Marxist Perspectives Records, 1965-1992
Summary Information
Abstract
At a Glance
- Call No.:
- MS#1726
- Bib ID:
- 10919927 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Cliomar Corp. Marxist Perspectives
- Repository:
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Physical Description:
- 2 linear feet (2 record cartons)
- Language(s):
- English .
- Access:
- You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
-
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Description
Summary
The collection documents the prehistory, establishment, activities, and dissolution of the short-lived academic journal Marxist Perspectives. The collection includes a full run of the journal (1978-1980), correspondence, annotated articles, documentation regarding fundraising, the journal's internal newsletter, and media coverage from other publications. The correspondence documents political and practical debates, editorial decisions, submissions, funding, and organizational structure.
The portions of the collection that had been held by Eric Foner (History Editor), Alice Kessler-Harris (Contributing Editor), and Eugene Lieber (Manuscripts Coordinator/Managing Editor) document the activities of the journal itself from its inception to demise. The donation by Jacques Marchand (Publisher) documents the relationships of the magazine contributors before the establishment of the magazine. These materials include correspondence, media coverage, and administrative documentation from Marchand's involvement with the Committee on Free Speech at Rutgers University, which defended Professor Eugene Genovese (later the editor of Marxist Perspectives) for controversial remarks he made about the Vietnam War in 1965. The collection also contains correspondence and documentation supporting the organization of the Socialist Scholars Conference in 1969.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series. Arrangement within the files represents the organization of the respective donors.
- Series I: Marxist Perspectives Materials, 1971-1992
- Series II: Jacques Marchand Student Activism Materials, 1965-1969
Using the Collection
Restrictions on Access
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Marxist Perspectives records; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Accrual
No additions are expected
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Ownership and Custodial History
The Marxist Perspectives records were retained by individual journal contributors until May 2014, when they were donated to Columbia University. The donating contributors were Eric Foner, Alice Kessler-Harris, and Jacques Marchand. The materials donated by Kessler-Harris appear to include documentation previously held by Eugene Lieber and others.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
2014.2015.M028: Source of acquisition--Eric Foner. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--05/2014.
2014.2015.M028: Source of acquisition--Alice Kessler-Harris. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--05/2014.
2014.2015.M028: Source of acquisition--Jacques Marchand. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--05/2014.
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Processing Information
Records processed by David A. Olson May 2015.
Revision Description
2015-05-15 xml document instance created by David Olson
2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.
Historical Note
Marxist Perspectives was an academic journal that analyzed society and history using a Marxist intellectual framework, and featured the work of many prominent left-wing academics and thinkers. The quarterly, edited by Eugene Genovese, ran from 1978 to 1980, before succumbing to internal conflicts. During the run, the magazine strove to create an intellectual forum free of the factionalism that divided the left, and it also included a section called "From the Other Shore" that featured the work of non-Marxists.
Many of the later contributors to Marxist Perspectives had previously been involved in other radical left activities within the scholarly community. At an April 1965 teach-in, Eugene Genovese, then a professor at Rutgers University, made a comment that he would welcome a Viet Cong victory in the Viet Nam War. The statement and the subsequent accusations of a dangerous Marxist presence at Rutgers became a major issue in the 1965 New Jersey gubernatorial election. Jacques Marchand (Marxist Perspectives publisher and later a publisher of Mother Jones) was a Rutgers graduate student at the time and became the chairman of the Committee for Free Speech, which sprang up in the wake of the controversy to argue for academic freedom at Rutgers. Marchand and other contributors were also involved in organizing the Socialist Scholars Conference held at Hofstra University in 1969.
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
All links open new windows.