I got this from the H-Labor list. What interests me is the way that
such work becomes transformed into property.
From: Nelson N. Lichtenstein
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Nelson Lichtenstein [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Background Report: From Labor History to LABOR: Studies in Working-Class
History of the Americas
As one of the individuals who has been associated with the transition
now
taking place in the publication of labor history scholarship, I'd like
to
offer a few words of background information and explanation. For several
decades the journal Labor History was owned by The Tamiment Institute,
Inc., a foundation in New York which had its origins largely in the
venerable garment unions of that city. This foundation is not to be
confused with the Tamiment Library at NYU. Early in 2003 the Tamiment
Institute sold the Labor History copyright to the Taylor and Francis
Publishing Group under circumstances and conditions that as yet remain
undisclosed to anyone still associated with the actual editing of Labor
History. Indeed, the editors of Labor History were neither consulted nor
forewarned as to the timing. rationale, or character of this sale. As
far
as we know, proceeds of the sale will go entirely to the Tamiment
Institute, Inc. and not to the journal Labor History or any of its
editors. (The Tamiment Institute does heavily fund the New Leader, and
it
is to sustain that publication that the new money will probably be
dedicated)
By March 2003 executives at Taylor and Francis told the editors of Labor
History that they wanted the journal to appear six times per year,
starting as early as January 2004. With about 875 library subscribers,
Labor History is a potentially lucrative property, and Taylor and
Francis
indicated that such an aggressive publication schedule was necessary in
order to increase institutional subscription revenue, thereby recouping
the considerable investment they had made, and other obligations they
had
incurred, in purchasing the journal from the Tamiment Institute.
The editors of Labor History were astonished at this turn of events.
They
were being asked to speed-up production by some 50 percent. Taylor and
Francis was willing to increase its publication subsidy, but hardly
enough
to compensate for the additional effort demanded of all those involved
at
the University of Illinois, Chicago and the University of Colorado,
Boulder. Even more importantly, Taylor and Francis' unilateral
insistence
on such a publication schedule subverted the tremendous effort being
made
by Leon Fink, Julie Greene, and the associate editors to revitalize the
journal and insure that each issue was one of genuinely high interest
and
quality. This task has indeed begun and the results are becoming
impressive, but a journal has to prove itself over time with articles,
reviews, and other contributions that reflect genuine peer review,
careful
selection, and rigorous editing. During the 1990s the number of
individual
subscribers to Labor History had sharply declined and we knew that these
individuals had to be rewon to the journal and to labor history
scholarship. In a series of abortive negotiations with Taylor and
Francis executives, it became clear that they had little interest in
these
considerations. They had a business plan to recoup their investment and
were determined to carry it out.
It was under these difficult circumstances that the editors of Labor
History sought a new publisher, and in Duke University Press they found
an
academic publisher that seems to share their vision and commitment.
Because Taylor and Francis now owns the name Labor History we must
regretfully relinquish that 45-year old journal title. But we feel
confident that the best scholarship once embodied in that journal will
now
find its proper home in LABOR: Studies in Working-Class History of the
America. Indeed, it seems just possible that out of this crisis will
come
a new and creative burst of writing in our field. The new journal has an
admirably expansive understanding of what constitutes working-class
history, and with Leon Fink, Julie Greene and so many other dedicated
intellectuals at the editorial helm, I am confident that that we can be
proud of this new journal and of the the exciting ideas found therein.
Duke University Press will publish the first issue of LABOR in the
Winter
of 2004. Information on how to subscribe will be soon available. In the
meantime, I invite you to submit for review and possible publication the
fruits of your most exciting research. Send manuscript submission to
Leon
Fink, Department of History m/c 198, University of Illinois, Chicago,
913
University Hall, Chicago, IL 60607. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Nelson Lichtenstein
Professor of History
UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(0) 805-893-4822
(h) 805-966-5745
(fax) 805-893-8795
Nelson Lichtenstein
Professor of History
UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(0) 805-893-4822
(h)
