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Re: AUT: cognitive mapping

<html><div style='background-color:'><DIV>
<P>Hey everyone,</P>
<P>I'm still not sure what to think.&nbsp; This is certainly not a black and white issue.&nbsp; </P>
<P>For instance, books such as Piven and Cloward's "Poor People's Movements" in which the material processes of a wide range of different movements from the labour movement of the 20s and 30s to the welfare rights movement of the 70s are exposed.&nbsp; This text&nbsp;lays out the material processes of cooptation that have taken place both internally and externally&nbsp;in these movements.&nbsp; Certainly, this book could be of some use to the state.&nbsp; However, I feel that it is an important contribution to our understanding of&nbsp;how to effectively organize.&nbsp; </P>
<P>Likewise, you could look at&nbsp;Todd Gitlin's book about the SDS,&nbsp;"The&nbsp;Whole World is Watching"&nbsp;in the same light.&nbsp;&nbsp;He exposes many of the internal processes and rifts that took place within the organization, which could&nbsp;be of some use&nbsp;to the State, but it is also a critical way to understand and transform our practices so that we do not make the same mistakes again.&nbsp;&nbsp;</P>
<P>Finally, the literature that has arisen from Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" could be seen in one light as extremely underhanded, documenting the&nbsp;organization of consciousness raising groups in&nbsp;South America.&nbsp; Certainly, these groups have been brought to the attention of the State, however, they also present important lessons that can be learned in organizing.&nbsp; </P>
<P>It all depends on what light you look at it in.&nbsp; If we assume that activists&nbsp;perpetuate an unchanging set of cognitive processes&nbsp;that simply&nbsp;need to be exposed in order to bring about state cooptation then certainly these projects have all undermined our struggle.&nbsp; However, if these texts are taken as examples, meant to transform our practices as a way of more effectively challenging the state, then they can be very useful.&nbsp; </P>
<P>chris&nbsp; <BR><BR></P></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;From: cwright <CWRIGHT@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Reply-To: aut-op-sy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<DIV></DIV>&gt;To: aut-op-sy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Subject: Re: AUT: cognitive mapping
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 00:48:50 -0500
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Michael,
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Capital was a critique of political economy. To the extent that capital's
<DIV></DIV>&gt;minions read it as an economics text, as most post-Marx Marxism has done,
<DIV></DIV>&gt;they have gotten nothing out of it. Capital the book didn't give capital's
<DIV></DIV>&gt;minions specific insights into the functioning and means of recuperating
<DIV></DIV>&gt;revolt and revolutionaries. Big difference from what is being talked about
<DIV></DIV>&gt;here, regardless of whether or not anyone agrees or disagrees with the
<DIV></DIV>&gt;cognitive mapping project.
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Cheers,
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Chris
<DIV></DIV>&gt;"In a world which really is topsy-turvy, the true is a moment of the
<DIV></DIV>&gt;false." - Debord
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Miachael wrote:
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; I'm finding a lot of these arguments against cognitive
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; mapping, because it could help the ruling class, to be
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; somewhat bizarre.
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; By this logic, Marx shouldn't have written Capital,
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; because Capital has been (generally speaking) more
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; useful to the ruling class (up till now), than to the
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; liberatory project.
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
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