Tsione, who must miss today's class, writes: I wanted to offer some minor contribution to class if it is relevant to the topic of discussion. Malcolm and I have been re-reading some Malcolm X and MLK together. We just went over the Ballot or the Bullet and the Letter from the Birmingham Jail, and it was sobering to see how nearly all of the points and criticisms raised in both pieces were still so relevant. There were parts that literally seemed like they could have been written yesterday. I felt the same way about the section in Buenos Aires where Vijay focused UN ECLA and Raul Prebisch?s theories on the problem of development for Third World Nations (or the periphery). I was particularly interested in idea of moving from an economy based on raw material with a low elasticity of demand, to manufactured goods through capital investment or import-export legislation, as a way to relieve the imbalanced equation of Third World countries exporting raw material at low prices, and importing high priced industrially manufactured goods from ?the core? at high prices. > I was also brought back to two ideas: US internal colonialism and > reparations. I could not stop thinking of how relevant these ideas are, > especially when put in economic terms. Impoverished communities of color > still export a significant amount of raw material (namely their labor--- > whether in un-unionized or unskilled jobs, prisons, etc) at relatively low > prices in the formal and informal economy. I think its important to consider > the idea of exporting oneself as raw material, especially given that the work > that these people do is oftentimes not in their communities, or at the very > least not directly benefiting their communities. In my view, even if you work > at your local McDonalds, you are still exporting your labor to a > transnational corporation that only benefits the larger nation-state and not > your ?colony?. Because of this cheap labor pool and the fact that the core > has technological advantages, unions, and can sell finished products back to > the periphery at inflated prices, the core can enjoy ?a sizable gain in the > terms of trade? (63). Of course I could go on and on about the similarities, > but you understand where I am going here--- how can development economics > relate to the economic relationship of ghettos in the United States to the > larger nation-state. Is this a colonial relationship? Will reparations > (though a very valid social and political project) be enough? Are there any > similarities between reparations and debt relief? How could US colonies > imagine a move from producing raw materials to manufacture goods through > capital investment or import-export legislation? Again, I?m not sure if any > of this will come up in class, but I thought I should still offer my thoughts. > > These are great areas of concern and, if we do not get to them today, I suggest they become part of next week's discussion. I also invite any/all of you to use the email (you're all entitled to send to [email protected]) to share your thoughts...
Love and Solidarity, Peter _______________________________________________ Mellon Myers Undegraduate Fellowship Program at Macalester (http://macmmuf.org) [email protected] http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html http://macmmuf.org/mailman/listinfo/list_macmmuf.org
