File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1996/96-12-23.052, message 49


Date: 21 Dec 96 17:35:32 EST
From: Chris Burford <100423.2040-AT-CompuServe.COM>
Subject: M-I: Das Argument


The exchanges between Hinrich and Gerwin about the new German
"Dictionary of Marxism" stimulated me to look again at a copy of 
"Das Argument" I bought in 1994.

[BTW in fairness to all of us I must decline thanks for translating 
Gerwin's piece, since I merely polished his English version for style,
hopefully without distortions. My impression is that it is a more direct
sort of article than the more subtle German one submitted for the readers 
of taz. ]

I thought anyway it might be useful to share some comments about Das Argument
with the list, 
particularly since it turns out that both Hinrich and Gerwin appear to be
critical of its position, and yet it seems to claim a certain
status in German Marxist circles. So here are my comments and I invite
correction.

The word "Das Argument" has connotations of "critical analysis" rather 
than of quarreling. 

The journal by its 203rd issue at the beginning of 1994 was claiming it
was in its 36th year of publication. The editors were the same as 
the editors of the "Dictionary", Frigga Haug and Wolfgang Fritz Haug.
The editorial board appeared all to have German names. 

Interestingly there was/is also an "autonomous" women's editorial 
board, (some of whose names could be scandinavian in origin).

A list of contributors in 1992 and 1993 contain authors, 
among whom I recognise, Balibar, Guenter Grass, Fredric Jameson,
Harry Magdoff, Salman Rushdie, Paul Sweezy.

The journal is published two-monthly.

The Argument Publishing House and delivery are from Hamburg.
Editorial offices are in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin.

The back page lists bookshops where Das Argument publications
are available in 25 cities in Germany, 3 in Switzerland and one
in Austria. 

The journal seems as a deliberate policy to carry advertisement for
other publications, as well as tables of contents. The latter include
in this issue:

Deutsche Zeitschrift fuer Philosophie
Berliner Debatte
Kokret
Mittelweg 36
Dir Neue Gesellschaft Frankfurter Hefte
Peripherie
Psychologie und Gesellschafts Kritik
TheaterZeitSchrift
Vorgaenge
Wechsel Wirkung
Widerspruch
Zeitschrift fuer Marxistische Erneuerung.

This would suggest a degree of networking and cross-fertilization.

If time permits I will post the English summaries of the articles in 
that issue to give a flavour.

If anyone comments on Das Argument, I would be interested to hear what
they think are its strengths and weaknesses.

Chris Burford
London






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