S & D in Real Time
From the Editors
Our July-November 2020 combined issue (#83-84) is in production and will soon be in the mail. We are finalizing our March 2021 issue (#85) for production. Among the papers that we will publishing is one that addresses the continuing wave of anti-China/Chinese nationalism being expressed in the United States; it is a startling continuity between... Read more
S&D in Real Time
S&D Real Time is a place for commentary, discussions and debate on matters of concern to the working class as a whole. Content shared here is curated by the Research Group on Socialism and Democracy but does not necessarily reflect any “official” perspective or endorsement. Unlike our journal, published three times a year, the content shared here are not subject to a peer-review process.
In a world that viewed portrait painting as an affectation of the rich, Alice Neel (1900-1984) believed all people had a right to have a portrait painted. On canvas, Neel depicted everyday people in a way that dignified them and viewed them as agents for change. She gave her subjects both personality and character, a feat that revealed their capacity to endure and to struggle. They are never broken or demoralized. And now we... Read more
The facts are undeniable. In response to Israel’s brutal treatment of Palestinians fighting to prevent evictions from their homes in East Jerusalem, Hamas, a spin-off from the Muslim Brotherhood, began firing short-range missiles manufactured from scrap metal into Israel. Within a few days, powerful American-made missile launchers, guided by the most sophisticated technology, began bombarding the Gaza Strip.
This latest... Read more
A convening hosted by CECOSESOLA in Barquisimeto, Venezuela (Photo from the South Sound Cooperative Network)
In a year with few historical parallels and to better understand the conjuncture, Meyer and Moodliar reached out to John Holloway who has devoted a considerable amount of work to understanding the relationship between the rule of capital and the grounds for hope. In the resulting interview, one that takes a conceptual turn, a series of distinctions are evoked to clarify the contradictions that emerge in practice – social... Read more
In a short presentation to the Post Capitalism Conference: Building the Solidarity Economy, Humboldt State University, April 25, 2021, Suren Moodliar joined a panel on the topic of "racial capitalism." Acknowledging the term's contested status, Moodliar nonetheless finds value in the term:
Toni Morrison describes “a friend of your mind,” as one who gathers the “pieces I am… and give them back to me in all the right order... Read more
In a wide-ranging presentation, one often drawing direct experience, Victor Wallis introduces his audience to Social Practice: Histories and Theories. Wallis's methodical study of Marxism is brought into dialogue with his support for the Cuban revolution, work with political prisoners, activities as a teacher, life in Chile in the Unidad Popular... Read more
March 18, 2021, marked the 150th anniversary of the Paris Commune. Given the seismic nature of the events, laying bare underlying class antagonisms, S&D writing has frequently revisited the topic. In 2016, we published Joe Cleffie's review of Kristin Ross's Communal Luxury: The Poltical Imagionary of the Paris Commune. Cleffie... Read more
Contributors to the S&D special issue, Movements at the Millennium: Seattle +20 (34:1), came together for a spirited 2-hour conversation about the evolution of our movements from the 1990s through the 2020s. It was both a moment of celebration of the social movement creativity and sober reflection on the tasks of the day, addressing the articulation of organizational forms and strategy in light of global authoritarian... Read more
Nikos Petropoulos (r.) with Victor Wallis. Athens, 1999.
Nicholas P. Petropoulos, S&D's informal correspondent on Greek affairs, died recently in Athens. He was an exemplary scholar/activist with whom I worked closely during his years in US academia (at Indiana University, 1971-78). He wrote for us in 2001 (15:2) on the general... Read more
The 2020s may prove to be “The Decisive Decade.” But what are the origins of the movements of these times? And what difference do those histories make today? We often are called to look back to the 1960s for lessons. But what of the 1990s and the movements at the turn of the millennium?
On Thursday, March 11th, starting at 7pm Eastern (U.S., Canada) time, join Bill Fletcher, Jr., Shannon Gleeson, Hillary... Read more
From the Fall 1978 to 1984, Peter Roman served two terms as PSC Chair. Under his leadership, he negotiated an agreement with then President Flora Edwards to limit the class size in all developmental courses. He also played a key role in the successful campaign to prevent the firing of Prof Pat Oldham. (Peter succeeded Gerald Meyer’s two-term leadership of the Hostos PSC Chapter, and was succeeded by Eugenio Barrios.)
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