re: PEN-L exchange between Jim Blaut and Jim Craven (Oct. 3, 1999)

["Macdonald Stainsby" <mstainsby@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Louis: thanks for re-posting this. Believe it or not, this post came
up right around the time I was trying to decide what to do with myself
and the years ahead. I wanted to work in academe until I met some
"radicals" who already did. I'm not going to prettify the truth here
and embellish, but I remember this post clearly. It helped make the
final decision to head into that field not so frightening (nothing can
frighten a young revolutionary more than the prospect of losing his or
her own internal spark), and made me think that there is a good chance
that I can stay true while garnering the kind of work that means the
most to me. I never did thank Jim for that, it never occured to me.
His works around eurocentrism were also wonderful to me, in my own
way, to learn that one could appreciate a division between first and
third world as the main contradiction without having to join a small
obscure Maoist sect. Now, that seems obvious. It didn't before I had
brief exchanges with him. Thanks Jim, I can't say it...but...

I guess the actions will have to suffice.

Thanks from this "new generation", Jim.

Macdonald

> Nathan:
>
> I think you undervalue the power and progressiveness of the old
Civil
> Rights Movement, but let that be.
>
> After an academic gets tenure, he or she has lots of wriggle room.
If you
> don't have special financial needs, such as a large family, big
debts,
> etc., you have a choice: you can devote all your efforts to the
kinds of
> work that get you ahead, big grants, deanships, prestigious offices
in
> academic organizations, or just money-making. But you don't have to
do any
> of that. You can devote maybe 15-20 hours a week to subversive
activities
> -- if you want to.
>
> My beef with academics is: they don't want to make a difference.
Like most
> victims of capitalism, they want to just make it in the system.
>
> There are indeed organic intellectuals in the academy.
>
> Trouble is, most lefties who are professors DON'T WANT TO make a
> difference. Shame on them. Don't blame the system.
>
> Jim Blaut
>
> ===