"MARXISM AND THE WORLD STAGE" 6-9 NOVEMBER 2003 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AT AMHERST <http://www.nd.edu/~remarx/>
PURPOSE The editors of RETHINKING MARXISM announce "Marxism and the World Stage," the fifth in its series of international Gala celebrations of the Marxian tradition. Marxism continues to inspire rich and diverse analyses and politics across the globe. Within academia, Marxism provokes new critical insights and excites passion in political economy, philosophy, anthropology, geography, biology, literature, languages, sociology, cultural studies, art, and many other discourses. Beyond the academy, Marxism resonates among those the world over who are resisting oppression in its myriad forms; it provides a theoretical grounding for projects that seek social liberation and justice, international solidarity, and ecological sanity.
Despite a century of effort by its opponents (and even by some advocates), Marxism continues to resist containment -- be it geographic, intellectual or political. Banished from one quarter, banned from another, Marxism soon emerges and flourishes in many more. And at a time of deepening international flows and exchanges -- of capital, commodities, weapons, persons, ideas and aspirations -- Marxism is proving its vitality and power as a unifying ground for those seeking a just and sustainable world.
The prior four gala celebrations, each attended by over a thousand people from across the globe, brought together a variety of Marxian and other liberation communities to discuss, debate, and strategize about diverse theoretical and political concerns:
*In 1989, "Marxism Now: Traditions and Difference" created a forum where new, heterogeneous directions in Marxism and the Left could be debated after the breakup of orthodoxy.
*In 1992, "Marxism in the New World Order: Crises and Possibilities" confronted directly the challenges--theoretical, organizational, and spiritual--which faced the Left and Marxism as the new millennium neared.
*In 1996, "Politics and Languages of Contemporary Marxism" continued the dialogue to open creative new spaces for political, cultural and scholarly interventions in the face of global restructuring of social relations.
*In 2000, "Marxism 2000: the party's not over" marked the new millennium by reflecting on the many Marxisms that have shaped the last 150 years while also articulating new visions and analyses to move Marxism's future forward.
Like the previous four Galas, "Marxism and the World Stage" promises to register the heterogeneous work, achievements, shortcomings and failures of this tradition, and to promote lively interchange and debate among these who draw on Marx in their contemporary theoretical, practical and expressive practices. In keeping with the spirit of RETHINKING MARXISM, the conference will feature the exchange of academic and political analysis while providing a venue for installation and performance art. The goal is to nurture the critical yet utopian spirit of Marxism while stimulating the senses and provoking the mind. The editors of RETHINKING MARXISM invite you to join with us in this examination and celebration of this extraordinary tradition.
STRUCTURE The conference will be held over four days, beginning on Thursday 6 November 2003 and ending on Sunday 9 November 2003. In addition to three plenary sessions and performance art, there will be concurrent panels and art/cultural events. We invite the submission of pre-organized sessions that follow traditional or non-traditional formats (such as workshops, roundtables, and dialogue among and between presenters and audience). We encourage those working in areas that intersect with Marxism, such as feminism, political economy, cultural and literary studies, queer theory, working class and labor studies, postcolonial studies, geography and urban studies, social and natural sciences, philosophy, and around the issues of class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and disability, to submit paper and panel proposals. We welcome video, poetry, performance, and all other modes of presentation. Indeed, we encourage paper or panel submissions from those working on any and all subjects of interest for a world without exploitation and oppression.
Concurrent with the conference, artists Susan Jahoda and Grady Gerbracht will curate an exhibition of works that address and visually articulate the general themes of the conference. A catalog accompanying the exhibition will include documentation of the works, information about the artists, and essays contextualizing the projects. Each registrant will receive a complimentary copy of the exhibition catalog with his or her registration materials.
LOGISTICS The Conference will be held on the campus of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Detailed information on lodging, travel directions, and child care will be provided to all conference registrants.
PUBLICATIONS Selected papers, poems, and other forms of presentation from the conference will be published in RETHINKING MARXISM and/or in a separate edited volume of contributions.
SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS Proposals for papers, panels, and other forms of presentation must be submitted by regular mail, not over email.
Proposals for papers should include: *Paper title *Presenter's name and contact information (mail, email, phone, fax) *Brief (no more than 200 words) abstract
Proposals for panels should include: *Panel title *Name, contact information, and paper title for each presenter *Brief (no more than 200 words) abstract explaining the panel's focus *Names and contact information for any discussant(s) or respondent(s) *Title, contact, and address for any sponsoring organization or journal
The appropriate registration fee must accompany all proposal submissions. UNFORTUNATELY, ANY SUBMITTED PROPOSAL NOT ACCOMPANIED BY THE APPROPRIATE PREREGISTRATION FEE CANNOT BE CONSIDERED. Proposals which are not accepted will have their preregistration fees returned in full.
Pre-Registration Rates:
______Full Regular Rate $80 (at Conference $90) ______Full Low-Income Rate $30 (at Conference $35) ______Two-day Regular Rate $60 (at Conference $70) ______Two-day Low-Income Rate $20 (at Conference $25) ______One-day Regular Rate $40 (at Conference $50) ______One-day Low Income Rate $10 (at Conference $15)
The deadline for proposal submissions is 15 September 2003.
Please mail all proposal submissions to:
Professor Stephen Cullenberg Marxism and the World Stage Department of Economics University of California Riverside, CA 92521 USA
VENDORS AND ADVERTISEMENTS Literature tables and display areas are available to groups, vendors, and publishers at reasonable rates. Ad space in the conference program is also available at reasonable rates. All ads must be camera ready.