[Bilimsel Haber] Call for Papers; “Rethinking the Left"

[Sule Tarakcioglu]

Call for Papers; “Rethinking the Left"

Time and time again leftist activists and movements, confronted with
unexpected contingencies, have responded by shifting ground, reframing
issues in major ways, imagining new political and social possibilities,
and experimenting with drastic new approaches to mobilizing masses. In
some situations political defeat can lead to efforts to broaden
political appeal while in others defeat only moves parties to inward
battles, reinforcing old convictions and leading to new isolation. Under
what circumstances do labor and left-wing movement abandon long-held
beliefs? Under what circumstances do they hold fast to rigid ideologies?
For some movements, defeat indicates a dead end while for others it only
marks a temporary setback in the inevitable road to victory. How can
such different responses be explained? And success can prove as
devastating as defeat. In 1906 in the U.K., against all expectation, a
Liberal electoral landslide led to the enactment of nearly the entire
Liberal social reform program. These reforms marked the beginning of the
national welfare state but, in exhausting the store of Liberal reformist
ideas, they also paved the way for the rise of the Labour Party. Why do
some leftist movements build on their victories while others are
threatened by them?

This issue of ILWCH focuses on the efforts of left-wing activists and
movements to readjust to dramatic new circumstances, to adverse
developments and sometimes even to successes. It welcomes papers from
around the globe and from diverse historical era.

The deadline for paper proposals is October 15, 2007.
All submissions should indicate that they are for the "Rethinking the
Left" special issue, and should be sent to:

ILWCH, c/o Peter Nekola, Managing Editor
New School for Social Research
80 Fifth Avenue, #519
New York, New York 10011

phone (212) 229-5921
fax (212) 229-5929
e-mail: ilwch at newschool.edu

	Michael Hanagan
Box 238
Vassar College
124 Raymond Ave.
Poughkeepsie, New York 12604-0238
Email: mihanagan at vassar.edu <mailto:mihanagan at vassar.edu>