Re: activism and academia

Here is something organized by academics which appears to be trying to
bridge the divide: the annual international conferences on 'ALTERNATIVE
FUTURES and POPULAR PROTEST' at Manchester Metropolitan University,
which hosted six such conferences between 1995 and 2000 (the next one is
in April 2001). The organizers are Colin Barker, Dept. of Sociology, and
Mike Tyldesley, Dept. of Politics and Philosophy.

Their announcement says that <<The Conference aim is to explore the
dynamics of popular movements, along with the ideas which animate their
leaders and supporters and which contribute to shaping their fate.>>

1) Has anyone from this list attended this Conference before?

2) Do you know of any "similar" conferences anywhere else?

Regards,
Petros Haritatos, Athens

conference opening.

-----Original Message-----
From: Louis Proyect <lnp3@panix.com>
To: wsn@csf.colorado.edu <wsn@csf.colorado.edu>
Date: Παρασκευή, 8 Δεκεμβρίου 2000 5:00 πμ
Subject: Re: activism and academia


>>I suppose it all boils down to why one becomes an academic in the
>>first place. As someone working in the field of development studies
>>and with those of the world who are amongst the most underprivileged,
>>I thought I could make a difference. I gain much insight and many
>>ideas from 'academic' lists such as WSN - but am disturbed as I (and
>>others) don't seem to be able to translate some of their contents on
>>to the street.
>>
>>Paul.
>
>The world systems approach should not be seen as something that gets
>translated into strategy or tactics. It is at much too high level of
>abstraction. Its most important use is as a defense against
Eurocentrism
>which is deeply embedded in the Western university. Even subdisciplines
>that seem free of it are problematic. For example, Franz Boas has the
>reputation of being the first anthropologist to challenge the kind of
>Eurocentrism that was institutionalized with the earlier schools which
were
>influenced by social Darwinims. But Boas went on what can only be
described
>as criminal raiding parties in the Pacific Northwest to remove native
art.
>Or look at the horrendous business that went on with the aptly named
>Napoleon Chagnon and the Yanomamis. I think books like "Colonizer's
Model
>of the World" and Janet Abu-Lughod's "Before European Hegemony" should
be
>required reading for all college first year students.
>
>
>Louis Proyect
>Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org/