percent increase in layoffs so far this year compared with the same period in 1995, bad publicity about downsizings earlier this year may have prompted corporations to put off announcing job eliminations in the heat of the campaign, the executive vice president of Challenger, Gray Christmas said. Also, while some corporations have announced more than 400,000 layoffs since the beginning of the year, other businesses have contributed to a major employment boom by creating nearly a million new jobs since the beginning of the year. Labor Department statistics indicate the net result has been mixed, with many of the new jobs paying more than the jobs lost, but many laid-off workers facing a pay cut when they take new jobs (Washington
[PEN-L:7447] Re: more science!
Sorry, that last bit got off before I finished my thought. At 6:52 PM 11/17/96, Mark Weisbrot wrote: So while it may be true that Chomsky as an individual has "done more to popularize such critical thinking in the U.S. than any professor of identity ever has," the same is not true for the intellectual current that Chomsky represents versus that represented by pomo-- at least in the last couple of decades. Hundreds of thousands of college students who will never hear of Chomsky will get their introduction to at least some aspects of critical thinking through pomo courses and pomo-trained instructors. I'm not sure about relative influence (pomo v. Noam) but the influence Mark is talking about here is one of the reasons I'm obsessed with the issue. If young people experience "radical" thought in the form I've been attacking, then that's a reason for dinosaurs like me to be concerned. If, for example, young minds are told that discourse is a material realm, that transgressive signification is the equivalent of political action, that local narratives and situated knowledges are the only kind, that "class" is largely the concern of old farts, that imperialism can be explained mostly in terms of racist phallogocentrism, ditto science - then radical thought is in big trouble. Doug -- Doug Henwood Left Business Observer 250 W 85 St New York NY 10024-3217 USA +1-212-874-4020 voice +1-212-874-3137 fax email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] web: http://www.panix.com/~dhenwood/LBO_home.html
[PEN-L:7448] Chomsky Video
There is a two-video-cassette series on Manufacturing Consent put out in 1992 by the National Film Board of Canada. It is 120 minutes long. The first cassette is on thought control and the second on activating dissent. Cheers, Ken Hanly
[PEN-L:7449] Acc. lefties and the SL Bank Robbery
Speaking of science, pomo, and all that, I have a question for y'all. I'm working on a piece about the SL Bank Robbery in the 80s, and I ran across an article by Richard Rorty claiming that academics totally missed the boat on the SL crisis. Among pomos, I'm pretty sure he's correct; I was pretty heavily into pomo then, and I never heard of anyone who was writing up a storm on the issue (which is pretty ironic given that the SL Bank Robbery was the perfect ground for pomo analysis--too bad it wasn't seen as being as sexy as, say, studying the inner space of shopping malls). But I was curious whether Rorty was also right about marxist academics. Does anyone remember what URPE was up to back then? Or the folks at Amherst, or Wisconsin? I assume there must've been an isolated academic or two involved in the Financial Democracy Campaign (one of the few attempts to tackle the SL Bank Robbery), but was there anything more systematic than that? Thanks, Anders Schneiderman Progressive Communication P.S. I missed the boat on the SL crisis because at the time, I was learning about economics + politics via pomos, and back then, it was considered uncool to worry too much about the details of how economics worked; if you were going to worry about details, understanding Lacan was much more important (as others on this list have demonstrated, pomo doesn't have to be done that way).
[PEN-L:7454] Re: more science!
At 2:57 PM 11/17/96, James Michael Craven wrote: Gradually through debate, cross-testing provisional hypotheses and data/data sources, paradigm/power shifts, old-timers dying etc etc some of the "constructions of truth" become patently untenable for all but the totally warped, some become less provisional and more established, some become the established orthodoxy until dialectically, the spiral process continues with the established orthodoxy under challenge, new and old constructions of truth emerging as provisional, some narratives remaining "local" while other local narratives become more generalized through linking up of people living under not-so-common conditions and forms of oppression and so on Uh, is this another way of saying that approximations of "truth" are arrived at through experimentation, struggle, and conversation? Doug I will say it again: the whole point (disagreement, dispute, difference) is not whether there is or is not truth, just as we are not disagreeing about the existence of physical reality. This is just a red herring. The issue is what we think we mean by "truth," "reality," and so on. And this is precisely about how to communicate with people who do not already see the world the way we do (as Marxists, e.g.) when our opponents and enemies are more powerful than we. *Some* pomos may be paralyzed by relativity; I know many pomoish social theorists who are totally involved in radical, militant, anti-capitalist, anti-racist, anti-sexist political activity, whose activity is fundamentally shaped (and for the better, as I see it) by their commitment to something we could generally and loosely call "post-modernism." Blair Blair Sandler [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:7453] Re: more irreality
Another walk on the wild side. Three epigraphs from Judith Butler's Bodies that Matter: "Why should our bodies end at the skin, or include at best other beings encapsulated by skin?" - Donna Haraway Anyone who has any serious knowledge of martial arts should have no trouble whatsoever with this sentence. Of course, notice that understanding it requires a certain (extensive) *practice*, without which it appears to be nonsense. The practice does not only make sense of the statement, it makes it "performative." "If on really thinks about the body as such, there is no possible outline of the body as such. There are thinking os the systematicity of the body, there are value codings of the body. The body, as such, cannot be thought, and I cannot approach it." - Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak Out of context, I can't parse this grammar. The one time I heard Spivak speak, I found her unintelligible. (I've never read her work.) "There is no nature, only the efects of nature: denaturalization or naturalization." - Jacques Derrida Out of context this could mean almost anything. (Context is everything, which should be obvious to Marxists. Notice that context just means, "with text," i.e. the core of post-modern understanding.) This book, which I've only begun to sample, has a blurb from Margaret Whitford of the University of London that claims that it explores "gender as iteration"; another, from Elizabeth Grosz of Monash U, says that it explores "the politically transgressive potential of gender performativity." What's the problem with these remarks? Blair Blair Sandler [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:7455] Re: more science
At 9:19 AM 11/16/96, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I refer to my other comment, that the quotes cited do not deny material reality, but material reality "independent of... humanity." This is what the quote actually says, and this last clause, not the *existence* of material reality, is where all the action is. Your omission of the all-important phrase is telling. And Doug responded, My omission is hardly telling. As I said in my response to Greg Ransom, I do believe in a material reality independent of humanity. If every last Homo sapiens were to drop dead after lunch tomorrow, I don't doubt that the earth would go on without us. If a tree fell in the forest without a human audience, there would be no one there to hear the sound - and obviously the terms "hear" and "sound" depend on a human audience - but the tree and the forest would still exist. I agree with the last sentence, which does not mean that reality is independent of humanity. People who are still interested in this subject (anybody?!) might check out Bruno Latour's LABORATORY LIFE: THE CONSTRUCTION OF SCIENTIFIC FACTS. Latour worked for a time as a tech at the Scripps Institute (participant observation). His description of how certain enzymes in the human body were not "discovered" but *invented/constructed/produced* by means of particular "inscription devices" -- i.e. machines that perform certain operations on tissues and body fluids and parts and such -- is brilliant and compelling. The point is that these enzymes, which we use to cure "real" diseases and such, did not exist independently of human science; they were not just "there," in the body, waiting to be discovered, but only exist because of the particular scientific machinery (literal and metaphorical) necessary to construct them; that a different kind of science would not have produced these enzymes and they wouldn't exist. Explaining this better or reproducing the compelling quality of his description here would require a *very* long message, but if you're interested, read the book. Blair Blair Sandler [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:7450] Chomsky
I hate to sound a down note, but... I truly admire Chomsky's exhaustive scholarship, moral voice, and avoidance of unnecessary jargon. But one thing really irritates me about his articles in Z magazine, my main source of knowledge about his views (why buy his books when one just barely finishes his lng articles?). The problem is his constant sarcasm and irony. I'm a natural-born ironist (and see nothing wrong with it per se) but I struggle mightily to suppress my irony on the Internet because it doesn't communicate. That's the problem with Chomsky: in order for irony and sarcasm to work as a communicative style, one has to be dealing with an audience that shares most of one's assumptions and a medium that clearly conveys one's intonations. Because of C's incessant use of irony (and because his articles are written down), I have a very hard time giving copies of his Z magazine articles to the many friends of mine who aren't quite left of center. He ends up preaching to the converted, which is much too common a problem on the left. I wish he would communicate his wealth of knowledge in a way that wasn't prone to turning off the non-converted reader. On the other hand, Chomsky's public speaking is pretty good. Don't get me wrong. We need more Chomskys. in pen-l solidarity, Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Econ. Dept., Loyola Marymount Univ. 7900 Loyola Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045-8410 USA 310/338-2948 (daytime, during workweek); FAX: 310/338-1950 "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- K. Marx, paraphrasing Dante A.
[PEN-L:7457] re: more science
Fucking hell, how many times do I have to say this? Of course, reality is socially constructed, observation affects results, yadda yadda hey, but to deny there's a physical reality independent of human observation is to flirt with psychosis. Doug Doug, if I understand the above, you're flirting with psychosis. :)) Blair Blair Sandler [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:7456] Fwd: GLW: Left activist receives death threats (fwd)
Forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Kerry Pither) Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Fwd: GLW: Left activist receives death threats Date: 18 Nov 1996 13:12:15 GMT Organization: The Jungle BBS From: "Joseph E. Morris" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: GLW: Left activist receives death threats Green Left Weekly #255 (11/20/96) http://www.peg.apc.org/~greenleft/ _ Left activist receives death threats _ By Sonny Melencio At 4pm on Tuesday, November 12, Filemon "Popoy" Lagman, chairperson of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP -- Solidarity of Filipino Workers), was arrested by eight carloads of military operatives of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The arrest happened at the lobby of Sulo Hotel, where Lagman had a meeting. The military men, in plain clothes and carrying rifles, pointed their guns at Lagman and whisked him away to the waiting cars in full view of stunned onlookers. After a search by his family and colleagues in the labour movement, Lagman was eventually traced to Camp Aguinaldo, where he is still being detained. At 9.00 that night, trade union leaders from BMP and other federations staged a picket and rally in front of Camp Aguinaldo to protest against Lagman's arrest. Both the union leaders and the media were barred from entering the camp. Labour leaders in Manila called a press conference on Wednesday denouncing the arrest. Earlier that day, BMP organised a march of 500 people and a rally in front of the presidential palace (Malacanang) to denounce the arrest. APEC protests Lagman's arrest came on the heels of mounting labour protests against the soon-to-be-held Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Manila. The BMP, together with the National Confederation of Labour (NCL), and the Kapatiran ng mga Pangulo ng Unyon sa Pilipinas (KPUP -- Fraternity of Union Presidents in the Philippines) held a press conference on November 6 announcing Philippine labour's opposition to the APEC summit and its agenda. They represent the biggest trade union formation in the country today. The BMP has around 200 unions with a total membership of 130,000 in Metro Manila alone. The NCL has more than 400 unions, while KPUP has around 800 union affiliates. The three organisations have called a general strike on November 25, the date of the official APEC summit, unless Lagman is released. The three are hosting a four-day counter-conference of trade unionists from across the country on November 20-23. They are also organising a protest caravan of workers which will snake its way from Manila to Subic, the site of the official APEC summit. The counter-conference, entitled "SLAM APEC" or Solidarity of Labour Movement Against APEC, is expected to be participated in by 2000 local union presidents representing roughly two-thirds of all unions in the country. It will feature a discussion of various labour issues and problems related to the neo-liberal agenda of the Philippine government and the "globalisation" projects being engineered by APEC, GATT, IMF-World Bank and other related institutions. The highlight of the conference is the drafting of a labour agenda which will become the basis of campaigns and actions of the participating unions. Since a few days before Lagman's arrest, protest activities against APEC have been steadily building up all over the country. The labour districts of Metro Manila are pasted over by posters with the slogans "SLAM EVIL, SLAM APEC" designed after the popular Phantom movie currently showing in the city. There have been daily protest actions, with themes ranging from the massive demolition of urban poor houses (as part of the "clean-up drive" of the government for the APEC summit) to the unemployment and privatisation program of the government -- all related to the APEC summit and its agenda. Just recently, the BMP organised a rally in front of the Malaysian embassy following the dispersal of the East Timor Conference in Kuala Lumpur. The BMP leaders declared that they would welcome Indonesian dictator Suharto and Malaysian strongman Mahathir with a big protest rally during the APEC summit. Aside from the BMP, a host of other groups are organising conferences and protest activities. One is the NGO conference against APEC and another is the recently concluded Bayan/KMU's Anti-Imperialist Globalisation Conference. Appeal for solidarity Following the arrest of Lagman, a BMP Action Alert statement was circulated. The statement reads in part: "The arrest of Popoy Lagman is a foolish attempt on the part of the Philippine government to pre-empt labour resistance against the APEC summit. It is as stupid as the recent position of the Philippine government to bar Nobel Peace Prize Awardee Jose Ramos Horta from visiting the country as this would be an `embarrassment' for the Indonesian dictator Suharto who is going to grace the summit.
[PEN-L:7458] conference announcement (update)
Hi folks: I thought I sent this to the list already but I never got it from PEN-L, so here it is -- again? FYI. Blair ** Rethinking Marxism Presents Its Third International Gala Conference: "POLITICS AND LANGUAGES OF CONTEMPORARY MARXISM" December 5-8, 1996 University of Massachusetts, Amherst Full logistical information and preliminary schedule can be found at our web site: http://www.nd.edu/~plofmarx For further information: email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] tel: 413-545-6361 "Politics and Languages of Contemporary Marxism," the third in Rethinking Marxism's series of international conferences, will continue its commitment to present a working forum open to all traditions within Marxism and the left. The conference will include more than 180 panel discussions, workshops, films, videos, and other forms of artistic presentation. PLENARY SESSIONS AND SPEAKERS I. Thursday, December 5, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Opening Plenary: "Knowledge, Science, Marxism" Chair: Richard Wolff, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Presenters: Jack Amariglio, Merrimack College Sandra Harding, University of California, Los Angeles Vandana Shiva, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resources, Delhi, India II. Friday, December 6, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. "Class and Race: A Dialogue" Chair: Antonio Callari, Franklin and Marshall College Presenters: Etienne Balibar, University of Paris, X Cornel West, Harvard University III. Saturday, December 7, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. "Locations of Power" Chair: Andrew Parker, Amherst College Presenters: Wendy Brown, University of California, Santa Cruz Judith Butler, University of California, Berkeley Wahneema Lubiano, Duke University IV. Sunday, 12:00 noon - 2:00 p.m. Closing Plenary: "Postmodern Socialism(s) and the Zapatista Struggle" Chair: Carmen Diana Deere, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Presenters: Roger Burbach, Center for the Study of the Americas (CENSA) Arturo Escobar, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Fernanda Navarro, University of Michoacan, Mexico THE 180 PANEL TOPICS INCLUDE OVER 500 PEOPLE PRESENTING WORK ON THE FOLLOWING PARTIAL LIST OF TOPICS . . . C.L.R. JamesClass and Mental Health Hegemony Today Performative Activism New Development Paradigms Postmodernism Derrida on Marx Communism Utopian Marxism Identity Politics and Political Subjects Globalization Black Marxism Postcolonial Theory Failure of Praxis The Labor Movement Television, News and Ideology Althusser after Althusser Multiculturalism and the University Marxism and PedagogyTheoretical Concepts of Marxism Value TheoryGreen Visions of Radical Community Identity Politics Feminist Work in Global Politics Queer Theory Organizing for African American Equality PERFORMANCE/FILM/VIDEOS Performance by Robbie McCauley, Friday, December 6, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. "Struggles in Steel: A Story of African American Steelworkers", a showing and discussion led by producers Tony Buba and Ray Henderson, Friday, December 6, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. "Television Economies:" films and videos curated by Walid Ra'ad, shown throughout conference. ** PRE-REGISTRATION FORM: PRINT OUT AND MAIL TO THE ADDRESS BELOW ___ Name _ Address _ City StateZip/Postal Code _ Country __ E-mail Telephone Please check the days for which you are registering [Thurs 1 p.m.-Sun 1 p.m.]: ___ Thursday___Friday___Saturday___Sunday Checks in U.S. dollars should be made payable to AESA Conference Pre-registration Full $50 Full, Low Income $30 Two Days $40 Two Days, Low Income $25 One Day $25 One Day, Low Income $15 Total PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 23 Please send completed form and check to: Rob Garnett, Registrar Department of Economics Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX 76129 CHILD-CARE To obtain information on available subsidies and on providers, call (413-545-6361) or send e-mail ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). All requests for subsidies must be received by November 23. SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION OFFER FOR RETHINKING MARXISM Guilford Publications, Inc. is happy to offer special Rethinking MARXISM subscription rates to conference registrants. Conference registrants can request a new (does not
[PEN-L:7459] goodbye for now
Hello, all: I'm going to be incommunicado for a while, so please don't take my temporary absence as sign of retreat :) or disgust. On the contrary, I shall miss the ideas and the information. Hope to see some of you at the RM conference, if not back here before then. Regards, Blair Blair Sandler [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:7460] Re: Nader Voters' Support for Prop 209
Nathan Newman wrote: M. Sawicky wrote: A class appeal is the best (only?) way to overcome backward views on race. Otherwise you are reduced to moral preachments. You can try saying that race divides people to their disadvantage, but that presumes some larger concept that subsumes race: class. This is an impoverished definition of class that equates it simply with economic inequality between groups. But what is crucial about class is its specific relation to exploitation around the axis of the means of production between owners of capital and workers. . . . This is mere rhetoric. What is crucial about class to real people is that a working-class status renders them incapable of realizing their justifiable expectations about living a full life made possible by fair compensation for their labors and by appropriate collective action to supply what they need which is not available in markets. I'm not even talking about inequality, which most people don't care about, unfortunately. We're looking at private ownership of most capital for the foreseeable future, so we might as well devote ourselves to making the best of the situation. Racism is economic exploitation organized around racial differentiation WITHIN the working class where white workers collaborate with capital to assure their privileged caste position. It's not obvious that white workers are 'collaborating' with capital to maintain a caste advantage these days, except insofar as they fail to support affirmative action and anti-discrimination measures. If I see you drowning and I fail to help you, I may be criticized for my apathy or cowardice, but I'm not exactly holding your head under water, though the result is the same. This makes a political difference because your formulation implies the levelling of accusations against workers. In labor and housing markets the active collaboration of white workers in discrimination is real but limited. Education is different because whites express racist sentiments in their political choices. Racism today is more a question of what elites and those in positions of authority are doing (employers, mortgage bankers, etc.). There is no inconsistency between a class appeal to white workers that fights for a larger slice of the wage/profit split while also supporting a racial caste system that reserves the best high-paying jobs to while male workers. In fact, if achieved, such a class appeal combined with racism promises the best result for such white male workers. This was truer in years past than today. These days the last thing Capital wants is to forego a slice of profits for the sake of "buying off" white workers. They're screwing everybody. In fact, this is exactly how white male workers have traditionally organized in the United States, often successfully. The American Federation of Labor was formed by nearly all-white craft unions who withdrew from the declining Knights of Labor to institutionalize the privileged position of their members. In the West, anti-Chinese organizing was a key factor in supporting the growth of unions in the West. George Frederickson argues in his book WHITE SUPREMACY that through this anti-asian struggle, "unionism and working-class politics achieved more legitimacy and influence in some of the industrial regions of the Far West than in most other sections of the country." You are skipping over about sixty years of labor history here by characterizing the entire 20th century in pre-1935 terms. The early incarnations of feminism and abolitionism were pretty gamey by today's standards as well. Which brings us to Buchanan: One, an anti-corporate message is not enough, since that easily harbors a "Buchanan" racist vote. Progressives have to link a clear anti-racism message to its anti-corporate message. Bull. That presumes that Buchanan was really anti-corporate in any substantive way. He wasn't/isn't. Ignoring the honesty of his convictions (and given his families honest worship of Mussolini I'll give him the benefit of the doubt), Buchanan's words are as anti-corporate and class-based as a large chunk of union rhetoric over the years in the US. Listen to a Buchanan speech denouncing meatpacking companies who use immigrants to drive down wages in order to increase profits. Listen to Buchanan denounce affirmative action as a plot by elites to lower the living standards of white male workers. In all those speeches, you hear the echoes of over a century of Jim Crow union organizing in the United States. He may side with corporations against many other workers, but then there is little difference there since many of the AFL craft unions collaborated with employers in breaking alternative industrial unions (notably the IWW) that tried to organize all workers. You're confusing demagogy with substantive anti-corporate rhetoric and policies. Immigrants, minorities, and scabs have always been used
[PEN-L:7461] Re: more science!
A theoretical problem: if there is no truth, only provisional
constructions
of truth, and if there is no master narrative, but only a polyphony of
local narratives and situated knowledges, than how can you criticize the
official (celebratory) version of history as "false"?
Doug
I have no trouble criticizing theories for their effects, without needing
to argue that they are false. Look at NC theory. I can argue compellingly
(my previously brainwashed students all or mostly think so) that NC theory
contributes to a stream of inequities and miseries of all sorts and is
generally a "bad," without any need to say that it is wrong or false or
inaccurate.
Blair
I think it's a huge mistake to give up making truth claims about the world.
In the example you cite, the student (or NC economist) can simply respond by
saying, ok, maybe the theory does justify various inequities, etc., but it
is true. In which case you are stuck. Because if it is true, then the
neoclassical policy prescriptions are the best we can do. Many arguments
about social change in general, especially in the classroom, quickly boil
down to differences about the validity of underlying assumptions or
theories-- these days, more often than neoclassical economics it is
sociobiology ("human nature") at the core of conservative arguments. It's
not enough to say that you don't like the implications of their underlying
theory-- if you can't challenge the veracity of it, you will find yourself
in a very weak position against anyone who can carry out a logical argument.
This is one of the big drawbacks of of pomo epistemology that I referred to
earlier.
-
Name: Mark Weisbrot
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Preamble Center for Public Policy
1737 21st Street NW
Washington DC 20009
(202) 265-3263 (offc)
(202) 333-6141 (home)
fax: (202)265-3647
[PEN-L:7462] Re: more science!
At 3:02 PM 11/18/96, Mark Weisbrot wrote: I have no trouble criticizing theories for their effects, without needing to argue that they are false. Look at NC theory. I can argue compellingly (my previously brainwashed students all or mostly think so) that NC theory contributes to a stream of inequities and miseries of all sorts and is generally a "bad," without any need to say that it is wrong or false or inaccurate. Blair I think it's a huge mistake to give up making truth claims about the world. Yeah, I agree, which I'm sure is no surprise. A lot of orthodox economists say there's no such thing as involuntary unemployment. This is bullshit, to use a technical term. It's also a case where an elaborate theory has been used to disguise, rather than reveal, underlying truth. Why can't we be so blunt as to point that out? In our (quite understandable) urgency to run away from vulgar determinism, we seem to have discarded any notion that ideas (like neoclassical economics) serve material interests. I think that's highly unfortunate. But that's probably no surprise either. Doug -- Doug Henwood Left Business Observer 250 W 85 St New York NY 10024-3217 USA +1-212-874-4020 voice +1-212-874-3137 fax email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] web: http://www.panix.com/~dhenwood/LBO_home.html
[PEN-L:7463] Fwd: Zapatistas
I thought someone here might be able to help this person. Cindy Cotter [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Talya Tibbon) Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Computer-assisted Reporting Research) Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Computer-assisted Reporting Research) Date: 96-11-18 19:08:23 EST Hi, I'm looking for information about the Zapatistas movement in Chiapas, Mexico and particularly on their online activity. Does anyone know if they have an e-mail address in the jungle? Talya Tibbon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:7464] Re: Fwd: Zapatistas
I thought someone here might be able to help this person. Cindy Cotter [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Talya Tibbon) Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Computer-assisted Reporting Research) Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Computer-assisted Reporting Research) Date: 96-11-18 19:08:23 EST Hi, I'm looking for information about the Zapatistas movement in Chiapas, Mexico and particularly on their online activity. Does anyone know if they have an e-mail address in the jungle? Talya Tibbon [EMAIL PROTECTED] Contact Harry Cleaver: "Harry M. Cleaver" [EMAIL PROTECTED] +Fikret Ceyhun voice: (701)777-3348 work + +Dept. of Economics (701)772-5135 home + +Univ. of North Dakota fax:(701)777-5099 + +University Station, Box 8369e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] + +Grand Forks, ND 58202/USA +
[PEN-L:7465] Fwd: re: more science
Well, I wasn't going to jump in on this one, but -- Having a very slim knowledge of anthropology, there are some African tribes that believe that the only reality is fantasy. That magic is reality and physical reality is a manifestation of magic. Poisonally, I think there may be some truth in this. After all, how much magic and how much reality exists in economic theory as taught in most universities? I also think we make physical reality by our beliefs. If we believe that pollution will not take over the world, we will continue to pollute. If we believe women are frail, women continue not to defend themselves in the face of assault, and get killed by ex (lovers, spouses, etc.) on a regular basis -- there's something very physical about getting killed. (Not to confuse my own reality with that -- no one would ever think of describing me as frail.) maggie coleman [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 96-11-16 13:49:44 EST, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Doug Henwood) writes: Fucking hell, how many times do I have to say this? Of course, reality is socially constructed, observation affects results, yadda yadda hey, but to deny there's a physical reality independent of human observation is to flirt with psychosis. Doug -- Doug Henwood Left Business Observer 250 W 85 St New York NY 10024-3217 USA +1-212-874-4020 voice +1-212-874-3137 fax email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] web: http://www.panix.com/~dhenwood/LBO_home.html --- Headers Return-Path: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Received: from anthrax.ecst.csuchico.edu (anthrax.ecst.csuchico.edu NAA00134; Sat, 16 Nov 1996 13:49:12 -0500 Received: from anthrax (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by anthrax.ecst.csuchico.edu Date: Sat, 16 Nov 1996 10:48:30 -0800 (PST) Message-Id: v01540b0baeb3ba2773be@[166.84.250.86] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Originator: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Precedence: bulk From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Doug Henwood) Subject: [PEN-L:7422] re: more science X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Comment: Progressive Economics Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Mim - Forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Doug Henwood) Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 96-11-16 13:49:44 EST At 8:24 AM 11/16/96, GREG RANSOM wrote: Would Doug refuse to publish Bohr on the causal dependence of quantum events upon the observer, or Berkeley on the absurdity of Newton's material interpretation of the calculus, or Bell on action at a distance, or Pauli on the exclusion principle, or Heisenberg on the uncertainty principle -- all folks who fractured elements of our old picture of 'materialism', loved by stone-age physicalists and positivists who view Newton as the beginning and end of science -- properly interpreted through the picture of 'science' handed down to us from Aristotle through the British and French meta- physicians, and 'updated' by French and German positivists. Fucking hell, how many times do I have to say this? Of course, reality is socially constructed, observation affects results, yadda yadda hey, but to deny there's a physical reality independent of human observation is to flirt with psychosis. Doug -- Doug Henwood Left Business Observer 250 W 85 St New York NY 10024-3217 USA +1-212-874-4020 voice +1-212-874-3137 fax email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] web: http://www.panix.com/~dhenwood/LBO_home.html
[PEN-L:7466] Re: A little humor
What did the elephant say to the naked man? "How do you eat with that thing?" maggie coleman [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:7467] Fwd: IAFFE at Taxco
In a message dated 96-11-17 18:42:24 EST, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Lourdes Beneria) writes: Subj: IAFFE at Taxco Date: 96-11-17 18:42:24 EST From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Lourdes Beneria) Sender:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] CALL FOR PAPERS, PANELS, IDEAS, ETC. The Sixth Annual conference of IAFFE will be held in Taxco, Mexico, June 19-22, 1997. The conference will provide a forum for dialogue and debate of feminist work in economics. It aims at opening new areas of economic inquiry, welcoming diverse voices, and encouraging critical exchanges which enrich economic discourse. We are particularly interested in fostering an exchange on international and development topics and in welcoming new participants from Latin America and other world regions. We expect that translation will be available for some sessions. We invite feminist scholars, policymakers and activists to share their research. Please send your proposals for papers, roundtable sessions or panels focusing on a specific topic to: Lourdes Bener=EDa, Program Coordinator, 190 Uris Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853; fax: 607-2558919; e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Deadline: April 15, 1997 (but you are strongly encouraged to send your proposals as soon as you can). =46or more information and for conference registration materials, contact: Jean Shackelford, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837; e-mail: jshackel@bucknell,edu; fax: 717-524-3451. Information and registration forms are also available at the IAFFE webside: http:/www.bucknell.edu/~jshackel/iaffe Please pass this information on to non-IAFFE members. THANK YOU ALL. Lourdes Beneria West Sibley Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 607-255-2148 Director Latin American Studies 607-255-3345 =20 - NOTICE FOR JOURNALISTS AND RESEARCHERS: Please ask for written permission from all direct participants before quoting any material posted on FEMECON-L. --- Headers Return-Path: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Received: from mail.bucknell.edu (marge.bucknell.edu [134.82.7.249]) by 18:41:48 -0500 Received: from reef.bucknell.edu by mail.bucknell.edu; (5.65v3.2/1.1.8.2/17Jul96-0109PM) id AA07096; Sun, 17 Nov 1996 18:38:17 -0500 Date: Sun, 17 Nov 1996 18:38:17 -0500 Message-Id: v0300780caeb53a62c3a4@[128.253.188.173] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Originator: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Precedence: bulk From: Lourdes Beneria [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: IAFFE at Taxco X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Comment: Feminist Economists Discussion Group Mime-Version: 1.0 - Forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Lourdes Beneria) Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 96-11-17 18:42:24 EST CALL FOR PAPERS, PANELS, IDEAS, ETC. The Sixth Annual conference of IAFFE will be held in Taxco, Mexico, June 19-22, 1997. The conference will provide a forum for dialogue and debate of feminist work in economics. It aims at opening new areas of economic inquiry, welcoming diverse voices, and encouraging critical exchanges which enrich economic discourse. We are particularly interested in fostering an exchange on international and development topics and in welcoming new participants from Latin America and other world regions. We expect that translation will be available for some sessions. We invite feminist scholars, policymakers and activists to share their research. Please send your proposals for papers, roundtable sessions or panels focusing on a specific topic to: Lourdes Bener=EDa, Program Coordinator, 190 Uris Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853; fax: 607-2558919; e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Deadline: April 15, 1997 (but you are strongly encouraged to send your proposals as soon as you can). =46or more information and for conference registration materials, contact: Jean Shackelford, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837; e-mail: jshackel@bucknell,edu; fax: 717-524-3451. Information and registration forms are also available at the IAFFE webside: http:/www.bucknell.edu/~jshackel/iaffe Please pass this information on to non-IAFFE members. THANK YOU ALL. Lourdes Beneria West Sibley Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 607-255-2148 Director Latin American Studies 607-255-3345 =20 - NOTICE FOR JOURNALISTS AND RESEARCHERS: Please ask for written permission from all direct participants before quoting any material posted on FEMECON-L.
[PEN-L:7468] re: more science
Here is part of the problem with this whole discussion. There really is a profound mystery about the nature of reality that none of the contestants in this discussion can resolve. On the one hand, at the sub-atomic particle level, we have this ephemeral quantum world where things really are very strange and apparently even "subjectivized" in some deep way. On the other, there is some level of aggregation above which this strangeness disappears and we have a "classical" reality, the sort of thing that keeps the "who, what, where, when, and why?" crowd in business, although the "why" part can get a bit mushy. Indeed, that is where we get into the problem of consciousness again, whose relationship with "reality" is exactly what we do not (and maybe ultimately cannot) understand. Neither in physics nor in philosophy, much less in economics, has there been any resolution of this conflict between the quantum nature of subatomic reality and the more or less classical nature of more highly aggregated, non-conscious reality. Barkley Rosser On Sat, 16 Nov 1996 08:24:25 -0800 (PST) GREG RANSOM [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Would Doug refuse to publish Bohr on the causal dependence of quantum events upon the observer, or Berkeley on the absurdity of Newton's material interpretation of the calculus, or Bell on action at a distance, or Pauli on the exclusion principle, or Heisenberg on the uncertainty principle -- all folks who fractured elements of our old picture of 'materialism', loved by stone-age physicalists and positivists who view Newton as the beginning and end of science -- properly interpreted through the picture of 'science' handed down to us from Aristotle through the British and French meta- physicians, and 'updated' by French and German positivists. Seperating the good 'science' and sound explanation and solid logic from erroneous 'philosophical' or 'metaphysical' elements and pictures is not at all a cut and dried matter, and is ongoing in all of the sciences, even today, believe it or not. Greg Ransom Dept. of Philosophy UC-Riverside [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://members.gnn.com/logosapien/ransom.htm -- Rosser Jr, John Barkley [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:7469] Re: more science!
Mark Weisbrot said: I can't tell you how many times I have heard pomo scholars assert such things as, e.g., we don't know any more about the physical universe than we did 5000 years ago. Needless to say, this undermines their credibility, and the credibility of the academic left in general, on more directly relevant political issues. __ But on what *ground* you could say *more*, Mark? That is the question. How do you respond to Levi-Strauss' thesis in the 'Savage Mind'? Any way, Michael Sprinker wrote a good and long paper a few years ago in New Left Review on Roy Bhasker--a critique of Bhasker from Althusserian perspective. People who are interested in Bhasker may wanna take a look at it. Cheers, ajit sinha
[PEN-L:7471] Re: more science!
At 07:19 AM 11/18/96 -0800, you (Doug Henwood) wrote: I'm not sure about relative influence (pomo v. Noam) but the influence Mark is talking about here is one of the reasons I'm obsessed with the issue. If young people experience "radical" thought in the form I've been attacking, then that's a reason for dinosaurs like me to be concerned. If, for example, young minds are told that discourse is a material realm, that transgressive signification is the equivalent of political action, that local narratives and situated knowledges are the only kind, that "class" is largely the concern of old farts, that imperialism can be explained mostly in terms of racist phallogocentrism, ditto science - then radical thought is in big trouble. __ Doug, your kind of thinking as been in power for a few hundered years now. And we all know what it has done to the world. In other mails you have been talking about baning certain ideas--not letting them in in journals, denying people livelihood for working within post-modernist framework etc. It would be an interesting excersise to deconstruct your posting and relate it to the kind of ideas you are fighting for. Is it the case that your arrogance, intolerance, and your desire to control is a reflection of the kind of knowledge structure you are supporting? Cheers, ajit sinha
