VLVL(6) New Left History

[Doug Millison]

This announcement seems to summarize neatly some current thinking about
historical approaches to the Movement we've been discussing.
-Doug

>Date:         Sun, 6 Dec 1998 22:18:01 +0200
>From:         H-Net Announcements Editor <announce at h-net.msu.edu>
>Subject:      CFP: NEW LEFT HISTORY
>
>CALL FOR PAPERS -- NEW LEFT HISTORY
>
>As a recent Lingua Franca article has pointed out, historians have
>already begun to challenge the predominate narratives of 1960s
>historiograpy. Some have argued that the new left was essentially a
>broad-based, grassroots movement that is best studied at the local
>level, "from the bottom up."  Others have challenged the the idea that
>the movement fell into sharp decline in 1969, suggesting that it
>survived, in various forms, into the 1970s.  Still other scholars have
>argued that student movement from this period was over-emphasized in
>the media, that its impact was actually quite narrow. As one might
>expect, much of this work has sparked conteroversy, leading one
>historian to complain of "generational politics within the academy, as
>older scholars who participated in the Sixties defend interpretations
>that stem from their own experiences."
>
>Paul Buhle and John McMillian are seeking essays for a book that will
>be loosely based around the theme of "new perspectives on new left
>history." Though we welcome contributions from all, we aim to emphasize
>the work of younger scholars who are offering fresh interpretations.
>These might include local studies, comparative approaches, theoretical
>works, or iconoclastic essays that draw attention to areas of this
>history that have been glossed over or marginalized.  We further hope
>that many of our contributors will make wise use of some of the rich
>archival material from this period, including letters and personal
>papers, FBI records, underground newspapers, and oral history
>collections.  We will include writers from wide range of political
>perspecties, but please keep in mind that these should be rigorous,
>scholarly works (as opposed to memoirs, complaints, or partisan
>defenses of all aspects of the new left).
>
>We already have several published scholars who are interested in our
>project, and we hope to begin talking to publishers in the near future.
> Meanwhile, interested parties should direct correspondence to John
>McMillian over email at [jcm67 at columbia.edu]. However, any abstracts,
>paper proposals or finished works should be mailed to McMillian at the
>Department of History, 611 Fayerweather Hall, Columbia University, New
>York, NY 10027.
>


D O U G  M I L L I S O N  [http://www.online-journalist.com]
"All these voices. Why not pluck a few words from the multitudes rushing
toward the Void of forgetfulness?"--Thomas Pynchon