Comments on: AtHQ – Let’s take over the CCS http://athq.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/lets-take-over-the-ccs/ documents from attack the headquarters Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:05:19 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: john hutnyk http://athq.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/lets-take-over-the-ccs/#comment-814 john hutnyk Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:12:17 +0000 http://hutnyk.wordpress.com/?p=700#comment-814 My point was not that we can't improve the Centre for Cultural Studies, but that accusations or complaints about who is a Red Guard or not are unproductive. I think its fair to say most people here, both staff and students, have massive dedication and loyalty to CCS and to Goldsmiths - so attacks upon them (or each other) are reprehensible when carried out on a public forum like this. Criticism should be part of the renovation of how we do things, and there are various ways that continually takes place - athq was one - but this surely shouldn't be reduced to just a winge session when our (radical sounding but real) enemies are elsewhere. J. My point was not that we can’t improve the Centre for Cultural Studies, but that accusations or complaints about who is a Red Guard or not are unproductive. I think its fair to say most people here, both staff and students, have massive dedication and loyalty to CCS and to Goldsmiths – so attacks upon them (or each other) are reprehensible when carried out on a public forum like this. Criticism should be part of the renovation of how we do things, and there are various ways that continually takes place – athq was one – but this surely shouldn’t be reduced to just a winge session when our (radical sounding but real) enemies are elsewhere. J.

]]> By: cohiba http://athq.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/lets-take-over-the-ccs/#comment-813 cohiba Sun, 29 Jun 2008 01:10:52 +0000 http://hutnyk.wordpress.com/?p=700#comment-813 Besides all these oh-sound-so-radical stuff, why can't we firstly concentrate on improving the organic linkage between students and the centre itself? It is always a good idea to deconstruct and reconstruct our base once in a while, but the biggest problem of CCS for lots of students is the isolation and sense of loss when studying in this insitiution. Yes we hate the concept of institution and we try our best to get rid of all the shortcoming and constraint it might imply, but the teaching in CCS itself is quite chaotic, anarchic, often without any logical order. I have heard lots of complains from MA students regarding their terrible experience when first entering our centre. Why don't we get the basic job done then we can start to think big and think differently, alternatively, and radically. Besides all these oh-sound-so-radical stuff, why can’t we firstly concentrate on improving the organic linkage between students and the centre itself? It is always a good idea to deconstruct and reconstruct our base once in a while, but the biggest problem of CCS for lots of students is the isolation and sense of loss when studying in this insitiution.

Yes we hate the concept of institution and we try our best to get rid of all the shortcoming and constraint it might imply, but the teaching in CCS itself is quite chaotic, anarchic, often without any logical order. I have heard lots of complains from MA students regarding their terrible experience when first entering our centre. Why don’t we get the basic job done then we can start to think big and think differently, alternatively, and radically.

]]> By: john hutnyk http://athq.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/lets-take-over-the-ccs/#comment-787 john hutnyk Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:26:33 +0000 http://hutnyk.wordpress.com/?p=700#comment-787 It would be good to have Reading, but I'm also not necessarily so keen on having red guards (though I love the thought that people might think there was so much at stake [as if China = CCS, what a thought. Rise Up!). Anyway, I can see how the title of AtHQ and the desire to rip it all up and start again might lead someone to think that is what you were suggesting. But I'd like to see the HQ thought of more as a pole of attraction for critique - the CCS the place from which attacks on various powers - the university, the education system, the state, the war machine - might be nurtured, encouraged, launched and sustained. Ripping it up and starting again might be one productive way to do that, but I am inclined to be more open. Let 1000 schools bloom and 100 flowers of thought contend. It would be good to have Reading, but I’m also not necessarily so keen on having red guards (though I love the thought that people might think there was so much at stake [as if China = CCS, what a thought. Rise Up!). Anyway, I can see how the title of AtHQ and the desire to rip it all up and start again might lead someone to think that is what you were suggesting. But I’d like to see the HQ thought of more as a pole of attraction for critique – the CCS the place from which attacks on various powers – the university, the education system, the state, the war machine – might be nurtured, encouraged, launched and sustained. Ripping it up and starting again might be one productive way to do that, but I am inclined to be more open. Let 1000 schools bloom and 100 flowers of thought contend.

]]> By: Hanna http://athq.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/lets-take-over-the-ccs/#comment-786 Hanna Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:25:08 +0000 http://hutnyk.wordpress.com/?p=700#comment-786 You can find Yuk's response to these sooments, and also to the issue of us being Read guards (wow, didn't know that) in the wiki (which is also now open for comments and editing). http://ccsgold.pbwiki.com/Response-to-James-and-several-clarifications You can find Yuk’s response to these sooments, and also to the issue of us being Read guards (wow, didn’t know that) in the wiki (which is also now open for comments and editing).

http://ccsgold.pbwiki.com/Response-to-James-and-several-clarifications

]]> By: bixa http://athq.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/lets-take-over-the-ccs/#comment-788 bixa Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:34:43 +0000 http://hutnyk.wordpress.com/?p=700#comment-788 What are you guys, the Red Guards, ready to eat your own? ccsgold said at 12:01 am on Jun 12, 2008 "I like the enthusiasm here and the attempt to carry the event further, but I find a few things mentioned a bit silly. For example, what's the problem with having a reading pack waiting for us when we arrive? No one tells you you have to read it, or what not to read. And what is this point about the students not knowing what the staff are doing? All the staff have a profile page on the ccs website, including bibliography and research interests; john's blog is advertised on every email he sends us. I agree that there is a necessity for something like a community able to realise its potential for self-determination. But I think you're asking for things we already more-or-less have. What about the difficult questions of the horrific direction academia is going as a whole, and what we can do about it? How is scrapping the reader going to make any difference there? James ccsgold said at 8:34 am on Jun 12, 2008 'The only way to take ove the headquarter is to abolish the headquarter' sounds very differently from 'how can students run the centre together with the staff?'. The first sentence sounds like a war-slogan. You or me. The second sounds like active co-existence in a spirit of mutual recognition. A 'communication which transforms the relations between educator and educatee from a subject-object relation into a process of active sharing of knowledge, experience and institution' seems to me to be possible onlyy with the second sentence. why should anyone in the Centre want to work together with you, if you threaten to extinguish them? Just an observation (relatively) from the outside. Julia You don't have permission to comment on this page." I can't comment on that wiki - no permission! But this blog is a great resource. Unusual - read the categories under Education. Wonderful. What are you guys, the Red Guards, ready to eat your own?

ccsgold said

at 12:01 am on Jun 12, 2008

“I like the enthusiasm here and the attempt to carry the event further, but I find a few things mentioned a bit silly.

For example, what’s the problem with having a reading pack waiting for us when we arrive? No one tells you you have to read it, or what not to read. And what is this point about the students not knowing what the staff are doing? All the staff have a profile page on the ccs website, including bibliography and research interests; john’s blog is advertised on every email he sends us.

I agree that there is a necessity for something like a community able to realise its potential for self-determination. But I think you’re asking for things we already more-or-less have. What about the difficult questions of the horrific direction academia is going as a whole, and what we can do about it? How is scrapping the reader going to make any difference there?

James
ccsgold said

at 8:34 am on Jun 12, 2008

‘The only way to take ove the headquarter is to abolish the headquarter’ sounds very differently from ‘how can students run the centre together with the staff?’. The first sentence sounds like a war-slogan. You or me. The second sounds like active co-existence in a spirit of mutual recognition. A ‘communication which transforms the relations between educator and educatee from a subject-object relation into a process of active sharing of knowledge, experience and institution’ seems to me to be possible onlyy with the second sentence. why should anyone in the Centre want to work together with you, if you threaten to extinguish them? Just an observation (relatively) from the outside.

Julia

You don’t have permission to comment on this page.”

I can’t comment on that wiki – no permission! But this blog is a great resource. Unusual – read the categories under Education. Wonderful.

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