Eric wrote:
>
> So, RM attenders, one of my sources tells me there was a bit of a
> kerfuffle, or at least a vibe of contention and irritation, at the
> "Rethinking Communism" plenary, something about the word "communism"
> and a certain expansive speaker and maybe some other stuff. My source
> refuses to divulge any other details. Anyone care to indulge me?
I too would like this information. I was there, but I paid no attention to the plenaries. I attended four fine panels, but in respect to the first two that is a guess, since I couldn't hear the speakers for the most part. Someone ought to teach grad students and young asst. profs. that if they write a paper that says something, they ought to read it as though they wanted someone to hear it.
In 40+ years of attending conferences, I've heard _one_ plenary paper that was worth hearing -- Angela Davis in the Marxism 2000 conference. For the rest, even the best said nothing one could not more easily gain in print. But then, that's probably true of Davis's paper -- I just haven't gotten around to look for it in print.
Carrol