Re: Socialism, utopia and the politics of heterodox socialism

[Jurriaan Bendien <bendien@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Hi there Jurriaan --
>
> I don't know much about you, personally, having only recently rejoined
> Michael's list after an absence of some 6-7 years or so...
>
> But I wanted to express my appreciation for your posts. Obviously, that
> means I agree with you on most of what you write. :)
>
> Aside from that, I also enjoy your style of writing. It is crisp,
> content-rich, colloquial... and seems imbued with some of that personal
> wisdom that comes through experience.
>
> Just thought I'd drop you a line and let you know.
>
> Ken.

Hi Kenneth,

Thank you for the compliment. My experience ? It is very limited, but
"diverse" in certain respects and I cannot remember all of it. Let me think.

I was born in Amsterdam in 1959, emigrated with my parents to New Zealand in
1972, spent a year in Europe in 1984, and re-emigrated to Amsterdam in 1994
where I now live. I have been to countries in Europe, North America and
Australasia for holidays or research.

I have done paid work as farm and orchard labourer, dishwasher, forest
labourer, hotel worker, newspaper photographer, cleaner, gardener, nursery
man, maintenance worker, housepainter, woodworker, translator, editor,
tutor/teaching assistant, parttime lecturer, research assistant (in
education, sociology, socialism and resource management), postal delivery
man, magazine editor/administrator, education officer, research
statistician, trade union convenor, computer room supervisor, Internet
helpdesk telephonist, archivist and documentalist.

I attended four secondary schools, and was attached to two New Zealand
universities for about twelve years altogether, and hold BA and MA(Hons)
degrees in Education with minors in social science and philosophy. I also
hold some certificates in other areas, such as NLP, parachute jumping,
official documentation, archive disposal, trade union activity, forms
design, database operation and software applications. My Phd was not
finished because of personal stress and financial problems.

I have performed unpaid private research at the International Institute of
Social History, the International Institute for Research and Education
(Amsterdam), the London School of Economics, Cambridge University,
University of London, University of East Anglia, Free University of
Brussels, the Labour History Institute at Gent (AMSAB), and the Turnbull
Library (Wellington) - mainly in connection with the preparation of a
bibliography of the writings of Prof. Ernest Mandel (whose funeral I
attended), a project on the history of the socialist movement in New
Zealand, and a project on Marxian value theory. None of these were finished,
sad to say.

I co-founded four different socialist groups in New Zealand, the largest
about 50 or so people. These were the Marxian Study Group (1983), the
Revolutionary Communist Club (1985), the NZ Socialist Alliance (1986), and
the Socialist Workers' Project (1990). I also co-founded the Centre for
Socialist Education, in Christchurch (1989).

I have published little, mainly in relatively obscure periodicals such as
Socialist Action, International Viewpoint, Race Class & Gender, Socialist
Alliance Bulletin, The Republican, NZ Monthly Review, Christchurch Press, NZ
Statistics Review. I have written some pamphlets and leaflets dealing with
political issues in New Zealand, including socialist unity, elections, peace
issues, and labour relations. I have published some poetry in Dutch
language.

I have published academic translations in The Review of the Fernand Braudel
Institute, Science & Society, New International, Historical Materialism, and
in some books about labour history etc. I have edited an article published
in New Left Review and various other published academic papers, mainly in
the area of the politics and sociology of education. I have also edited, and
co-written the text of a Phd dissertation examining aspects of the economic
history of New Zealand in the 20th century from a Marxian perspective. I
have participated in email discussions on OPE-L, PEN-L and Marxmail.

In terms of voluntary activity, I contributed in various ways to Campaign
Half Million (against the introduction of nuclear reactors in NZ)  1977-78,
the NZ Values Party 1978, the repeal of repressive legislation related to
contraception, sterilisation and abortion 1978, the introduction of the
Security Intelligence Service Act 1980?, the campaign against the Springbok
Tour of New Zealand 1981, the Karl Marx anniversary 1993, unemployed rights
centre1990-1991, public sector strikes (various years), Socialist Action
League 1983, Socialist Alliance (NZ) 1986-1988, Kanak Solidarity 1987,
Solomon Islands Disaster Relief 1989?, Nuclear Free New Zealand 1989,
Communist Party of New Zealand 1983, the NZ Public Service Association
1991-1994, rank & file initiatives in the health sector 1992, Wellington
People's Party 1991-1993, Poverty Action 1992, New Labour Party 1993,
opposition to French nuclear testing in the Pacific 1995, the Dutch
Socialist Workers Party 1995-96, and the Dutch Socialist Party 2000-.

I am currently a financial member of the Dutch Socialist Party and the Dutch
Public Service Union (Abva-Kabo), and a donor to an immigrants rights
organisation and the World Wildlife Fund, and I am currently living with a
Moroccan immigrant worker as a flatmate.

I have attended various conferences in sociology, Green party politics,
bourgeois party politics, education, demography, peace activism, trade union
activity, Marxism, economics, socialist activism, Maori self-determination
and Latin American solidarity. I have attended public lectures and workshops
on philosophy, mathematics, literature & poetry, visual arts, social science
topics and labour history.

In terms of relationships, I have had live-in relationships with five
feminists, the longest for 5 years, and various other episodic friendships
on a LAT or casual basis with people from various backgrounds. I have lived
in a few dozen houses and flats.  I am now 44 years old, single, unemployed
and relaxing. I am going to take a holiday to see some new things.

In retrospect it does not seem very much, and I could have done much more,
especially in the publications area, but I was reluctant to do it, and I can
be a bit of a utopian dreamer. I am not all that much wiser for my
experience, really, but I do know better what to avoid.

Regards

J.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kenneth Campbell" <kkc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bendien@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2003 5:30 AM
Subject: RE: [PEN-L] Socialism, utopia and the politics of heterodox
socialism


> Hi there Jurriaan --
>
> I don't know much about you, personally, having only recently rejoined
> Michael's list after an absence of some 6-7 years or so...
>
> But I wanted to express my appreciation for your posts. Obviously, that
> means I agree with you on most of what you write. :)
>
> Aside from that, I also enjoy your style of writing. It is crisp,
> content-rich, colloquial... and seems imbued with some of that personal
> wisdom that comes through experience.
>
> Just thought I'd drop you a line and let you know.
>
> Ken.
>
>