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From: portsideMod@netscape.net [...] Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 17:53:00 -0400 Subject: Tidbits: July 23, 2003 Message-ID: <314D70F4.382BB9CE.5170BEA2@netscape.net> Tidbits: July 23, 2003 [...] CALL FOR FOUNDING MEETING Alliance of Radical Academic/Intellectual Organizations October 4, 2003, in New York City The Alliance of Radical Academic/Intellectual Organizations invites all collectives, caucuses, and organizations--i.e., all groups working in, around, in spite of institutions of higher education--and whose members are in agreement with the principles in the draft Statement of Purpose (see at end)--to participate in a founding meeting of the organization on October 4, 2003, in New York City, at a location to be announced. Final decisions regarding the statement of purpose, name, and activities of the organization will be based on discussions at the founding meeting itself, including whether the organization is to be a loose alliance to communicate and coordinate activities or an organization that will initiate projects and actions on its own. GOALS OF THE FOUNDING MEETING + To create an organizational structure to facilitate the coordination and communication among member organizations for action around the following themes: * The Empire * The fiscal crisis * Repression of civil liberties + To discuss and propose strategies for the following: * Action in the academic arena * Support of research bodies and think tanks to present new alternatives for public debate, with an impact on policy and public opinion. PRELIMINARY AGENDA * Opening Remarks * Group Presentations/Reports and Discussions of Themes and Strategies * Breakout into possible Task Force groups for proposals * Proposals and decisions: statement of purpose, organizational structure, and actions PARTICIPANTS INVITED TO ATTEND * Delegates chosen by academic collectives, caucuses, and organizations in and around higher education to represent their group formally, including groups publishing radical scholarly academic journals, radical caucuses organizing and already within unions, radical caucuses within academic disciplinary and professional organizations, and other sites where political/ intellectual work takes place. * Individuals from such groups interested in bringing proposals back to their organizations * Individuals interested in organizing such groups in their academic/intellectual areas ORGANIZERS OF THE ALLIANCE We are radical scholars and intellectuals. Many of us are activist-scholars and activist-intellectuals who work in non-academic settings. Some of us are veterans of the sixties, and some of us are younger; all of us are active participants in today's new movements. In 2002-2003, we came together in the streets, the teach- ins, the academic associations and elsewhere in opposition to the "war on terrorism" and to the war- related fiscal crisis in higher education and across the economy; we oppose the governmental lies that brought the U.S. into the war, and we oppose U.S. imperialism and the emerging U.S. empire. We are deeply concerned about growing repression and, in particular, its impact on critical thought and expression. BACKGROUND An initial meeting of the Alliance, called by the Radical Caucus of the Modern Language Association, was held on April 19, 2003, at the City University of New York Graduate Center. A steering committee of volunteers was charged with the task of preparing a draft Statement of Purpose and of organizing a Founding Meeting for fall, 2003. The Steering Committee members participating in these tasks include the following: Betsy Bowman, Radical Philosophy Association Barbara Foley, Radical Caucus of the Modern Language Association Patricia Keeton, Radical Caucus of the Modern Language Association Jesse Lemisch, Historians Against the War Yusuf Nuruddin, Brecht Forum, Research Group on Socialism and Democracy Andor Skotnes, Radical History Review and Historians Against the War More than 25 people affiliated with radical academic and intellectual organizations attended the initial April 19 meeting, including members of the following groups: * Radical Caucus of the Modern Language Association * Radical Philosophy Association * Radical History Review * Historians Against the War * New Political Science * Brecht Forum * Research Group on Socialism and Democracy * Latin American Studies Association * North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) collective and journal * Professional Staff Congress union of CUNY * Union of Radical Political Economics * Working Class special interest group, Conference on College Composition and Communication * Caucus on Class of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION To obtain more information or to register for the meeting, please email the following: AllianceAcademic@hotmail.com STATEMENT OF PURPOSE (DRAFT) The Alliance of Radical Academic/Intellectual Organizations is a network of educational collectives and caucuses --brought together by the conjuncture of the "war on terrorism"; the degradation of the economy exacerbated by, but not totally attributable to, the war; growing repression; and privatization and de- funding of higher education. The goals of the Alliance are to support the work of individual caucuses and organizations through the establishment of a national and possibly international organization and, through this, to facilitate and coordinate activities on a larger regional, national, and international basis in response to these developments. The types of scholarly and intellectual groupings in the Alliance are diverse, including radical caucuses in academic disciplinary and professional organizations; organizations publishing radical scholarly academic journals; radical caucuses of faculty, professionals, and graduate students both organizing and already within unions. The Alliance invites such organizations--as well as those who would like to organize new groups--to join this network. While member groups are diverse in type, all affirm the following two principles: First, members of the Alliance--as members of scholarly and intellectual groups organized around radical principles--recognize that social and economic inequalities are built into the structure of capitalist society. We also believe that inequalities of power come in many other forms: racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, xenophobia, bigotry, and discrimination based on age, ethnicity, physical ability, sexual orientation, creed, and native language. Alliance members oppose all these forms of oppression and exploitation. Second, members of the Alliance commit themselves to the principle of activism, with priority to activism within the educational sector because this is where Alliance members are concentrated. We are all activists, and we affirm the dignity and value of intellectual work. We seek to build a better society, free of the bigotries and inequalities mentioned above, in which the passion for knowledge will flourish. We believe that activism, as well as teaching, research and writing have an important role to play in bringing about a just and humane society. We want to establish institutional and societal conditions that will encourage analytic and critical thought as well as foster the full development of human potential and creativity. To these ends we seek to build and be part of a re-born left. ***** === ------------------------------------ ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. 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