Left Forum open house showcases proposed topics

The University served as host of the Left Forum in 2009 and will be doing the same the weekend of March 19-21. Bringing panelists together from the national wealth of educators, students and activists, attendees this year will also be given what’s expected to be rousing speeches from both Noam Chomsky and Jesse Jackson.

Many of the University’s faculty and students will be participating in panels proposing topics that exhibit the Left Forum’s desire to “link the critique of neo-liberalism to anti-capitalism, and to foster radical alternatives to the established order.”

Seth Adler, coordinator of the Left Forum and professor of sociology and anthropology, announced this years theme as “The Center Cannot Hold: Rekindling the Radical Imagination.” Adler said the theme is a response to “a new stridency in right wing voices, and a conservative tilt in Washington politics.”

Those on the left assumed with the election of Barack Obama, decisions again would begin to lean to the left of the political spectrum, but many are dissatisfied. President Obama’s decision to reach across the aisle has spurred great discourse among the leftist community, discourse that is sure to be furthered at this upcoming forum.

Professors, such as communications studies professor Satish Kolluri are longtime devotees of the Left Forum and held panels in the past years.

Kolluri in particular was eager to join his fellow lefties in diverse panels offering “much needed perspective from the Left on economic, social, and political issues that the mainstream media and political pundits ignore completely.”

Last year Kolluri participated on a panel with fellow colleagues, Professors of sociology and anthropology, Aseel Sawalha and Roger Salerno, titled “Teaching War and Peace.”

This year, we can possibly expect a panel from Kolluri involving students from his Media Criticism and Cultural Studies classes. Political science professor, Dr. Christopher Malone expressed how important it is to see students “producing scholarship, being producers of knowledge” and this being one of the main goals of the Left Forum.

The speakers at this year’s Forum, Chomsky and Jackson represent many of the ideals held by The Forum. Chomsky, a professor of linguistics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is a key intellectual figure within the left-wing of American Politics.

Over the years, Chomsky has maintained his position as anti-war and remains a staunch critic of the United States domestic and foreign policy. Regarding himself a libertarian socialist, he is has stimulated great discourse over global politics and will likely do the same at the upcoming conference.

Jackson is a well-known American civil rights Activist who was extremely active under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After the 1970s he went on to be democratic presidential candidate in both 1984 and 1988.

Throughout Jackson’s lifetime, he has been a great spokesman for peace and equality within our communities. He has stirred some controversy regarding anti-semitic remarks and comments concerning the Obama campaign.

The Forum is a large event and relies on volunteers to keep it running. There is a definite need for videographers as all the panels are recorded and circulated online.

This year the Center for Community Outreach at Dyson College is coordinating many of the volunteers and if students are interested in lending a hand they can contact Sangeeta Rao or contact The Forum directly.

The Forum is far reaching in its participants and has panelists attend from every corner of North America, as well as Asia, Latin America, Europe and Africa. This event is an opportunity for University students to converse with some of the greatest minds in left politics.

Topics fit for any major are discussed with panels focusing on economics, politics, and the environment. You can expect your intellectual curiosity to be satisfied.

Last year’s panelists brought titles like “The Relevance of the 1930s for Today’s Political and Economic Scene” and “Food Sovereignty: Indigenous and People’s Control Over Their Own Food Production.” Kolluri stated that the weekend can be considered “akin to a three credit course.”