The "practice or activism "of revolutionary intellectuals (doing something, not just sitting around talking) is not as easy as it is sometimes pronounced. For our "practice" is to write articles and distribute them widely. Sometimes "practice" seems to be physical labor contrasted with mental labor, but most of Lenin's practice, for example, was talking and writing, not physically laboring. In a way, we are obligated to try to become public figures to do our practice, to spread our conversations among our small groups to many, many more people; make breakthroughs in mass media, not just small circles.
I myself feel an obligation to always push myself to "practice" , because as an intellectual, I tend to do "think" work more. But as I say, what exactly is that practice? Sure I have been to many demos and protests, and will continue to do that. Then there is joining and even starting groups. Effective practice, really moving people, is not easy.
An e-mail list could be used to organize political activities , as well as theoretical discourse.
I don't think Butler should be picked on in particular, but since we have a focus on her, I definitely am looking for insights she might give me for practice as well as theory.
I guess for me, the thing is, as Marx says, to change the world, based on interpreting it. But not only that, practice is the test of theory. So, a theoretician with no practice is suspect to me ( not saying Butler has no practice). I demand both theory and practice. Given that these lists tend to emphasize theoretical, I support reminders to get involved in practical-critical activity.
Charles Brown