The Brecht Forum
and its projects
The New York Marxist School
The Institute for Popular Education
122 West 27 Street, 10 floor
New York, New York 10001
(212) 242-4201
(212) 741-4563 (fax)
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (e-mail)
May 1996 Events
Lectures and Seminars
Race Matters and the Role of "Public Intellectuals"
Cornel West
Friday, May 3 at 7:30 pm; $10
Especially in this right-wing political climate, how
often does an African-American intellectual, a left
intellectual, or any kind of intellectual for that
matter, become a media celebrity known to millions of
Americans? Yet Harvard professor Cornel West, author of
the recent _Race Matters_, _The Ethical Dimension of
Marxist Thought_, and _Jews and Blacks_ (co-authored with
Michael Lerner) is prominently engaged in the national
debate in this country in venues ranging from _Newsweek_
to the _Today Show_ to the Million Man March to left
forums such as ours.
Cornel West will discuss the role of "public
intellectuals," and the problems of racism and xenophobia
in a climate of political lethargy, economic decline, and
cultural decay.
*****
_Science and Society's_ Sixtieth Birthday Party--
Panel Discussion: What Creates Consciousness?
Renate Bridenthal, Gerrie Casey, Robin D.G. Kelley, Jerry
Lembcke, Yusuf Nuruddin, Annette Rubinstein
Saturday, May 4
-panel: 4 pm
-dinner and party: 6:30 pm until whenever; $25
How does consciousness emerge? grow? stay? lead to
action? Drawing on both theory and personal experience,
our panel will examine the interactions between ideology
and daily life, between the political and the personal.
The quest is for the source of understanding, commitment,
and struggle. Major contributions from the audience are
expected.
Reception, dinner, toasts, and party will follow the
panel discussion in a festive celebration of the Sixtieth
Anniversary of _Science and Society_, the oldest Marxist
journal in the United States.
Advance dinner reservations are required. Reduced rates
available for seniors, students, unemployed, low-income.
*****
A Terrible Peace to Follow a Terrible War?
Bogdan Denitch
Monday, May 6 at 8 pm; $6
What are the chances for peace in Bosnia? Are there
alternatives to NATO and a U.S. presence? Can a multi-
ethnic Bosnia be preserved? Where is the Bosnian left?
Bogdan Denitch is Chair of the Socialist Scholars
Conference. His latest book is _Ethnic Nationalism: The
Tragic Death of Yugoslavia_.
*****
Fiorello LaGuardia and the U.S. Left*
Gerald Meyer
co-sponsor: Italian Americans for a Multicultural U.S.
Thursday, May 9 at 8 pm; $6
Fiorello LaGuardia, the city's--and indeed the nation's--
most famous mayor, had a long association with the left.
The widespread memory of LaGuardia omits this aspect of
his career. As a result, LaGuardia has been appropriated
by a series of right-wing New York City mayors. This talk
is intended to present this neglected, even suppressed,
part of his career.
Gerald Meyer, a professor at Hostos Community College,
CUNY, is the author of _Vito Marcantonio: Radical
Politician 1902-1954.
*****
Pan-Africanism, Marxism, and African Self-Emancipation**
David Johnson
Wednesday, May 15 at 8 pm; $6
An exploration of the influence of Pan-Africanism and
Marxist ideas within African national liberation
struggles. In examining the interrelationship and
tensions between these bodies of ideas, the presentation
will include the particular contributions of thinker/
activists such as Padmore, Nkrumah, Cabral, and Rodney.
David Johnson is Assistant Professor of History at City
College. He teaches and writes on African labor history
and Caribbean intellectual history.
*****
The Insecurity State: The New Relevance of Marx
Ed Herman
a book party and discussion
Thursday, May 16 at 8 pm; $6
Join us in celebrating the publication of Edward S.
Herman's latest book, _Triumph of the Market_. Herman
will discuss the economic and political roots of the
widening insecurity of ordinary citizens, the new
relevance of Marxian economics in analyzing these
developments, and the ways in which the intelligentsia
and media normalize the growing insecurity and
inequality. Attention will also be given to theoretical
and practical remedies and outcomes.
Edward Herman is Professor Emeritus of Finance at the
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a regular
columnist for _Z Magazine_.
*****
Marxism and Ecology
Joel Kovel
Friday, May 17 at 7:30 pm; $6
Capitalism is the driving force behind the ecological
crisis since, to sustain itself, capital must expand at
the expense of nature. Clearly this places special
challenges before Marxism, which has itself been accused,
with some justice, of failing to transcend capital's
anti-ecological character. We need to explore the
foundations of an ecological as well as democratic
socialism.
Joel Kovel is a psychoanalyst, author, and Alger Hiss
Professor of Social Studies at Bard College.
*****
Genetics, Racial Research, and Social Policy
William Tucker
Tuesday, May 21 at 8 pm; $6
>From the immigration and sterilization laws of the 1920s
to the recommendations of _The Bell Curve_ today,
attempts to offer heritability as a basis of social
policy have invariably led to reactionary policy. These
policies have claimed not to be "political," but merely
the result of the iron laws of genetics. William Tucker,
author of _The Science and Politics of Racial Research_
will examine the political uses of genetics in the
twentieth century--especially the tactical shifts that
distinguish the last half-century from the first.
*****
Zionism: The Israeli State, Ideology, and Culture
Norman Finkelstein and Yerach Gover
a book party and discussion
Friday, May 24 at 7:30 pm; $6
We will celebrate the recent publication of Norman
Finkelstein's _Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine
Conflict_ and Yerach Gover's _Zionism: The Limits of
Moral Discourse in Israeli Hebrew Fiction_. The two
authors will discuss the foundational myths of Zionism
and the Israeli state, and the ways Zionism is imprinted
in Israeli society and culture. They will also address
the historical background of the Oslo Accords and what
are the likely prospects.
*****
The Immigrant Left: Past and Present*
Dan Georgakas
a book party and discussion
Wednesday, May 29 at 8 pm; $6
A discussion of the role immigrant radicals have played
in the U.S. from the mid-1800s until now. This event
draws from a new book, _The Immigrant Left in the United
States_, edited by Paul Buhle and Dan Georgakas. Emphasis
will be placed on transnational themes and findings from
non-English language sources that revise previous
conceptions about many of these groups in socialist and
mainstream texts.
Dan Georgakas teaches at the Queens College Labor
Education and Advancement Project and at New York
University.
*These events are part of The Brecht Forum's series,
"U.S. History for Today's World."
**This event is part of the series, "'Non-Western'
Marxism"
Classes and Study Groups
Significant Contrasts
Annette Rubinstein
Thursdays at 7:30 pm
4 sessions beginning May 2
Marx, Engels, Virginia Woolf, and a host of other
outstanding critics have said that a good novel tells us
more about the ethos of a class and a people than any
history, biography, or sociological treatise.
We consider this view, comparing the assumptions and
values revealed in four pairs of classic novels by Twain,
Melville, Hawthorne, and Crane on the one hand, and
Defoe, Dickens, Eliot, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoi on the
other.
Annette Rubinstein is the author of _American Literature:
Root and Flower_ and _The Great Tradition in English
Literature from Shakespeare to Shaw_.
Note: Because this class will be held off-site, pre-
registration is recommended.
*****
Feminism, Postmodernism, and Global Capital
Peggy Crane and Jan Jamshidi
Wednesdays at 8 pm
2 sessions: May 22 and June 12; $8 per session
You are invited to participate in a study/discussion
group to consider the shift in feminism from a politics
based on advancing the status of women to one focused on
gender identity, difference, and the discursive. We will
be seeking the basis for a women's movement with
political teeth, one that poses a direct challenge to
power.
Institute for Popular Education Workshops
Popular Education Practitioner's Roundtable
Rima McCoy and Marie-Claire Picher
Saturday, May 11 from 10 am to 4 pm; $20
A participatory clinic for practitioners of popular
education to network, share examples of their work, and
problem-solve around challenges they face. The group will
choose a technique; everyone will learn it by doing and
discussing and making suggestions for improvements.
Participants should bring a bag lunch and ten copies
describing a popular education exercise they use or want
help in developing.
Rima McCoy is co-director of Action for Community
Empowerment. Marie-Claire Picher is a member of the
Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory.
*****
Using Popular Education in Occupational Safety and Health
Guillermina Mejia
Saturday, June 1 from 1 to 4 pm; $15
This workshop is designed to provide participants with
popular education tools and practical tips for developing
occupational safety and health education materials and
training programs.
Guillermina Mejia is Program Coordinator of the Safety
and Health Unit of District Council 37, AFSCME.
Cultural Events
Anima/Animus
paintings by Kathleen Troy Jean-Jacques
opening party Thursday, May 2 at 5:30 pm
"The animus and the anima should function as a bridge, or
a door, leading to the images of the collective
unconscious, as the persona should be a sort of bridge
into the world." --C.G. Jung
*****
A Glimpse Inside Haiti
paintings by Ludens Allen
opening party Friday, May 31 at 6 pm
Fun and Adventure
Dance Party
a benefit for The Brecht Forum and CREED (Campaign for
Real Equitable Economic Development)
Saturday, May 18 from 9 pm; $5-$10
DJ: Power Serge
The Brecht Forum, now in its twenty-first year, is an
independent institution of the left and is not affiliated
with any party, university, or other organization. It is
a place for people who are working for fundamental social
change and a new culture that puts human needs first. Our
offerings range from classes, forums, and panel
discussions to language instruction, art exhibits, bi-
lingual poetry readings, and participatory theater
workshops.
The Brecht Forum receives no funding from corporations,
government, universities, or well-heeled foundations.
Fees and tuition only partially cover our expenses. Most
of our income comes from donations large and small from a
widespread group of dedicated supporters. Contact us
about our Pledge Program and become a Brecht Forum
Subscriber. With a minimum pledge of $15 a month, you
will be entitled to free admission to all classes,
lectures, and workshops (excluding language classes and
Theater of the Oppressed workshops) and a 50 percent
discount on special events.
Our policy is and always has been that no one is turned
away for inability to pay.
*****
All Brecht Forum lectures and seminars are available on
audiotape at $8 for lectures and $20 for seminars. To
order, make checks payable to *The Brecht Forum* and mail
to The Brecht Forum, 122 West 27 Street, 10 floor, New
York, New York 10001. Visa and MasterCard also accepted.
Send full account information, including expiration date,
to the office or e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or fax
to (212) 741-4563. For orders outside the U.S., please
send an international money order or bank check payable
in U.S. funds, or pay by credit card. Include an
additional US$5 per order to cover the cost of air
postage.
*****
Pre-registration is not required, except as noted. You
can pay and register at the door for most events. But
your pre-registration helps our preparations, and we
appreciate it.
To pre-register for Brecht Forum events, please return
the following coupon:
Name
Street
City
State or Province
Zip or Postal Code
Daytime phone Evening phone
E-mail
Organization, if any
I would like to register for the following events:
[ ] I am paying by check or money order payable to *The
Brecht Forum.* (Mail to The Brecht Forum, 122 West 27
Street, 10 floor, New York, New York 10001)
[ ] I am paying by [ ] Visa or [ ] MasterCard. (Mail
to The Brecht Forum or reply by fax [212 741-4563] or
e-mail [[EMAIL PROTECTED]])
Account number
Expiration date
[ ] I would like to become a Brecht Forum Subscriber and
am pledging $ a month. Please
[ ] bill me monthly
[ ] bill me quarterly
[ ] automatically charge my credit card
[ ] monthly [ ] quarterly
[ ] I can't become a subscriber right now, but would
like to make a one-time contribution of $
//30
