Over the last couple of months, I've noticed the Miliband-Poulantzas debate in a few places. Paul Mason mentioned it in his discussion of Syriza's strengths and weakness after the January election. David Coates mentioned it in his article about "Labour after New Labour" (which is more understandable given Labour's former leader). After I mentioned this on my Facebook wall, someone responded by posting a link to Bob Jessop's critique of their debate.
The more I get drawn in to the discussion of the Eurozone's fate and the fate of Greece, the more the memories of reading Marxist and Marxian theory reverberate in my consciousness. This signifies the weakening of my weakening: over the past five years or so, I have floated in the direction of producing more straightforward mainstream political science scholarship, and thinking in the terms of such scholarship. Now, though, it's theories of crisis that mean more to me. That, and documenting struggles. I will return to the Miliband-Poulantzas debate at some point, when time/workload allows.
Currently reading Christian Scholl's book Two Sides of a Barricade, a critical ethnographic account of interactions between police and protesters in post-Seattle Europe (a phrase that prompted a double-take as I typed it--the kind of moment worth remembering--but I think I like). One chapter in, and it's provocative so far. Scholl explicitly situates himself against mainstream social movements scholarship, arguing against "academic research methodologies and epistemologies that are complicit with the practice of ruling" and arguing for the production of "a form of knowledge that can emancipate despite attempts to control" (19). Although I am not so sure I agree with the premise, thinking alongside Scholl for the next 200 pages is going to be enlightening, I'm sure.
I have now been in Greece a little over two weeks. I won't catalogue all the things I've learned since being here, but here's one that I've been thinking about: Greek automobiles. Namco is the Greek automobile manufacturer, whose most important product, Pony, has not been built in substantial numbers since the 1980s. However, I now hear that, in 2015, Namco will resume producing them. There is also this, courtesy of the University of Crete.
Currently reading Christian Scholl's book Two Sides of a Barricade, a critical ethnographic account of interactions between police and protesters in post-Seattle Europe (a phrase that prompted a double-take as I typed it--the kind of moment worth remembering--but I think I like). One chapter in, and it's provocative so far. Scholl explicitly situates himself against mainstream social movements scholarship, arguing against "academic research methodologies and epistemologies that are complicit with the practice of ruling" and arguing for the production of "a form of knowledge that can emancipate despite attempts to control" (19). Although I am not so sure I agree with the premise, thinking alongside Scholl for the next 200 pages is going to be enlightening, I'm sure.
I have now been in Greece a little over two weeks. I won't catalogue all the things I've learned since being here, but here's one that I've been thinking about: Greek automobiles. Namco is the Greek automobile manufacturer, whose most important product, Pony, has not been built in substantial numbers since the 1980s. However, I now hear that, in 2015, Namco will resume producing them. There is also this, courtesy of the University of Crete.
