Learneds 1995: 3-6 June at UQAM in Montre%al The 1995 Learneds will be held at the Universite% du Que%bec a$ Montre%al. Our society dates are 3-6 June (Saturday-Tuesday). Patrick Bolland has agreed to coordinate the Montre%al local committee. David Mandel is our direct connection with UQAM. They will be in contact with the National Office to deal with such practical matters as room allocation, audio-visual needs and, of course, the famous Socialist Studies Party. More on these things in future Bulletins. Final Call for Papers For the sessions listed below you are encouraged to submit your proposals for a paper to the coordinator (note that in one session submissions must be made to three coordinators) and to the National Office: Society for Socialist Studies, University College, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB R3T 2M8, fax 204-261-0021, e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] The deadline for the submission of paper proposals is 10 February. Note that several sessions have been added since the previous call for papers. Some of these are now cross-listed with the CSAA. Some comments re speakers: 1) Ordinarily, speakers must be (or become) members of the Society for Socialist Studies. Exceptions are (a) special guests who could not be expected to join the organisation otherwise, and (b) participants in joint sessions if they are members of the other group. 2) Speakers are expected to have a finished paper ready for distribution at the conference. 3) Being accepted as a speaker does not mean that funding for travel to the conference is available. Last year the requests for funds were triple the amount provided to us by SSHRC and SSFC (and a bit from our own resources). 4) SSHRCC rules preclude the payment of travel money to those living within 325km/200miles from the host university. 5) Our society has, for many years, used the following order of priority: (i) students, unemployed, commmunity activists, other low-income people; (ii) postdoctoral appointees, sessional academics; (iii) term and probationary appointees; (iv) tenured faculty members. Usually, only members of the first two groups receive (some) funding. 6) Ordinarily, only speakers are eligible for funding. 7) In accordance with a motion passed at the 1994 AMM, travel support is normally awarded (if at all) no more than twice in a row to any fully employed person. 8) No money will be paid for "income replacement". All confirmed speakers will be contacted by the National Office in March with further details. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The following sessions have been proposed: Labour and the extreme right: the myths and the realities. Barrie Anderson, Sociology and Social Studies, University of Regina, Regina S4S 0A2. Fax 306-585-4815 Papers dealing with all aspects of the consequences for labour of an emerging neo-fascism are invited. Presentations concentrating on anti-Semitism, white-supremacist hate groups, anti-labour activities, anti-feminism, and strategies to fight back will be particularly welcome. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Genocide as a concern for socialist and feminist theory & practice (papers and/or round-table) Organiser: Dr. Sima Aprahamian (Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University, 1455 de Maisonneuve W., Montreal, Que%bec H3G 1M8; H: 514-331-9571) Genocide is the ultimate destruction of life, therefore of all labour and work. Genocide is not a new issue. Although genocide as a political and legal terminology has only been in use in association with the Nazi-perpetrated Holocaust, as a systematic annihilation plan it has much deeper roots. In view of the recent massacres in Rwanda, Bosnia and the 80th anniversary of the unrecognized genocide of the Armenians I propose a forum to re-examine the politics of terminology and theories of genocide. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Health care in the 90s: re-visions, reorganization, research (with CSAA) Marie Campbell, Faculty of Human and Social Resources, University of Victoria, Victoria BC V8W 2Y2. Tel. 604-721-8203. Fax 604-721-7067. E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] (one L!) This session covers critical and feminist analyses of current trends and research (population-based, community participation, regionalisation, "closer-to-home" care, etc.) in our health-care system. Questions to be be addressed include: What is happening in the name of progress and reorganization? How are researchers involved in such changes? In the face of fiscal restraint -- especially targetting social spending -- what kinds of research activity do health activists, professionals, policy makers and unionists find helpful in the struggle to maintain and improve health care? The CCF-NDP and the labour movement. Lorne Brown, Political Science, University of Regina, Regina SK S4S 0A2. Tel. 306-585-4444 (w), 306-729-4558 (h). Fax 306-585-4815. The relationship of the CCF-NDP to the labour movement in Canada has some similarities with that between labour and social-democratic parties in Europe and Britain, but probably differences too. This session will feature papers, whether from a historical or an contemporary perspective. exploring the Canadian situation, in particular the connections between trade unions and CCF-NDP provincial governments. Papers may deal exclusively with Canada or compare and contrast the Canadian experiences with those of other countries. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Contemporary and historical international solidarity. Lorne Brown, Political Science, University of Regina, Regina SK S4S 0A2. Tel. 306-585-4444 (w), 306-729-4558 (h). Fax 306-585-4815. The left has traditionally played an important role on the international scene through solidarity movements. Struggles in Canada and Que%bec have often found support in other countries, and vice versa. Solidarity actions in the U.K., the U.S.A. and several other countries supported the democratic rebellion of 1837-38, the struggle for union recognition in 1871, the Saskatchewan Rebellion of 1885, and the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. Likewise, Canadians have played, and continue to play, active roles supporting such international struggles as the Spanish Civil War, anti-colonial struggles in many parts of the British Empire, the Cuban revolution, the Vietnam war, the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, and the revolutionary upheavals in Central America -- to mention some of the most obvious cases. Presentations on historical and current solidarity activities and groups are invited from academics and solidarity activists. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Alternative and people's budgets Paul Browne, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 804-251 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa K1P 5H3. Tel. 613-563-1341. Fax: 613-233-1458. In 1994-95, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and Cho!ces have developed an "alternative federal budget." It is intended both as a demonstration of the possibility and fiscal viability of alternative economic and social policies, and as an instrument for building people's coalitions against the state and capital. Other alternative and people's budgets have been produced in Canada and elsewhere over the years (for example in Grenada under the New Jewel Movement). Papers are invited on all aspects of people's and alternative budgets in Canada and abroad, addressing such questions as: What should be their role in socialist strategy? Can they avoid the twin perils of unrealistic utopianism and timid reformism? etc. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The federal social security review Paul Browne, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 804-251 Laurier Ave West, Ottawa K1P 5J6. Tel. 613-563-1341. Fax 613-233-1458. Home phone & fax 613-234-3191. The social security review, launched in January 1994 and intensified with the publication of Lloyd Axworthy's discussion paper "Improving Social Security in Canada", will reach a peak in 1995. The paper proposes to transform social policy into an instrument of labour market policy and, implicitly, to renew the Poor Law tradition of welfare as relief to the "deserving poor" only. Papers are invited developing socialist and feminist critiques of -- and alternative proposals for -- any aspect of the federal social security review: social insurance, education & training, labour market policy, federal-provincial relations, fiscal & monetary policy, continental economic and political integration, theories of welfare. Contributions of a philosophical nature will be as welcome as those from the vantage points of sociologists, political scientists, economists, educators etc. etc. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The contemporary relevance of class. Howard Chodos, 46 Brighton Avenue, Ottawa K1S 0T2. Tel. 613-730-1258. Understanding the world of work in terms of class has been a distinguishing feature of socialist analyses. Re-examening the salience of class is an important requirement for revitalising socialist theory and practice. This session will deal with the definition of class, the effects of class, strategic implications of class analysis, and the (possible) precedence of class over other axes of social stratification. Is class an explanatory variable or an agent of history? What mechanisms enable the expanded reproduction of class? Theoretical and empirical papers on these topics and questions are invited. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Canada, Que%bec, and Social Movements (session with the Karl Polanyi Institute of Political Economy) Coordinators: Frank Cunningham, Philosophy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont. M5S 1A1; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; and Marguerite Mendell, Karl Polanyi Institute of Political Economy, Concordia University, Montreal, P.Q. H3G 1M8; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Uncertainty about future relations between Que%bec and the rest of Canada does not change the fact that things like environmental degredation, sexism, racism, or class oppression cross national borders. This makes it all the more important that activists in social movements combatting these things maintain or construct contact and, where feasible, coordination of effort no matter whether under conditions of the constitutional status quo, division of the country into two states, or anything in between. To explore ways that this might be done, the Society for Socialist Studies and the Karl Polanyi Institute of Political Economy are soliciting interest in a roundtable on this topic at the Learneds, bringing together people involved in social movements on both sides of the Que%bec border. While the questions of whether and how independence of Que%bec would be pertinent to the discussions of the roundtable, the envisaged focus will be on possiblity for ongoing interaction among social movements under a variety of conceivable outcomes of current national politics. To ensure full discussions, all participants in the session should be sufficiently proficient in both French and English that we can proceed without the aid of translators. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Training, ideology and the changing labour market (with CSAA) (see also the Call for Papers, Annual 11, elsewhere in this Bulletin) For this session only, send proposals to all coordinators: Thomas Dunk, Centre for Northern Studies, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ont. P7B 5E1. Tel. 807-343-8091. Fax 807-343-8100. Internet [EMAIL PROTECTED] Stephen McBride, Political Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby BC V5A 1S6. Tel. 604-291-3729. Fax 604-291-4786. Internet [EMAIL PROTECTED] Randle Nelsen, Sociology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ont. P7B 5E1. Tel. 807-343-8376. Fax 807-346-7831. Internet c/o [EMAIL PROTECTED] In recent years worker training and retraining have been seen by politicians of various political leanings and many social commentators as an important part of the solution for several different but closely related economic problems. Training and retraining are thought to be central to labour productivity and, therefore, the competitiveness of national economies; they are frequently proposed as an answer to the crisis experienced by workers displaced by industrial restructuring and "adjustment", and they are seen as a way of reducing high rates of unemployment. This session examines worker training and retraining from a critical perspective. We invite papers which examine the political economy and ideology of the training and "adjustment" debate. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Political economy of religion Ron Fletcher, 1152 Redland Ave, Moose Jaw SK S6H 3P3. Tel. 306-692-5579(h), 306-692-3842(w). This session addresses social, political and/or economic aspects of the various religious doctrines and institutions. Some suggested topics (but no more than examples!) are: the class nature of religious denominations; biblical positions on property, usery, exploitation, and other social-economic issues; the political and economic basis of the attack on the United Church of Canada. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Humanism and religion in Canadian social thought. NOTE: A coordinator is still sought for this session. Volunteers are encouraged to contact the National Office. One paper proposal has been received to date: "The humanist element of Canadian social democracy -- the thought of F.R. Scott". Potential coordinators may obtain this proposal from the National Office. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Women, labour and race. Ronnie Leah, Sociology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge AB T1K 3M4. Tel. 403-329-2552. E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] This sessions addresses issues of gender and race in the workplace. Theoretical and empirical papers are invited. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Is there still a women's movement in Canada? In Que%bec? (with CSAA) Patrice LeClerc, Canadian Studies, Duke University, Box 90422, Durham NC USA 27708-0422. Tel. 919-684-4260. E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note: declerc, not leclerc!) Many changes have occurred in the women's movement in Canada in the past five years, much affected by the political scene. Two groups that officially coordinate "the movement", NAC and the FFQ, have lost some of their power. Many groups have proliferated with their own special interests. Women in Que%bec and the rest of Canada often disagree on priorities, tactics and principles. Some questions to be addressed in this session: Is there still sisterhood? A women's agenda? Do women need to work together? Can they? Do we need new structures or procedures to deal with government(s)? Do present institutions work? Is diversity problematic? -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Market, planning, efficiency & justice: the experience and options in the East, the West & the South. NOTE: A coordinator is still sought for this session. Volunteers are encouraged to contact the National Office. The debate about the various ways of allocation of productive resources continues. The western-style forms of "free" markets (with various degrees of government control) and the eastern-style central planning models have been successful in some aspects but have failed to deliver on the promise of both efficiency and justice. What types of intermediate allocative and distributive structures can be developed in theory and practice? Papers are invited reviewing and extending the current debate, as is taking place in many progressive journals, electronic networks, and political-action groups. One paper proposal has been received to date: "Market socialism - an oxymoron". Potential coordinators may obtain this proposal from the National Office. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The Transformation of Educational Work: The Political Economy of Teaching and Learning in Canadian Postsecondary Institutions (with CSAA) Coordinator: Diane Meaghan (Liberal Studies, Seneca College, 1750 Finch Ave. East, Willowdale, ON M2J 2X5. W: 416-491-5050 X2245. Fax: 416-491-3081) Administrators at colleges and universities across the nation are determinately moving their institutions towards a business model, often with the active support and encouragement of political leaders anxious to reduce the burden of public debt with the pretext of enhancing accountability. This has led to an attempt to define and measure every aspect and outcome of the educational process with a resulting ever-expanding list of performance indicators. Furthermore, various productivity-enhancing practices aimed largely at reducing labour costs are being examined and implemented, such as the use of part-time sessional teachers, alternative delivery methods and increased teaching loads. As teaching and research become more articulated to the needs of business, this transformational process has direct implications for how the members of the academy will continue to control the professional components of teaching. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Sociology of the family: mothers who mother other women's children (with CSAA) Baukje (Bo) Miedema, Sociology, University of New Brunswick, P.O.B. 4400, Fredericton NB E3B 5A3. Tel. 506-453-4849. Fax 506-453-4549. E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] This session invites papers concerning foster care or adoptive mothers; papers may be research oriented or based on personal experiences. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Class, ethnicity, sexuality, and technology. Judy Morrison, Political Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6. Home: 1526 E 10th Ave, Vancouver V5N 1X5. Tel: 604-291-5487 or 4293 (u), 604-879-3661 (h). Fax: 604-291-4786. email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This session will address the social relations embedded in power mediated through such factors as class, gender and ethnicity. Included will be discussions on reproductive technologies; contraceptive use and promotion; the social construction of 'race' and the historical construction of 'cheap labour'; as well as the 'cycloptic' world vision of those with power and how this shapes our realities. Such a forum for critical discussions should lead to strategies for action and change. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The environment and the relations with First Nations. (with the Environmental Studies Association of Canada) Peter Penz, Environmental Studies, York University, 4700 Keele Street, North York ON M3J 1P3. Tel. 416-736-5252. Fax 416-736-5679. E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] (NOTE: change of coordinator!). This session will feature a panel debate on "Rethinking Environmental - First Nations Relations: A Discussion Paper" by David Orton. It will be produced and circulated as a Green Web Bulletin prior to the Learneds, and will be available (mail and e-mail) from the National Office well before the Learneds. Session participants (and hopefully all attendants) would be expected having read the paper. Other papers are not invited (but will not be refused if submitted). This paper will consider (but will not be limited to) the following: Did aboriginals "own" Canada? Should treaty rights be supported? Purpose of land claims settlements. Problems and their resolution in fur trapping, parks and wilderness, forestry, and fisheries conflicts. The "Left" critique and its limitations. The left ecocentric perspective on land use and on environmental/First Nations relations. What is the way forward? -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Pushing the margins, making the connections, fighting the oppression. Nandita Sharma, 1957 Kitchener Street, Vancouver V5L 2W6. Tel. 604-254-6258 (h), 604-291-3146 (u, messages only). This session features a panel to discuss and demonstrate popular education techniques. Its contrbutions are organised around a slide show on the development and expansion of fascism, particularly in the context of the recent phase of capitalist restructuring. Also shown will be a video which explores many of the issues surrounding women's health concerns. Papers are sought dealing with the methods, processes and people playing a role in popular education, demonstrating its usefullness in advancing our means of gathering and disseminating knowledge, and in linking activism with the academy. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The ideological proletarianization of educators. Robert Runte%, Sociology of Education, Faculty of Education, Lethbridge University, Lethbridge AB T1K 3M4. Tel. 403-329-2454. Fax 403-329-2252. [EMAIL PROTECTED] In many Canadian jurisdictions teachers have lost control over the goals of education, through the imposition of fiscal and managerial constraints. The introduction of standard curricula and the increased imposition of pre-packaged materials are both designed to "teacher-proof" the educational system. Still, as is the case with other knowledge workers, teachers retain a narrow technical discretion that allows them the illusion of professional autonomy. This, in turn, isolates them from other workers and encourages them to continue a strategy of co-operation with (or being co-opted by) the sectional interests controlling the legislative process. Papers are sought on factual evidence, analysis and implications for public policy and teachers' strategy. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Various readings of Capital Ajit Sinha, 6 Ross Street, Toronto M5T 1Z9. e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel. 416-597-6765. Fax 415-736-5615. Capital, the most important intellectual contribution of Marx, has been read and reread for more than 125 years and remains as controversial as ever before. It, on the one hand, is a philosophical discourse, and on the other, an economic theory. During the early 60's two major works, one in the area of philosophy and another in the area of economic theory, created an unprecedented stir within the Marxist intellectual community. One was the works of Louis Althusser, particularly Reading Capital, and the other was Sraffa's Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities. This panel discussion will attempt to explore the significance of this development as well as other alternative readings of Capital. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Class Struggle and Labour Unrest in Post Mao China. Gerald B. Sperling, Political Science, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2. Phone 306-585-4442. Fax 306-585-4815. Internet: [EMAIL PROTECTED] With the triumph of "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics", that is, neo-capitalism under the aegis of the Chinese Communist Party, has come unprecedented prosperity for hundreds of millions of Chinese peasants and urban dwellers. However, also accompanying dizzying economic growth rates have come unprecedented social problems amongst the old and the new working class. Thousands of state enterprises cannot meet their payrolls, raising the prospect of tens of millions of unemployed urban proletariat. In addition, anywhere from 50 to 100 million former peasants, now surplus labour, have become migrant workers, moving to the cities in search of work on construction projects. Labour unrest (work stoppages, protest marches) is growing significantly. Papers are invited dealing with the theory and/or empirical evidence related to the rapidly changing labour situation in present day China. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Unpaid female labour. Michelle Weinroth, 1003-85 Range Road, Ottawa K1N 8J6. Tel. & fax 613-234-3191. Capitalist society quantifies and judges every social relation according to market values. It thus denies women at home any public, social recognition; it demeans caregiving and regards mothers' nurturing activities as unworthy of material reward, despite this work being the most demanding, versatile and extensive labour of our society. Although they give far more than nannies or daycare workers, mothers-at-home earn no wages for their 24-hour task, no pension, sick leave, or other benefits. If they desire greater fulfillment and recognition, they must enter the paid workforce and yield their children to the care of others. This session invites papers on all aspects of unpaid female labour. It encourages participants to provide a critique of the alienating dilemma that the capitalist market foists on women: either the solitary autonomy of wage labour or the solitude of unpaid homework. Can we supersede this contradiction? What are the emancipatory possibilities? -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Consequences of exclusion from the labour force on various dimensions of older workers' lives. Vivian Wiseman, 3805 Grey Ave, Montre%al PQ H4A 3N8. Tel. 514-482-9573. (Session co-organizers: Marc Andre% Deniger and Eric Shragge) Over the span of the past 15 years of economic recession and the restructuring of general patterns of work, many workers aged 45 and over have been displaced from their jobs. In this session we will review implications drawn from perspectives on work and social history that reveal important linkages between joblessness, income loss and dysfunction on individual, social and psychological levels. We shall examine the qualitative impact of the labour market crisis on the unemployment experience, particularly that of women. Other impacts to be discussed include frequency and duration of long-term unemployment and the movement to social assistance of older workers, effects on communities' recourse to health and social services, consequences on the family, social networks and personal identity. Special Learneds Event - The Strangest Dream history and people of working-class Montre%al James McCrorie is organising a special full-day event at the 1995 Learneds on the theme of the book The Strangest Dream by Merrily Weisbord. This programme item will consist of the following: - James' review of this book in the next Socialist Studies Bulletin (no. 39). - an invitation to members to read the book before the Learneds; The National Office has copies available for $ 14.50 (20% off). - a seminar or workshop at the conference with veterans from the Montre%al labour struggles, in particular the period 1930-1960. - a walk-about, visiting those historic sites associated with events described in the book. - a panel discussion on the relevance of the Montre%al experience for modern social and political action. Those who want to become actively involved are asked to contact James McCrorie, Canadian Plains Research Centre, University of Regina, Regina SK S4S 0A2. Tel. 306-585-4758/59. Fax 306-586-9862. Make sure to order this book from the National Office! Socialist Studies - National Film Board Film & Video Presentations -- Learneds 1995 Patrick Bolland is organising a Socialist Studies film and video festival at the UQAM Learneds through the offices of the National Film Board. The NFB facilities are located next to UQAM. Current plans call for 3 events to be held in their big cinema (142 seats) from 3:00 until 5:30 (approximately). Each event will feature an NFB film or video, preceded by an introduction from the director (or other person closely connected with the production) and followed by a panel discussion involving the director and Socialist Studies members. As usual, the events will be open to the public. >From the list published in the previous Bulletin (no. 37), Patrick Bolland has, so far, selected a couple of titles for posssible inclusion: on NAFTA and on Que%bec socialism, respectively. Members are encouraged to send him suggestions for suitable NFB titles of interest and inform him of their availability to take part in any panel discussion (formal papers will not be required for these events). Contact: Patrick Bolland, 424 Prince Albert, Westmount, Que%. H3Y 2P5. Tel. 514-481-5757.