The (Im)possibility of Revolution

THE (IM)POSSIBILITY OF REVOLUTION

Chris Knight, Hillel Ticktin and William Dixon debate:

THE (IM)POSSIBILITY OF REVOLUTION

Thursday 21st January, 7.15pm, Room B102, Brunei Gallery,
SOAS, University of London, Thornaugh St. WC1 (Russell Square tube)

At the next election millions will vote for pro-capitalist political parties that offer little except cutbacks and austerity. Despite economic crisis, climate chaos and disastrous wars, people see no alternative to capitalism – and revolution seems, at best, an impossible dream.

Yet all three speakers at this debate believe this situation cannot last indefinitely. Their differing interpretations of anthropology, economics and history each show that a 21st Century global revolution is a real possibility – not just a dream.

Could they be right? Come and join the debate.

Chris Knight is an anthropology lecturer, sacked for his involvement in the G20 anti-capitalist protests, and author of Blood Relations, Menstruation and the Origins of Culture.

Hillel Ticktin is editor of Critique, a Journal of Socialist Theory.

William Dixon is a Mute magazine contributor.

(The speakers' names link to interesting articles.)

Check the Critique and Radical Anthropology Group websites in 2010 for further meetings in London.

Please publicise widely, thanks.

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Socialist Studies

SOCIALIST STUDIES

Socialist Studies: The Journal of the Society for Socialist Studies has just published its latest issue at: http://www.socialiststudies.com/index.php/sss.

This issue is a "re-launch" of the journal, featuring expanded content, a new design, additional reading and navigation tools, and an option to download or print the entire issue as a single file. We hope these changes make the journal more useful, and welcome your comments.

We invite you to review the Table of Contents here and then visit our web site to review articles and items of interest.

Thanks for the continuing interest in our work,
Chad D Thompson & Elaine Coburn, Editors
Socialist Studies: The Journal of the Society for Socialist StudiesVol 5, No 2 (2009)

Table of Contents
http://www.socialiststudies.com/index.php/sss/issue/view/14


Frontmatter
--------
Volume 5, Number Two: Frontmatter ... admin admin


Editorial Note
Re-Launching Socialist Studies
Elaine Coburn, Chad D Thompson

Editorial
What is Socialism? What are Socialist Studies?
Elaine Coburn

Articles

Philosophy at the Service of History: Marx and the need for critical philosophy today
Jeffrey Noonan

SPECIAL SECTION ON RETHINKING LENINISM:

Introduction
Alex Levant

Leninism: It's Not What You Think
Paul Kellogg

Strategy, Meta-strategy and Anti-capitalist Activism: Rethinking Leninismby Re-reading Lenin
Stephen D'Arcy

Lenin's Aggressive Unoriginality, 1914-1916
Lars T Lih

Media, Arts, and Culture

Ipsographing the Dubject; or, The Contradictions of Twitter
Mark A McCutcheon

Review Essays

Social Science and the Afghan War: Canadian Perspectives
Jerome Klassen

The Political Economy of Food
Ian Hussey

Book Reviews

Aziz Choudry et al. Fight Back: Workplace Justice for Immigrants
Sheila Wilmot

G.A. Cohen. Why Not Socialism?
Frank Cunningham

Terry Gibbs & Garry Leech. The Failure of Global Capitalism: From Cape Breton to Columbia and Beyond
Adam Belton

Roberto J Gonzalez. American Counterinsurgency: Human Science and the HumanTerrain
Ryan Toews

Sean P. Hier et al. Racism and Justice: Critical Dialogue on the Politics of Identity, Inequality, and Change
Amanda Glasbeek

Jasmin Hristov. Blood & Capital: The Paramilitarization of Colombia
Henry Veltmeyer

Fuyuki Kurasawa. The Work of Global Justice: Human Rights as Practices
Elaine Coburn

Judy Rebick. Transforming Power: From the Personal to the Political
Tammy Findlay

Göran Therborn. From Marxism to Post-Marxism?
William K Carroll

Mark P Thomas. Regulating Flexibility: The Political Economy of Employment Standards
Bryan Mitchell Evans

Calls for Papers and Proposals

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Michael Jackson, 1985-2009: A Musical Genius

MICHAEL JACKSON, 1958-2009: A MUSICAL GENIUS

Ruth Rikowski has written a substantial new article on Michael Jackson. She analyses the nature of his phenomenal talent, his personal life and personae and the social forces making for the tragedy of his ultimate demise. Ruth draws some parallels between the life and genius of Michael Jackson and Mozart.

You can read Ruth’s article on Michael Jackson at:
http://www.flowideas.co.uk/?page=articles&sub=Michael%20Jackson

To view the article better, go to the end and click on the ‘Print Friendly’ option.

Glenn Rikowski
The Flow of Ideas: http://www.flowideas.co.uk
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Learning Outcomes: The Absurd Becomes Logical

LEARNING OUTCOMES: THE ABSURD BECOMES LOGICAL

This is the title of a topical and important new paper by John J. Crocitti, Professor of History, San Diego Mesa College which is now available at The Flow of Ideas web site.

As Professor Crocitti notes:

“Ultimately, the drive towards SLO [Student Learning Outcomes] constitutes an effort by politicians, business people, opportunist professors and bureaucrats to deskill and control academic labor in the manner that management applied Taylorism to industrial labor during the early twentieth century”

The article can be viewed at: http://www.flowideas.co.uk/?page=contributions&sub=Learning%20Outcomes

Glenn Rikowski
The Flow of Ideas: http://www.flowideas.co.uk
All that is Solid for Glenn Rikowski: http://rikowski.wordpress.com

Historical Materialism Conference 2009: Pre-Registration and Abstracts

HISTORICAL MATERIALISM CONFERENCE 2009: PRE-REGISTRATION AND ABSTRACTS

Pre-registration for the HM Conference will close at midnight tomorrow: http://mercury.soas.ac.uk/hm/

Registration on the door will be possible on a first-come-first-served basis.The abstracts for the papers are now online: http://mercury.soas.ac.uk/hm/

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Two New Christmas Songs - by Neil Southwell

TWO NEW CHRISTMAS SONGS – BY NEIL SOUTHWELL

It’s Christmas Time!

Neil Southwell has updated his music website for Christmas! He has written two new Christmas songs: one for the pre-Christmas period and another one for the post-Christmas timeframe. There is also the snow song from when we had the unusually large amounts of snow last February – which is a bit Christmassy too! One of the Christmas songs can be downloaded, and, obviously, you can listen to the others.

For details see: http://rikowski.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/two-new-christmas-songs-neil-southwell/

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Demonstration Against Higher Education Fees!

DEMONSTRATION AGAINST HIGHER EDUCATION FEES!

Government puts education into the hands of big business

No university fees! Demonstrate 28 November!

We won’t pay for the bosses’ crisis!

New Labour and the Conservatives are determined to make young people and workers pay for this crisis. On the one hand, they say there are jobs available for all, all you need is ‘determination’. At the same time, they slash funding for youth training and put corrupt fat cats in charge of setting university fees.
Lord Mandelson refused the National Union of Students a voice in the review of university fees because that would harm the ‘objectivity’ of the review. Instead, we have an ‘objective’ board of some of the biggest capitalists and privateers in Britain, chaired by Lord Browne. Lord Browne was Chief Executive of BP until 2007, making billions of pounds out of war in Iraq and environmental destruction. Browne left BP, amidst allegations of corruption, with a £5 million payoff and a £21 million pension pot. Is this man seriously going to say that society cannot afford our education?

David Eastwood, Vice Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, also sits on the review. As part of the Russell Group, he has been demanding students pay more for education for years. The university is currently trying to close its entire sociology department, without consultation with staff, because it is not bringing in enough money. Aston University’s vice chancellor is also ‘objectively’ reviewing university funding, fresh from slashing 18 jobs over the summer.

The rest of the board is made up of a former advisor to Tony Blair (the Prime Minister who abolished free university education), two NGO bigwigs and, unbelievably, Peter Sands, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank. Is he going to demand the same level of investment in education, in our future, that him and his peers have received over the last eighteen months? Of course not. The bosses organisation, the CBI, call for fees of £7,000 a year. Labour and the Tories say similar. Before the review board has met, the outcome is clear. Peter Sands, Lord Browne, Lord Mandelson and all the others want to make us pay for the crisis of their system.

£350 million cuts are being made in vocational education. Out of around 600,000 school leavers, 8,000 will get real apprenticeships, ones which lead to a job and a qualification.

Never mind that young people want to learn, want to work! Never mind that 55% think university education should be free! Since when did the politicians care what we think? Since when did big business and university bosses do favours for us?

Since we organised and fought them. Youth Fight for Jobs says no to university fees, no to writing off our generation, no to mass youth unemployment. We are demonstrating on 28 November – for real jobs, for free education. Join us in the fightback!

Join the demonstration in central London, Malet Street, WC1E, nearest tube Euston / Russell Square. For details of transport from outside London, see: http://www.youthfightforjobs.com/transport

Youth Fight for Jobs: http://www.youthfightforjobs.com

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Marxism and Psychology Conference

MARXISM AND PSYCHOLOGY CONFERENCE

Call For Papers
Marxism and Psychology Conference
The University of Prince Edward Island
August 5-7, 2010
Website: http://vre.upei.ca/mprg/
Contact: marfken@upei.ca
Submission Deadline: January 15, 2010

In the history of social thought, it is difficult to find a more divisive figure than Karl Marx. For many, the mere mention of his name conjures up images of totalitarian regimes dominating nearly every aspect of an individual’s existence. Yet for others, Marx’s critique of the capitalist mode of production draws attention to the fact that our beliefs, thoughts, and desires inevitably emerge against the background of specific cultural, historical, and social practices.

The purpose of this conference is to bring students, scholars, and activists together to discuss exciting issues at the intersection of Marxism and Psychology. While it is clear that a number of organizations are making important contributions to this area of study, we believe that the time is right to open up a space for students, scholars, and activists from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds to reflect on the role that Marxism can play in psychological theory, research, and practice.

In bringing together scholars at the forefront of research in Marxism and Psychology, we also hope to give new students and activists an opportunity to interact with individuals who have made significant contributions within this area. By organizing an impressive collection of plenary participants, we hope to foster an environment where students, activists, and scholars can identify potential graduate advisors, research assistants, and participatory investigators.

This year, confirmed plenary participants include:
John Cromby
Raquel Guzzo
Lois Holzman
Gordana Jovanovic
Joel Kovel
Athanasios Marvakis
Morten Nissen
Ian Parker
Carl Ratner
Hans Skott-Myhre
Thomas Teo

Biographical information for the plenary participants can be found on the conference website.

We welcome submissions for individual papers and panel sessions. For individual papers, please submit an abstract (150-200 words) no later than January 15, 2010. For panel submissions, please include an abstract (150-200 words) for each paper as well as a brief description of the panel (150-200 words). Please submit all materials to marfken@upei.ca. Abstracts should either be in the body of the email or sent as an attachment (DOC or PDF format).

While the conference poster is available at the conference website, we also have color posters that need to be distributed widely. If you are interested in receiving some posters, please send us an email (marfken@upei.ca) with your mailing address.

For further information, please visit the conference website: http://vre.upei.ca/mprg/

Sincerely,

Michael Arfken, PhD.
Director, Marxism & Psychology Research Group (MPRG)
Department of Psychology
University of Prince Edward Island
marfken@upei.ca
http://sites.google.com/site/marfken/

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Left Forum Conference 2010 NYC

LEFT FORUM CONFERENCE 2010

A message from Seth Adler

Dear past Left Forum panel organizers, speakers, and friends,

I am pleased to be getting back in touch with you after you helped make last year’s conference the best attended Left Forum yet.

We would like you to consider proposing a panel for the upcoming Left Forum conference at Pace University in New York City March 19-21, 2010, and we look forward to working with you in the panel and conference organizing process. Consider starting this process right away by proposing a panel in any of the following ways: go to our website (http://www.leftforum.org) and follow the panel submission instructions (by clicking call for panels or panel instructions), email us at panels@leftforum.org, or call our office (212 817-2003).

The last conference marked one of the most diverse and engaged left dialogue experiences to date. This year, with "recovery" of capitalist crisis meaning bailouts for the banks and continued suffering for working people, a new stridency in right wing voices, and a conservative tilt in Washington politics as a backdrop, we offer the following conference theme as one point of collaborative reference. The theme is “The Center Cannot Hold: Rekindling the Radical Imagination” (for the 2010 thematic statement click here).

This year we have an easier and more accessible online panel submission process that you will find on our website by clicking this link: call for panels. I am also happy to say that we will include bios and other panel information online and in the program, to ensure maximum turnout and awareness of the content of your panel. Also, among many panel options, one that often draws large audiences is when panel organizers secure speakers with respectfully different perspectives on the same topic or politics; such dialogues also inspire spirited audience participation.

Your participation is vital if we are to continue to strengthen the Left Forum space for critical political dialogue.

Feel free to call me or other conference organizers in the office if you have any questions. Please note the panel submission deadline is December 1st and you must have a panel description proposed by then. We urge you to get started now. It takes a while to get ideas and people together for a strong proposal.

In Solidarity,
Seth Adler
Conference coordinator
212 817-2003
Left Forum: http://www.leftforum.org/

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New York Autonomist Events

NEW YORK AUTONOMIST EVENTS

Silvia Federici and George Caffentzis on the Politics of OilOn Tuesday NOVEMBER 10th at 6:30PM
Join Silvia Federici and George Caffentzis as they discuss big oil’s cultural and political violence with Peter Maass, contributing editor at The New York Times Magazine and the author of the recently published Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil.
The event is moderated by Ashley Dawson, Associate Professor of English, The Graduate Center, CUNY. The event will take place at the Graduate Center, 365 5th Ave btwn 34th and 35th (The Skylight Room, 9100)

Ariel Salleh on Eco-Sufficiency with Silvia FedericiOn Wednesday, November 11th at 7:00PM, ARIEL SALLEH will be presenting on a feminist and ecologically integrated politics of the commons, themes central to her recently edited volume, Eco-Sufficiency & Global Justice: Women Write Political Ecology (Pluto Press, 2009). She will be introduced by and in dialogue with SILVIA FEDERICI. The event takes place at Bluestockings Bookstore (172 Allen Street, NYC 10002).

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Two London Meetings with John Holloway

TWO LONDON MEETINGS WITH JOHN HOLLOWAY


1. ANARCHIST BOOKFAIR/MUTE MAGAZINE DISCUSSION, 4-6pm, Saturday 24th October, London

Capitalism’s Present Crisis - How Will It End?

The capitalist system is facing years of crisis and social instability. This raises two questions:
1) What caused the crisis? Was it ‘greedy bankers’, the natural tendencies of the capitalist system, or the resistance of the working class?
2) How will the crisis end? Will it be with more state regulation, more cuts in living standards or with working class revolution?
The London Anarchist Bookfair and Mute Magazine have invited three speakers to debate these issues:

Paul Mason, a presenter on BBC’s Newsnight, and author of Meltdown: The End of the Age of Greed

John Holloway, author of Change The World Without Taking Power and Crack Capitalism (forthcoming).

William Dixon, Mute Magazine contributor.

The discussion will take place at the Skeel Lecture Theatre, Anarchist Bookfair, Queen Mary & Westfield College, Mile End Road, London E1, Mile End tube. For further information on the Anarchist Bookfair, including a roster of many other talks, go to: http://www.anarchistbookfair.org


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

2. CRACK CAPITALISM - A DISCUSSION WITH JOHN HOLLOWAY

7-9pm, Monday 26th October, London

At the height of the anti-capitalist movement, John Holloway’s book Change The World without Taking Power provoked an international debate*. Eight years later, after the failure of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, combined with the failure of the capitalist economy, anti-capitalism is back on the agenda. John Holloway will introduce his forthcoming book, Crack Capitalism, followed by a discussion on how we can change the world without repeating the tragedies of twentieth century socialism. Come and join the debate. *To read the debate around the book Change The World Without Taking Power, go to: http://www.herramienta.com.ar/debate-sobre-cambiar-el-mundo/presentacion-e-indice-de-articulos

VENUE: The Octagon Room*, Queen's Building, Queen Mary & Westfield College, Mile End Road, London E1, Mile End Tube. (The event will be followed by a social at the Half Moon pub, 213-233 Mile End Road, London E1)

*NB There is a small chance that the room in which the event is held may be altered. Check metamute.org for up to date information closer to the date. Supported by Mute Magazine (mute AT metamute.org) and the Queen Mary & Westfield School of Business and Management

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Housmans

HOUSMANS

Housmans – a radical bookseller since 1945

I went to Housmans in Caledonian Road last Wednesday. It’s my favourite bookshop in London. The atmosphere more than anything else grabs me. Of course, I bought some books! I invested in Zones of Proletarian Development by Mastaneh Shah-Shuja (OpenMute, London, 2008) and the classic A Vindication of the Rights of Man by Mary Wollstonecraft.

If my readers come from outside of London and visit the capital, yes, you can visit the British Museum, the London Eye etc., but I would recommend a visit to Housmans too.

The web site for the bookshop is: http://www.housmans.com/

Wednesdays at Housmans
On Wednesdays at the bookshop there are free weekly talks and book signings. Check the website for details.

Housmans Bookshop & Stationers, 5 Caledonian Road, King’s Cross, London N1 9DX, tel: 0207 837 4473, email: shop@housmans.com

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Ruth Rikowski News Updates Progression 32

Ruth Rikowski News Updates Progression 32

Ruth Rikowski’s 332nd News Update is now out. There are many exciting items, but one I am particularly interested in concerns the next MERD seminar.

The Marxism and Education: Renewing Dialogues (MERD) seminars were founded by Glenn Rikowski and Tony Green and were run by them both at the Institute of Education, University of London, from 2002-2007: MERDs I – X.

For more information about these events, see our website – http://www.flowideas.co.uk/?page=events&sub=MERD

MERD XII is being convened by Joyce Canaan, Tony Green, my good friend Richard Hatcher and Alpesh Maisuria. It will take place at the University of London Institute of Education on Saturday 21st November 2009. Whilst it is great that this initial impetus is now being built on by Cannan, Green, Hatcher and Maisuria, it is unfortunate (and is historically misleading) that the publicity for MERD XII does not include this basic information about the founders, and where to obtain information about the first ten MERD seminars. As Ruth says: “Hopefully, this anomaly will be rectified in future publicity.”

For details on this item and to view the other items, see: http://ruthrikowskiupdates.blogspot.com/2009/10/ruth-rikowskis-32nd-news-update.html

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Capital and the Future of Capitalism

EVENTS IN LONDON AROUND CAPITAL AND THE FUTURE OF CAPITALISM

King's College London Reading Capital Society September 29th 2009
http://www.kclreadingcapital.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49539959005

What are the origins of the current economic crisis? What is the future for capitalism?

Mainstream neo-liberal economics presents us with very few satisfactory answers to these questions. For this reason many people are now looking again at the works of Karl Marx and his critique of capitalism.The Reading Capital Movement is a fortnightly seminar organised by students discussing the main issues & themes raised in Karl Marx’s work Das Kapital.It brings together students from across a range of disciplines and intellectual backgrounds to introduce and debate ideas about the work.The group is open to anyone with an interest in finding out more about Marx's work.So welcome to all those who've just joined us and welcome back to those who were involved last year. We had a very successful launch last January of over 60 people and a group of about 20 of us began reading and discussing throughout the second semester.

- - -

1) Re-launch with Ben Fine:

This year the group is very lucky to be re-launching with a talk by Professor Ben Fine from SOAS (co-author of "Marx's 'Capital'") on:

Why read Capital? Marx in the 21st Century

Tuesday October 13th 2009, 6pm, Room 2.42, F-WB Building, Waterloo Campus, King's College London

All welcome - no matter whether you are simply interested in Marx or have some tough questions about Marxist economics.

- - -

2) Join Reading Capital @ KCLSU:

Also please join the society officially at: http://www.kclsu.org/society.asp?itemid=964&itemTitle=Reading+Capital&section=295&sectionTitle=Societies+List

This will enable us to keep booking meetings, getting great speakers and to develop a lending library that will be a fantastic resource for the group.

- - -

3) The Future of Capitalism:

We are very pleased to be able to announce that Reading Capital will be co-hosting a debate on the Future of Capitalism with the KCL Business Club.Martin Wolf (chief economic commentator, Financial Times) will be debating Alex Callinicos (author of 'Revolutionary ideas of Karl Marx' & Professor of European Studies at KCL) about the roots of the current economic crisis and the prospects for capitalism as a whole.

Put the details in your diary now:

The Future of Capitalism
A Public Debate
Alex Callinicos & Martin Wolf
Monday 2nd November, 6:30pm, Great Hall, King's College, London

We will send out more details closer to the event.

- - -

And finally ...

The KCL Reading Capital group was inspired by a Reading Group initiated by the Marxist geographer David Harvey at CUNY (New York) – videos of these seminars can be seen online at: http://www.davidharvey.org

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London Socialist Historians Group Seminars - Autumn Term 2009

LONDON SOCIALIST HISTORIANS GROUP SEMINARS
AUTUMN TERM 2009

12 October
Roger Seifert
Bert Ramelson and the communist way: powerful theory made real and real theory made powerful

9 November
Terry Ward
Class struggle in Shakespearian England

7 December
Gareth Dale
20 years since the events in Eastern Europe

Seminars take place on the above dates at 5.30pm in the Pollard Room at the Institute of Historical Research, Senate House Malet St WC1 ; further information from Keith Flett: keith.flett@btinternet.com; 07803 167266

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Class in Education

CLASS IN EDUCATION

I looked at a copy of Class in Education: Knowledge, pedagogy, subjectivity edited by Deborah Kelsh, Dave Hill and Sheila Macrine yesterday. This is an excellent book in my view, and I urge to buy it and/or get your library to stock it!

Glenn Rikowski

Class in Education: Knowledge, pedagogy, subjectivity
Edited by Deborah Kelsh, Dave Hill and Sheila Macrine
Routledge, London & New York, 2010
ISBN 10: 0-415-45027-6 (hbk)
ISBN 10: 0-203-87903-X (ebk)

CONTENTS:

Foreword: E. SAN JUAN JR.

Introduction: SHEILA MACRINE, DAVE HILL AND DEBORAH KELSH

1. Cultureclass – DEBORAH KELSH

2. Hypohumanities – TERESA L. EBERT AND MAS’UD ZAVARZADEH

3. Persistent inequities, obfuscating explanations: reinforcing the lost centrality of class in Indian education debates – RAVI KUMAR

4. Class, “race” and state in post-apartheid education – ENVER MOTALA AND SALIM VALLY

5. Racism and Islamophobia in post 7/7 Britain: Critical Race Theory, (xeno-)racialization, empire and education – a Marxist analysis – MIKE COLE AND ALPESH MAISURIA

6. Marxism, critical realism and class: implications for a socialist pedagogy – GRANT BANFIELD

7. Globalization, class, and the social studies curriculum – E. WAYNE ROSS AND GREG QUEEN

8. Class: the base of all reading – ROBERT FAIVRE

Afterword: the contradictions of class and the praxis of becoming – PETER McLAREN

Further details: http://www.routledge.com/books/Class-in-Education-isbn9780415450270

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Richard Wolff - Capitalism Hits the Fan

RICHARD WOLFF – CAPITALISM HITS THE FAN

A message from Rick Wolff

Dear Friends

You might find interesting and useful (and especially for teaching purposes) an inexpensive ($18 or less if ordered via http://www.rdwolff.com) new book of short, 1000-word essays on the history and dimensions of the current economic crisis as well as government responses and political implications. The essays were published from 2005 through mid-2009 on the Monthly Review webzine and are here edited with new introductions for maximum clarity, brevity, and accessibility to many audiences. The book can already be ordered and will begin shipment Sept 30, 2009.

Rick Wolff
http://www.rdwolff.com

*********************************
Capitalism Hits the Fan: The Global Economic Meltdown and What to Do About It
Richard Wolff
Published 2009 • 6” x 9” • 256 pages • charts ISBN 9781566567848 • paperback • $18.00

A breathtakingly clear analysis that breaks down the root causes of today’s economic crisis...

“With unerring coherence and unequaled breadth of knowledge, Rick Wolff offers a rich and much needed corrective to the views of mainstream economists and pundits. It would be difficult to come away from this… with anything but an acute appreciation of what is needed to get us out of this mess.” —Stanley Aronowitz, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Urban Education, City University of New York

Capitalism Hits the Fan chronicles one economist’s growing alarm and insights as he watched, from 2005 onwards, the economic crisis build, burst, and then dominate world events. The argument here differs sharply from most other explanations offered by politicians, media commentators, and other academics. Step by step, Professor Wolff shows that deep economic structures—the relationship of wages to profits, of workers to boards of directors, and of debts to income—account for the crisis. The great change in the US economy since the 1970s, as employers stopped the historic rise in US workers’ real wages, set in motion the events that eventually broke the world economy. The crisis resulted from the post-1970s profit explosion, the debt-driven finance-industry expansion, and the sequential stock market and real estate booms and busts. Bailout interventions by the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury have thrown too little money too late at a problem that requires more than money to solve.

As this book shows, we must now ask basic questions about capitalism as a system that has now convulsed the world economy into two great depressions in 75 years (and countless lesser crises, recessions, and cycles in between). The book’s essays engage the long-overdue public discussion about basic structural changes and systemic alternatives needed not only to fix today’s broken economy but to prevent future crises.

Richard Wolff has been a professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst since 1981. He has been a visiting professor in the Graduate Program in International Affairs, at the New School in New York since 2007. Wolff’s major recent interests and publications include studies of US economic history to ascertain the basic structural causes of the current economic crisis and the examination of how alternative economic theories (neoclassical, Keynesian, and Marxian) understand and respond to the crisis in very different ways. His past work involves application of advanced class analysis to contemporary global capitalism. He has written, co-authored, and co-edited many books and dozens of scholarly and popular journal articles. His recent analyses of current economic events appear regularly in the webzine of the Monthly Review. In 2009, Capitalism Hits the Fan, the documentary on the current economic crisis, was released by Media Education Foundation (http://www.mediaed.org). Visit http://www.rdwolff.com for more information.

Olive Branch Press
http://www.interlinkbooks.com

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I:
Roots of a System’s Crisis
The Political Pendulum Swings, the Alienation Deepens
Dividing the Conservative Coalition
Economic Inequality and US Politics
Reform vs. Revolution: Settling Accounts
Exit-Poll Revelations
Real Costs of Executives’ Money Grabs
The Decline of Public Higher Education
Reversing the American Dream: Old Distributions, New Economy (co-author Max Fraad-Wolff)
Today’s Haunting Specter, or What Needs DoingTwenty Years of Widening Inequality
Neoliberalism in Globalized Trouble
Evading Taxes, Legally
Consumerism: Curses and Causes
Nominating Palin Makes Sense

Part II:
The Economics of Crisis
1 Capitalism as a Crisis-Prone System
Capitalism’s Three Oscillations and the US Today
Financial Panics, Then and Now
Neoliberal Globalization Is Not the Problem
Economic Blues
Capitalist Crisis, Marx’s Shadow
Wall Street vs. Main Street: Finger Pointing vs. System Change
Capitalism’s Crisis through a Marxian Lens
It’s the System, Stupid
GM’s Tragedy: The System Strikes BackCrises in vs. of Capitalism
2 The Role of Economic Theory
Evangelical Economics
Flip-Flops of Economics
3 Markets and Efficiency
Oil and Efficiency Myths
The Rating Horrors and Capitalist “Efficiency”
Market Terrorism
4 Wages, Productivity, and Exploitation
US Pensions: Capitalist Disaster
The Fallout from Falling Wages
Reaping the Economic Whirlwind
Our Sub-Prime Economy
5 Housing and Debt
Personal Debts and US Capitalism
US Housing Boom Goes Bust
What Dream? Americans All Renters Now!
6 Government Intervention in the Economy Bernanke Expectations: New Fed Chairman, Same Old, Same Old Federal Reserve Twists and Turns
As Rome Burned, the Emperor Fiddled
Policies to “Avoid” Economic Crises
Lotteries: Disguised Tax Injustice
7 International Dimensions of the CrisisImmigration and Class
Global Oil Market Dangers
China Shapes/Shakes World’s Economies
Globalization’s Risks and Costs
Foreign Threat to American Business?
US Economic Slide Threatens Mexico

Part III:
Politics of the Crisis
1 Reforms and Regulations as Crisis Solutions
Economic Reforms: Been There, Done That
Regulations Do Not Prevent Capitalist Crises
2 Debates over “Socialist” Solutions
Economic Crisis, Ideological Debates
Socialism’s New American Opportunity
Those Alternative Socialist “Stimulus” Plans
Wanted: Red-Green Alliance for Radically Democratic Reorganization of Production
Capitalist Crisis, Socialist Renewal
3 Anti-Capitalist PoliticsEurope: Capitalism and Socialism
The Urban Renewal Scam for New Orleans
France’s Student-Worker Alliance
Lessons of a Left Victory in France
The Minimum Wage, Labor, and Politics
French Elections’ Deeper Meaning
Mass Political Withdrawal
Capitalism Crashes, Politics Changes

Index

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All that is Solid for Glenn Rikowski: http://rikowski.wordpress.com
The Flow of Ideas: http://www.flowideas.co.uk

Critical Education - Call for Manuscripts

CRITICAL EDUCATION – CALL FOR MANUSCRIPTS

Critical Education is an international peer-reviewed journal, which seeks manuscripts that critically examine contemporary education contexts and practices. Critical Education is interested in theoretical and empirical research as well as articles that advance educational practices that challenge the existing state of affairs in society, schools, and informal education.Critical Education is an open access journal, launching in early 2010. The journal home is http://www.critical education. org

Critical Education is hosted by the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia and edited by Sandra Mathison (UBC), E. Wayne Ross (UBC) and Adam Renner (Bellarmine University) along with collective of 30 scholars in education that include:
Faith Ann Agostinone, Aurora University
Wayne Au, California State University, Fullerton
Marc Bousquet, Santa Clara University
Joe Cronin, Antioch University
Antonia Darder, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
George Dei, OISE/University of Toronto
Stephen C. Fleury, Le Moyne College
Kent den Heyer, University of Alberta
Nirmala Erevelles, University of Alabama
Michelle Fine, City University of New York
Gustavo Fischman, Arizona State University
Melissa Freeman, University of Georgia
David Gabbard, East Carolina University
Rich Gibson, San Diego State University
Dave Hill, University of Northampton
Nathalia E. Jaramillo, Purdue University
Saville Kushner, University of West England
Zeus Leonardo, University of California, Berkeley
Pauline Lipman, University of Illinois, Chicago
Lisa Loutzenheiser, University of British Columbia
Marvin Lynn, University of Illinois, Chicago
Sheila Macrine, Montclair State University
Perry M. Marker, Sonoma State University
Rebecca Martusewicz, Eastern Michigan University
Peter McLaren, University of California, Los Angeles
Stephen Petrina, University of British Columbia
Stuart R. Poyntz, Simon Fraser University
Patrick Shannon, Penn State University
Kevin D. Vinson, University of the West Indies
John F. Welsh, Louisville, KY

Online submission and author guidelines can be found here: http://m1.cust. educ.ubc. ca/journal/ index.php/ criticaled/ about/submission s#onlineSubmissi ons

E. Wayne Ross
Professor
Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy
University of British Columbia
2125 Main MallVancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Canada604-822-2830
wayne.ross@ubc. ca
http://www.ewaynero ss.net
Critical Education: http://www.criticaleducation.org
Cultural Logic: http://www.eserver.org/clogic
Workplace: A Journal for Academic Labor: http://www.workplace-gsc.com
E. Wayne Ross: http://www.ewaynero ss.netwayne.ross@mac. com

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All that is Solid for Glenn Rikowski: http://rikowski.wordpress.com
The Flow of Ideas: http://www.flowideas.co.uk
The Ockress: http://theockress.com

Youth Fight for Jobs

YOUTH FIGHT FOR JOBS

Youth Fight for Jobs is to have a national demonstration against youth unemployment. Youth Fight for Jobs is supported by the RMT, the PCS and the CWU, and will be calling a national demonstration on 28 November around the slogans "for real jobs - for free education".

Ben Robinson, Youth Fight for Jobs chair, said "There is absolutely no evidence of this recession ending for young people. Job losses continue to rise, vacancies are still falling, and the unemployment figures continue to rise."

"What does the government offer? For college students hoping for university places next week, tens of thousands of them will be unable to get in because of Browns penny pinching. For all those in education, there will be over £65 million worth of cuts enforced. Against a background of lowered living standards for the majority, the Westminster consensus is university fees will rise. For young people on the dole, the Future Jobs Fund will be wholly inadequate and is open to exploitation of young people."

"That is why we are getting organised and fighting back. We are calling a national demonstration on 28 November to bring together young people and trade unionists to call for a real program of job creation, for a decent education system open to all. We are also calling a lobby of Parliament in September to coincide with the next set of unemployment figures."

"Our members have been down to picket lines supporting the CWU postal workers on strike today, building unity amongst workers and young people to say that we won't pay for the bosses' crisis."

Youth Fight for Jobs was launched through a 'March for Jobs' to the G20 meeting in London on 2nd April. Over 600 unemployed youth, young workers, graduates and school leavers marched through four of the poorest boroughs in London before rallying at the G20 meeting. Youth Fight for Jobs is supported by three major trade unions, the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT), the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and the Communications Workers Union (CWU).

For more information on Youth Fight for Jobs see: http://www.youthfightforjobs.com/

Posted here by Glenn Rikowski
The Flow of Ideas: http://www.flowideas.co.uk
All that is Solid for Glenn Rikowski: http://rikowski.wordpress.com
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The Labour Debate

THE LABOUR DEBATE

The Labour Debate: An Investigation into the Theory and Reality of Capitalist Work was originally published in 2002 by Ashgate. The book was edited by Ana Dinerstein and Michake Neary. It has now been translated into Spanish, with a new Preface by Ana Dinerstein. The bibliographic details of this new Spanish edition are:

A.C.Dinerstein y Neary Mike (2009) (Comp.) El Trabajo en debate. Una investigacion sobre la teroia y realidad del trabajo capitalista, Ediciones Herramienta, Buenos Aires, ISBN: 978-987-1505-09-8

My chapter in the was 2002 edition was ‘Fuel for the Living Fire: Labour-Power!’.

Details on the Spanish Edition (2009):

Ediciones
Herramienta
presenta:

EL TRABAJO EN DEBATE
Una investigación sobre la teoría y la realidad del trabajo capitalista
Ana C. Dinerstein, Michael Neary
Compiladores
Ediciones Herramienta, Buenos Aires, 304 páginas
ISBN: 978-987-1505-09-8

Temas:

John Holloway Clase y clasificación: en contra, dentro y más allá del trabajo, y Un marxismo reduccionista. • Simon Clarke La lucha de clases y la clase obrera: el problema del fetichismo de la mercancía • Werner Bonefeld Capital, trabajo y acumulación primitiva: clase y constitución • Graham Taylor Trabajo y subjetividad: repensar los límites de la conciencia obrera • Massimo De Angelis Hayek, Bentham y la máquina global del trabajo: la aparición del panóptico fractal • Harry Cleaver ¡El trabajo todavía es la cuestión central! Palabras nuevas para mundos nuevos • Michael Neary El trabajo se mueve: una crítica al concepto de “sindicalismo del movimiento social” • Glenn Rikowski Combustible para el fuego vivo: ¡la fuerza de trabajo! • Ana C. Dinerstein Recobrando la materialidad: el desempleo y la subjetividad invisible del trabajo • Ana C. Dinerstein y Michael Neary Antivalor en movimiento: el trabajo, la subsunción real y la lucha contra el capitalismo

Palabras de los editores
Un plan

Era una tarde fría de un jueves de septiembre de 2007. Llegamos al departamento donde se alojaba Ana junto a su familia. Esa tarde era la despedida, porque debía volver a Inglaterra. Nos encontramos entre juguetes, mate, facturas, sándwiches, familiares y amistades.

Días antes habíamos empezado el plan. Se nos había ocurrido una idea loca. Había sido en un instante fugaz, de esos que suceden en el éxtasis generado por lecturas irreverentes, por aquellos textos que dejan la planicie de las letras para provocar relieves en nuestras vidas. Puntos de fuga. Salidas al más allá. El plan se ponía en marcha, sólo faltaba una cómplice clave.

En medio de la reunión, nos retiramos unos minutos con Ana para conversar en privado. Allí fue cuando juntos, susurrando, como si estuviéramos armando una bomba, lanzamos nuestro plan.

— Ana, queremos traducir The Labor Debate. Es un texto fascinante y nos interesa que sea parte de las discusiones que circulan de este lado del charco. Por eso este libro tiene que ser editado en castellano. Nosotros nos encargamos de las traducciones.

Ana respondió afirmativamente. El plan se ponía en marcha. Su sorpresa y agradecimiento fue tan motivador como los textos mismos.

A los pocos días Ana nos confirmó que conseguiría el dinero para la publicación: Michael Neary, el otro compilador de la obra, fue quien se encargó de ello. Con esa noticia en nuestras manos reunimos a un grupo de traductores amigos: Carla Poth, Florencia Martínez, María de las Nieves Puglia, Mariana Carrolli y Nicolás Harambour. Junto a ellos se sumaron otros traductores y las manos estoicas que hicieron posible la publicación del libro, editando, terminando y realizando las traducciones faltantes, como así también enseñándonos el camino del quehacer editorial. Nos referimos, pues, a Francisco Paco Sobrino, Carlos Pipo Cuéllar, Sibila Seibert, Ignacio Chiche Vázquez y Néstor López.

Un cronopio llamado El Trabajo en Debate

El texto que estamos presentando desde Herramienta pertenece a esa rara especie de cronopios cortaziano. El mismo constituye un debate que tiene una forma muy particular: cada autor parece estar escuchando una misma canción al tiempo que hace su propio baile. Se conforma así un bricolage en el que el trabajo es puesto como el fuego que da vida. El debate nos recuerda que el trabajo, como el sol, se esconde en la inmensidad del firmamento para aparecer a través de la luz más destacada en la noche, la(s) luna(s), aunque ella misma ya no sea el sol.

Herramienta desde hace varios años se ha dado la tarea de dar a conocer una serie de autores que proponen un debate en y desde el marxismo en múltiples direcciones. Son autores que han dado lugar a esa dolorosa incomodidad teórica llamada marxismo abierto. Así Debate sobre el trabajo forma parte de un esfuerzo emprendido por Herramienta que –explorando el campo abierto por los compañeros y compañeras de dos revistas que han dejado su huella en la izquierda argentina, Cuadernos del Sur y Doxa– encuentra en este texto el incentivo para continuar la discusión en torno a un tema que parece haber sido olvidado en las ciencias sociales y que a su vez ha recibido un desigual tratamiento al interior del propio marxismo: el trabajo.

Son estos autores-cronopios los que, explorando la categoría trabajo, nos llevan a ver en ésta mucho más que una realidad empírica; nos trasladan con esta categoría hacia el estallido de las teorías famas y de las realidades empíricas. Son, en definitiva, autores cortazianos que nos provocan la sensación de que al terminar de leerlos sabemos que la única seguridad con la que contamos es la de estar viviendo en un mundo que resulta insoportable, y que, aunque no lo queramos, eso mismo que lo vuelve intolerable es nuestra producción.

Por ello, para el colectivo que conforma Herramienta es una alegría muy grande impulsar la edición de este libro. No sólo por la calidad de los textos, ni por la amistad que a nos une con los autores. Lo es porque seguimos reforzando el lugar que ocupa Herramienta: aportar al debate sobre el cambio revolucionario.

Desde la editorial queremos fervientemente que El Trabajo en Debate se transforme en una herramienta para el debate intelectual, militante y académico. Esta aspiración no es casual: nos encontramos hoy en un momento en que la teoría ha vuelto sobre sus pasos para refugiarse en la fuerza de lo constituido, en las “teorías seguras”. Asimismo, la práctica militante parece recostarse en la certeza de las formas constituidas. Pareciera ser que nuevamente nos encontramos ante el ocaso (del pesimismo) de la seguridad. Sin embargo, los textos que conforman este libro, a pesar de haber sido escritos hace ya diez años, contienen la actualidad de mirar allí donde la fuerza del presente encuentra su fortaleza en la irrupción del pasado no realizado. Dicho con otras palabras, el texto que estamos presentando no sólo posee vigor por los temas tratados, sino porque representa un modo teórico en el que la lucha contra lo constituido se produce desde la incomodidad de lo no sido aún.

Rodrigo Pascual y Luciana Ghiotto
Buenos Aires, 21 de abril de 2009
http://www.herramienta.com.ar

Bibliographic details for the original 2002 Edition:

Ana C. Dinerstein and Michael Neary (Eds.) (2002) The Labour Debate: An Investigation in to the Theory and Reality of Capitalist Work, Aldershot: Ashgate.
ISBN: 0-7546-1779-3

Summary at the publishers (Ashgate) and ordering details: http://www.ashgate.com/default.aspx?page=637&calctitle=1&pageSubject=413&pagecount=11&title_id=4163&edition_id=4748

Posted here by Glenn Rikowski
All that is Solid for Glenn Rikowski: http://rikowski.wordpress.com
The Flow of Ideas: http://www.flowideas.co.uk

Critical Pedagogy in Uncertain Times

CRITICAL PEDAGOGY IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

A new book edited by Sheila Macrine

Critical Pedagogy in Uncertain Times: Hope and Possibilities
Palgrave Macmillan (Education, Politics and Public Life Series)
1st September 2009 publication date
ISBN: 978-0-230-61320-1; ISBN10: 0-230-61320-9

This exciting edited collection by Sheila Macrine includes:
A Foreword by Stanley Aronowitz
Introduction by Sheila Macrine
Chapters by: Sheila Macrine, Henry Giroux, Maxine Greene, Antonia Darder, Peter McLaren and Nathalia E. Jaramillo, Donaldo Macedo, Dave Hill, Kenneth J. Saltman, Noah De Lissovoy, and Ramin Farahmandpur
An Afterword by Gustavo Fischman

“The contributors in this volume simultaneously provide conceptually sophisticated and pragmatic tools to pursue the construction of pedagogies of freedom where commitment to justice and fairness is encouraged, where respecting different perspectives on sciences and arts is stimulated, where disagreement is not punished, where caring for the other and a desire to know is celebrated, and where a passion for democracy and creating fair and inclusive futures is welcomed.” Foreword by Gustavo Fischman, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, Arizona State University

“At a time when the ruinous results of dominant neo-liberal policies are becoming increasingly clear, Critical Pedagogy in Uncertain Times offers the activist educator a cogent analysis of recent educational trends as well as useful suggestions for finding a way forward.”--Patricia H. Hinchey, Associate Professor of Education, Penn State University

“When education is increasingly reduced to test scores, this book reminds us what education can be for and how pedagogy can be practiced. The authors’ critique of the present system and description of what might be will strengthen the reader in working for a democratic society and schools.”--David Hursh, Associate Professor, University of Rochester

Dr. Sheila Macrine is an Associate Professor in the Curriculum and Teaching Department at Montclair State University in New Jersey.

Further details on the book (and ordering instructions) from Palgrave Macmillan:
http://us.macmillan.com/criticalpedagogyinuncertaintimes

From Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Pedagogy-Uncertain-Times-Possibilities/dp/0230613209/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248878834&sr=1-2

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The Flow of Ideas: http://www.flowideas.co.uk
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Capitalism and the Recession

CAPITALISM AND THE RECESSION

A meeting organised by the Manchester Branch of the Socialist Party of Great Britain

Saturday, 12th September 2009
13.00-17.00
Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester

Speakers: Adam Buick and Paddy Shannon

For further details: 02076223811, spgb@worldsocialism.org + http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2009/07/manchester-branch-day-school.html

Posted here by Glenn Rikowski
The Flow of Ideas: http://www.flowideas.co.uk
All that is Solid for Glenn Rikowski: http://rikowski.wordpress.com

Engaging Peter McLaren and the New Marxism in Education

ENGAGING PETER McLAREN AND THE NEW MARXISM IN EDUCATION

David Geoffrey Smith
Interchange, Vol.40/1, pp.93-117 (2009)

David Geoffrey Smith has written a very interesting and useful article in the latest issue of Interchange. Not only does he review Peter McLaren’s Rage + Hope: Interviews with Peter McLaren on War, Imperialism, & Critical Pedagogy (Peter Lang Publishing, 2006), but he also explores the New Marxism in Education, or the New Marxist Educational Theory (as it is sometimes called). Thus, he examines the impact of McLaren’s work along with other writers on the New Marxism in Education: Paula Allman, Glenn Rikowski, Mike Cole and Dave Hill.

You can view the article at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/858j592687nt2554/fulltext.pdf

Posted here by Glenn Rikowski
The Flow of Ideas: http://www.flowideas.co.uk

Crisis

CRISIS

Marx, Individuals & Society Seminar

The next meeting will be Robin H on 'Crisis'.

It will be at:
Malet Street, London
7:30PM to 9:00PM
Room MAL 252
Thursday 16th July

Posted here by Glenn Rikowski
The Flow of Ideas: http://www.flowideas.co.uk
All that is Solid for Glenn Rikowski: http://rikowski.wordpress.com

Centre for the Study of Work and Education - Update 6th July 2009

CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF WORK AND EDUCATION – UPDATE 6th JULY 2009

OUR MANDATE: The Centre for the Study of Education and Work (CSEW) brings together educators from university, union, and community settings to understand and enrich the often-undervalued informal and formal learning of working people.

We develop research and teaching programs at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (UofT) that strengthen feminist, anti-racist, labour movement, and working-class perspectives on learning and work.

To change your subscriptions settings, visit: http://listserv.oise.utoronto.ca/mailman/listinfo/csewbroadcast

For more information about CSEW, visit: http://www.csew.ca


TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• NEW! FROM FERNWOOD PUBLISHING – FIGHT BACK: WORKPLACE JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS
• REPORT – ENTRY-LEVEL AND NEXT-STEP JOBS IN THE LOW-SKILL JOB MARKET
• JULY 15 EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE CALL – SETTING UP & RUNNING A CBPR DEPARTMENT IN A COMMUNITY AGENCY: THE ACCESS ALLIANCE EXPERIENCE
• ARTICLE – PRACTICALLY SPEAKING: IMPROVING THE FABRIC OF WORKPLACE LEARNING
• COMMEMORATIVE BOOK “A CENTURY OF CO-OPERATION” NOW AVAILABLE
• ARTICLE – LESSONS FROM THE HUMBLING OF GENERAL MOTORS
• A FAREWELL TO ATKINSON COLLEGE (TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2009)
• ONLINE PUBLICATIONS

+++++

NEW! FROM FERNWOOD PUBLISHING – FIGHT BACK: WORKPLACE JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS
By Aziz Choudry, Jill Hanley, Steve Jordan, Eric Shragge & Martha Stiegman

Displacement of people, migration, immigration and the demand for labour are connected to the fundamental restructuring of capitalism and to the reduction of working-class power through legislation to free the market from “state interference.” The result is that a large number of immigrant and temporary foreign workers face relentless competition and little in the way of protection in the labour market. Globally and in Canada, immigrant workers are not passive in the face of these conditions: they survive and fight back. This book documents their struggles and analyzes those struggles within the context of neoliberal globalization and international and national labour markets. Fight Back grew out of collaboration between a group of university-affiliated researchers/activists and the Immigrant Workers Centre in Montreal. The book shares with us the experiences of immigrant workers in a variety of workplaces.

It is based on the belief that the best kind of research comes from people’s lived experiences and consequently tells it “how it really is”.

Available at your local independent bookstore or order online from
http://www.fernwoodpublishing.ca

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REPORT – ENTRY-LEVEL AND NEXT-STEP JOBS IN THE LOW-SKILL JOB MARKET

Low-skill jobs are not “no skill” jobs, and the labor market for non-college jobs—jobs that do not require a college degree— is vast and diverse. This brief uses data from the 2007 Survey of Employers in the Low-Skill Labor Market to explore differences between non-college jobs that have few if any requirements and those for which either a high school degree, prior experience, or previous skills training is extremely important.

The report aims to broaden and deepen our understanding of the diversity of this labor market.

To read more: http://www.urban.org/publications/411801.html

+++++

JULY 15 EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE CALL – SETTING UP & RUNNING A CBPR DEPARTMENT IN A COMMUNITY AGENCY: THE ACCESS ALLIANCE EXPERIENCE

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health is pleased to announce the second call in our 2009-2010 Educational Conference Call Series. In the midst of the numerous recovery act funding announcements from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), we've been noticing a dramatic rise in inquiries to CCPH from community-based organizations that are either applying directly for research grants or as partners of academic institutions that are the lead applicants. We've decided to focus the call series on answering the most frequently asked questions, as part of the over-arching theme of "Building Community Capacity for Research." Each call includes speakers who provide answers and insights from their direct experience, helpful handouts, and links to relevant resources.

The audiofile, agenda, and handouts for the first call, which took place on June 3 and addressed the "how and why" of obtaining a federally negotiated indirect rate and federal wide assurance, are now posted on the CCPH website at:
http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/pastpresentations.html

The next call, scheduled for July 15 from 3:30 - 5 pm eastern time, addresses the question of what organizational systems and supports need to be in place to do community-based participatory research (CBPR) in a community agency setting. The call is titled "Setting Up & Running a CBPR Department in a Community Agency: The Access Alliance Experience.”

To register for the call, go to: https://catalysttools.washington.edu/webq/survey/ccphuw/78916.

+++++

ARTICLE – PRACTICALLY SPEAKING: IMPROVING THE FABRIC OF WORKPLACE LEARNING

The rising dollar. An aging workforce. Competition from overseas. These are just a few of the challenges facing Canadian businesses. Increasingly, companies are investing in skills training as a way of gaining a much-needed edge—and Canada’s textile industry has been on the forefront of this shift, spending millions of dollars on an innovative—and inventive—workplace learning initiative.

To read more: http://www.ccl-cca.ca/CCL/Newsroom/PracticallySpeaking/20090616MWTextiles.htm?Language=EN

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COMMEMORATIVE BOOK “A CENTURY OF CO-OPERATION” NOW AVAILABLE

One of the highlights of the Canadian Co-operative Association's National Congress in Ottawa was the launch of A Century of Co-operation, a commemorative book by Canada's pre-eminent co-op historian, Ian MacPherson. The 234-page book chronicles the history of Canada's co-operative movement through text and images from the movement's beginnings to the present day.

The book can be ordered from CCA's website at: http://www.coopscanada.coop/en/about_cca/100th/Commemorative-book . Cost is $50 plus GST.

+++++

ARTICLE – LESSONS FROM THE HUMBLING OF GENERAL MOTORS
By Sam Gindin

Of all 20th century industries, it was the auto sector that best captured the sway of capitalism and the rise of American dominance. The assembly line showed off capitalism’s remarkable productive potential and the automobile flaunted capitalism’s consumerist possibilities … In the growth years after the war, the proudest achievement of the UAW and then the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), even to the point of trading off workplace rights, was winning what was essentially a ‘private welfare state’ – a set of gains that brought workers not just wages, but the security of a range of benefits, of which health care and pensions were the most significant…

To read more: http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/bullet229.html

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A FAREWELL TO ATKINSON COLLEGE (TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2009)
By James Laxer

A great experiment in part-time, adult education is coming to an end tomorrow.

Atkinson was on the cutting edge of the drive to democratize what had been a rather hide bound system in the past. Greater accessibility was the watchword of the time … From the very start Atkinson was about much more than upgrading professionals who needed a university degree. Without being fully conscious of what this implied at the outset, Atkinson was learning through experience how to educate people who combined work and study in their lives.

To read more: http://www.jameslaxer.com/2009/06/farewell-to-atkinson-college.html

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Posted here by Glenn Rikowski
The Flow of Ideas: http://www.flowideas.co.uk
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Mike Cole on Marx and 'Capital'

Mike Cole on Marx and ‘Capital’

My friend Mike Cole has an excellent reflective review of Capital: Volume 1 by Karl Marx in this week’s Times Higher Education.

I was particularly struck with how Mike started the article with an autobiographical note on how he read Capital: Volume 1 under the tutelage of Tom Bottomore for his Masters degree, and then moved on to outlining some of Marx’s key ideas. As someone interested in Marxist educational theory, I also appreciated how Mike made clear the significance of labour power for Marx’s theory of exploitation in capitalist society. I have explored the role of education and training in the social production of labour power in capitalism for many years now*.

You can see Mike’s reflective review at:
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=407196&c=2

* See, Online Publications by Glenn Rikowski, at: http://www.flowideas.co.uk/?page=pub&sub=Online%20Publications%20Glenn%20Rikowski

Professor Mike Cole is Director of the Centre for Education for Social Justice, Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln. He is author of Marxism and Educational Theory: Origins and Issues (2008) and Critical Race Theory and Education: A Marxist Response (2009).

Posted here by Glenn Rikowski
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