[PEN-L:9022] Re: Socialist Scholars Conference

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I want to concur with Gina Neff's comments about the upcoming conference. As
the days wore on since my ill-tempered dismissal of it, I have felt more and
more reason to see it in a much more favorable manner, especially when I
received a postcard last night listing the Monthly Review workshops:

1. Science and the Flight from Reason
Stephen Jay Gould, Meera Nanda, Alan Sokal

2. Universalism and Difference
Aijaz Ahmad, David Harvey, Ellen Meiksins Wood, Harry Magdoff (Chair)

3. Postmodernism: Radical or Reactionary
Barbara Epstein, David McNally, Ellen Willis, John Bellamy Foster

4. Globalization or Imperialism
John Bellamy Foster, Harry Magdoff, Ellen Meiksins Wood

5. Bringing Marx Back
Doug Henwood, Istvan Meszaros, Daniel Singer, Ellen Meiksins Wood, Paul
Sweezy (Chair)

I have a feeling that the impressiveness of these offerings shows some of
the handiwork of Ellen Meiksins Wood, who has assumed editorial
responsiblity at MR along with Magdoff and Sweezy. There is a political
current emerging around journals such as Socialist Register, Monthly Review
and the German magazine "Socialismus" that will be more and more visible at
these sorts of venues. It is a classical Marxism that will, I'm sure, be the
topic of discussion at "Bringing Marx Back".

Of course, what would be interesting is to see an exchange of views at a
plenary session between some of the classical Marxists and the pomos. I
would give a hundred dollars for a ticket to see Doug Henwood debate Stanley
Aronowitz debate Doug Henwood on the disappearance of jobs, but I suspect
that Stanley prefers preaching to the converted instead.

Louis Proyect