About This Issue
by The Editorial Collective
‘Science for the People’ Vol. 5, No. 6, November 1973, p. 2 – 3
In this issue of SftP several articles on the Chilean struggle have been collected together with reports of SESPA/SftP activities. While the fortunes of the Chilean people’s struggles are very relevant to all people engaged in the same world-wide process, there is additional relevance to SESPA/SftP, since we see our role particularly in relation to the technical workforce. In Chile, the final weeks of dissarray revealed a disasterous split in the working class: large sectors, including not only small truckers, shopkeepers, etc., but also major portions of the technical and professional strata found themselves fighting against the rest of the working class. This should confirm to us that our area of political work is a vital part of any radical solution in America and the rest of the world.
Following an editorial statement outlining some of the lessons of Chile, is a rather extensive section recounting the history of working class struggle in Chile, including an analysis of U.S. economic imperialism in subverting the Allende regime. Against this backdrop is a section describing the structure and experience of workers’ control in Chile during the last few years.
It was not until after the coup that the Magazine Coordinating Committee (mc2) decided to focus this issue on Chile, so the magazine has been produced from scratch in five to six weeks a very short period of time for SftP. As a result, our editorial collective (composed mostly of the mc2) is exhausted, having produced the September issue as well, and many of us have been unable to work toward developing future issues of the magazine. We need your help and support to continue. In the past several magazines we have asked for contributions of articles and other materials on various topics (the energy problem, laboratories, actions at scientific meetings, etc.). These are still needed as well as your ideas and criticisms.
Our rush to get this magazine to the printer was due to our wanting to complete the task in time to participate in the Northeast Regional SESPA/SftP conference. We are hoping that the conference will help develop a clearer political perspective for the organization, and are anxious that it contribute as well to clarifying the role of SftP in the organization’s work. We think the magazine only makes sense as a product as well as an instrument of the members’ political practice. Much is yet to be done to make that a reality.
CONTRIBUTORS: David Barkin, Maurice Bazin, Berkeley SESPA, David Culver, Fuente de Informacion Norteamericana, Dick Levins, Gerry McSherry, Rosario Morales, Jeanne Olivier, Ginny Pierce, Manuel Valenzuela, Andrew Zimbalist.
EDITORIAL COLLECTIVE: Jeanne Olivier and the SftP Magazine Coordinating Committee (Herb Fox, Susan Graesser, Bob Park, Joe Passafiume, Ginny Pierce, Sara Lenox, Al Weinrub)
PICTURE CREDITS:
pg.3 Arbolito
pg. 7 M.B. Schnapper, American Labor, Public Affairs Press 1972
pg. 9 Partisan Press Service
pg. 17 NACLA, New Chile
pg. 19 Cecelia Vrrutia, Los Invertares Obreros, Quimantu 1973
pg. 24 Alan Drew
pg. 25 Alan Drew
pg. 35 Thomas Hertzen, Guardian
pg. 37 Armand Puz, La Mujer Chilena, Quimantu, 1973
Cover Partisan Press Service
EDITORIAL PRACTICE: Each issue of Science for the People is prepared by a collective, assembled from volunteers by a committee made up of the collectives of the past calendar year. A collective carries out all editorial, production. and distribution functions for one issue. The following is a distillation of the actual practice of the past collectives.
Due dates: Articles received by the first week of an odd-numbered month can generally be considered for the magazine to be issued on the 15th of the next month.
Form: One of the ways you can help is to submit double-spaced typewritten manuscripts with ample margins. If you can send six copies, that helps even more. One of the few founding principles of SESPA is’that articles must be signed (a pseudonym is acceptable).
Criteria for acceptance: SESPA Newsletter, predecessor to Science for the People, was pledged to print everything submitted. It is no longer feasible to continue this policy, although the practice thus far has been to print all articles descriptive of SESPA/Science for the People activities. Considerably more discrimination is applied tn analytical articles. These are expected to reflect the general political outlook of Science for the People. All articles are judged on the basis of length, style. subject and content.
Editorial Procedure: The content of each issue is determined by unanimous consent of the collective. Where extensive rewriting of an article is required, the preference of the collective is to discuss the changes with the author. If this is not practical, reasons for rejection are sent to the author. An attempt is made to convey suggestions for improvement. If an article is late or excluded for lack of space, or if it has non-unanimous support. it is generally passed on to the next collective.
Editorial statements: Unsigned articles are statements of the editorial collective.
Opportunities for participation: Volunteers for editorial collectives should be aware that each issue requires a substantial contribution of time and energy for an eight-week period. Help is always appreciated and provides an opportunity for the helper to learn, and for the collective to get to know a prospective member. There are presently plans to move the magazine production to other cities. This will increase the opportunity for participation. For legal purposes Science for the People has become incorporated.
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