[Marxism] Save the Marxian Tradition at Seoul University

["Ian Seda" <isedairi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.monthlyreview.org/mrzine/sk231207.html

Dear colleagues,

This is an urgent appeal for solidarity in the struggle against
neoliberalism-dominated economics in universities.  Marxian economics at
Seoul National University (SNU) is hovering on the brink of elimination.  We
are aware that these processes are also happening at University of Marburg
now and a lot of universities in the world have already begun eliminating
the critical or non-mainstream traditions in social sciences under claims of
efficiency, market principle, restructuring of university, etc.

The only Marxian economist in the faculty of SNU, Prof. Soohaeng
Kim<http://econ.snu.kr/eng/m4/m4_1_3.htm?pi_code=0007>is going to
retire in
Feb.2008.  He is famous in Korea for having translated Marx's *Capital* into
Korean and his translations have sold about 350 thousand copies since 1988.
 Marxism has been one of the serious weapons against long-standing military
dictatorship and domination of capital in industrial relations here in South
Korea, and therefore Prof. Kim's lecture of Marxian economics has been
overcrowded with many students enthusiastic about radical change and true
democracy of Korea.  He has taught 'Introduction to Political Economy' and
'Marxian economics' at the undergraduate level, and 'Studies in Marxian
Economics' at the graduate level and supervised 15 Ph.D. dissertations about
Marxian and non-mainstream themes in economics.

However, it is highly likely that his position will be replaced by a
neoliberal economist when he retires in February.  Unsurprisingly, 32 of 33
faculty members are pro-market conservative economists and 30 of the 33 have
gotten their Ph.D degrees from universities in the United States.  In fact,
Prof. Kim was able to join the faculty of SNU in 1989 as a result of
graduate students' demonstrations with a boycott of classes back then.  Most
of the faculty in the department of economics in SNU have assumed a
displeased stance against the Marxian tradition in SNU, often called 'the
highest ranking university of Korea', and Prof. Kim's retirement is a good
chance for them to wipe out this tradition at SNU.

We graduate students are preparing to fight to preserve the Marxian
tradition at SNU.  While we are preparing concrete actions here, including a
graduate students sit-in and protest assemblies, it is crucial that our
struggle not be isolated and thus we are appealing for international support
through a signature campaign.  Marxian economics is still an important
branch for critical social science and its role as a lens for understanding
class dynamics between capital and labour has grown even more crucial as the
neoliberal attack is winding around every corner of Korean society, let
alone the universities.

We are urgently appealing for your support.  Please take a minute to act in
solidarity by sending an e-mail with your name, school or organization, and
country to vorwarts@xxxxxxxxx to indicate your support for our cause.  If
you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.  We
would be tremendously grateful if you could also further distribute this to
sympathetic colleagues, comrades, etc.  We will be taking signatures until
Tuesday, February 5 , 2008 and urge you to please take the small but very
important solidarity action by sending the e-mail today.

Thank you very much for your consideration and support.

May our struggle meet with solidarity and may the Marxian tradition in
economics survive the neoliberal attack at SNU!


-- 
Ian J. Seda-Irizarry
Department of Economics
818 Thompson Hall
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Phone: (413)-687-3889
________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism