Hi All,
I think that there is a general feeling in pomo work that before we pass
judgment, I mean present academic work, we need to consider things more
carefully. We may need to study the culture or nation-state more closely
before gathering the data or using an existing set. Pomos are scared of
leaving someone out. They are scared of becoming, "the capitalist", "the
exploiter", the academic who makes claims like Chomsky, or claims like
__________ fill in the blank. The problem becomes when do you know
something? What gives me the authority to speak on this matter? Do I know
this well enough to explain what I know to others. The criticism that
expressed to improve the world (colonialism, feminism, racism, sexism,
religious prejudices, cultural prejudices) comes back to bite us on the ass.
It is hard to feel you have the right to speak up when there is so much you
may not know, or you might say the wrong thing, and so on. Realizing that
if you do nothing then maybe nothing will get done is hard to come by.
-Nico
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of J. Barkley Rosser,
Jr.
Sent: Monday, September 04, 2000 11:25 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [PEN-L:1221] Re: pomoistas
Doug,
Yes, some pomos are politically active. But here at
JMU a pomo sociology prof told a human rights conference
last spring put on by Amnesty International that instead of writing
letters to Interior Ministers around the world protesting the
treatment of political prisoners, they should think about
how racist and imperialist what they have been doing is.
After all, these are other cultures which must be respected.
The prof is African-American, but about one-third of the
officers of our local AI were from Third World countries.
Barkley Rosser
-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Henwood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Sunday, September 03, 2000 4:36 PM
Subject: [PEN-L:1197] pomoistas
>An interesting excerpt from a column written a couple of years ago by
>The Nation's own neoconservative leftist, Eric Alterman, part of a
>classic pomo-bashing screed:
>
>"But here's the twist. [Labor historian Nelson] Lichtenstein is part
>of a perfectly Rortyite reformist Campaign for a Living Wage at the
>University of Virginia. This campaign is not about ending sexism,
>racism, or homophobia, but about getting janitorial staff a few extra
>bucks an hour. Who are its volunteers? Primarily, says Lichtenstein,
>faculty and graduate students from the pomo literature and theory
>crowd."
>
>Doug
>
>
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