Documentation of claims made in the article “NY left institution purges Capital teacher”

Contents:

1: Correct course announcement, Fall 2003

2: Brecht Forum's altered course announcement, Fall 2003

3: Seminar leader's complaint to Brecht Forum, 9/25/03

4: Brecht Forum claims alterations were stylistic—exchange of correspondence, 9/26/03–9/27/03

5: Correct course announcement for Winter 2004, with instruction not to "alter it in any way" without consent

6: Brecht Forum's altered course announcement for Winter 2003

7: Seminar leader's (and class's) complaints to Brecht Forum and response, 1/31/04 - 2/4/04

8. Brecht Forum expels seminar leader, e-mail message of 2/9/04

9: Seminar leader's explication of expulsion message, 2/11/04

====================

1: Correct course announcement, Fall 2003

Capital, Marx's Capital, and Alternatives to Capital

A three-term seminar led by Andrew Kliman

Mondays, 7:30–9:30 p.m., starting on October 13, 2003

At the Brecht Forum, 122 West 27^th St., 10^th floor, New York, NY

(212) 242-4201. Tuition on sliding scale.

Although we now have a mass movement which opposes global capitalism and holds that “Another world is possible,” few have turned to Marx’s writings to help gain an in-depth understanding of what capitalism is and whether proposed alternatives are actually viable. Yet Capital is a book which Marx wrote "for the workers," and which in his view showed that “the present society is no solid crystal, but an organism capable of change, and constantly engaged in a process of change.”

This full-year (3-term) seminar will grapple with the following questions –– "Can capitalism be reformed for the better?,” "Is market socialism a viable alternative?," "What specific social and economic changes are necessary if humanity is to free itself from the power of capital?," and "Is such freedom possible?" In order to help answer these questions, we will undertake a close reading of Volume I of Capital in conjunction with parts of other works by Marx that treat these questions –– The Poverty of Philosophy, A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, and the “Critique of the Gotha Program.” Writings of more recent thinkers, including critics of Marx, will also be examined. The seminar is therefore primarily a class on Capital, but not on the book "in general." We will read it specifically as a book about the above questions.

All seminar participants are expected to do the readings for each class and to take their turn in making presentations and leading the discussion. No prior knowledge of Capital is necessary or expected, though those who have read it before are welcome to participate. Participants are urged to buy the Ben Fowkes translation (available as a Penguin or Vintage paperback) so that we can easily refer to selected passages. Photocopied selections from other works will be made available at cost.

For the first session’s reading, or more information, please write to Andrew_Kliman@msn.com .

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Andrew Kliman teaches economics at a local college. At the Brecht Forum, he has recently taught courses on Volumes II and III of Capital, Marx’s commentaries on Capital, and economic crisis and crisis theory. He is co-editor of the forthcoming collection The New Value Controversy and the Foundations of Economics, and his work has appeared in the Cambridge Journal of Economics, Capital and Class, Historical Materialism, Research in Political Economy, and elsewhere. His latest project is a book-length critique of radical political economics.

==================

2: Brecht Forum's altered course announcement, Fall 2003

11-SESSION CLASS BEGINS

Monday, October 13

7:30 pm

Four Questions
On Capital, Marx's Capital & Alternatives to Capital

Andrew Kliman

While we now have a mass movement which opposes global capitalism and holds that "Another world is possible," few have turned to Marx’s writings to help gain an in-depth understanding of what capitalism is and whether proposed alternatives are actually viable. Yet Capital is a book which Marx wrote "for the workers," and which in his view showed that "the present society is no solid crystal, but an organism capable of change, and constantly engaged in a process of change."

This full-year (3-term) seminar will grapple with the following questions : Can capitalism be reformed for the better? Is market socialism a viable alternative? What specific social and economic changes are necessary if humanity is to free itself from the power of capital? And Is such freedom possible? Focusing on these questions, we will undertake a reading of Volume I of Capital along with selections from The Poverty of Philosophy, A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, and the "Critique of the Gotha Program." Writings of more recent thinkers, including critics of Marx, will also be examined. All seminar participants are expected to do the readings for each class and to take their turn in making presentations and leading the discussion. No prior knowledge of Capital is necessary. Participants are urged to buy the Ben Fowkes translation (available as a Penguin or Vintage paperback) so that we can easily refer to selected passages. Photocopied selections from other works will be made available at cost. For the first session’s reading, or more information, please write to Andrew_Kliman@msn.com .

Andrew Kliman teaches classes on economics and marxist theory. Co-editor of The New Value Controversy (forthcoming), Kliman's writings on Marx's critique of political economy have appeared in Marx and Non-equilibrium Economics, Capital and Class, Historical Materialism, News & Letters and elsewhere. His latest project is a book-length critique of radical political economics.

Sliding scale: $75-$95 per term

===========

3: Seminar leader's complaint to Brecht Forum, 9/25/03

-----Original Message-----

From: Drewk [mailto:Andrew_Kliman@msn.com]

Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 10:51 PM

To: yusufn[...]

Cc: Merle [...]; Liz Mestres; Eli Messinger

Subject: Serious Error in BF Schedule of Events

September 25, 2003

Dear Yusuf Nuruddin and Nan Rubin,

As co-chairs of the Brecht Forum Board of Directors, I think you should know that the upcoming “Four Questions” course, announced in your latest _Schedule of Events_ and on your website, is not the course that I agreed to lead and that the Program Committee approved. The course title and description I submitted were altered without my consent or knowledge. The differences are so numerous and significant that the course announced by the Brecht Forum is simply a different course from the one I will lead (see attachment).

I think you should also know that the title and description of this latter course were submitted to the Program Committee after a serious and lengthy process of consultation and collaboration. Many of the students in my Winter-Spring 2003 Brecht Forum course on _Capital_, Vols. II and III expressed interest in taking another class with me. During the final session of that course, we had an in-depth discussion of possibilities for a new class, and a five-person subcommittee then finalized the title and description over the summer. Two other students, one from last year’s course and one who will be taking the new one, were also brought into the process.

The class will begin soon, so I ask that you make sure the error is corrected immediately. Please remove the existing website announcement and substitute the correct one, together with a notice that the first one was wrong. And please send a hard copy of the correct announcement, plus notice that the first one was wrong, to everyone who received the latest _Schedule of Events_. I will be willing to do the mailing if the Brecht Forum staff is unable to do so.

Please let me know as soon as possible that these actions have been taken.

Sincerely yours,

Andrew Kliman

Andrew_Kliman@msn.com

cc: Eli Messinger

Liz Mestres

Merle Ratner

Annette T. Rubinstein

1 attachment

====================

4: Brecht Forum claims alterations were stylistic – exchange of correspondence, 9/26/03–9/27/03

-----Original Message-----

From: Liz Mestres [mailto:lmestres[...]]

Sent: Friday, September 26, 2003 9:44 AM

To: 'Drewk'; yusufn[...]

Cc: 'Merle[...]; 'Eli Messinger'

Subject: RE: Serious Error in BF Schedule of Events

Dear Andrew,

I'm sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the editing of your course description. We routinely edit copy for style, clarity and length and do make a practice of discussing any substantive changes with the writers. In this case I am puzzled as to what you considered to be significantly

different from your original, but have no problem in posting your copy in its entirety on our website.

Best,

Liz

-----Original Message-----

From: Drewk [mailto:Andrew_Kliman@msn.com]

Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2003 10:06 AM

To: Liz Mestres; yusufn[...]

Cc: 'Merle[...]'Eli Messinger'

Subject: RE: Serious Error in BF Schedule of Events

Dear Liz,

Thanks for your reply. You wrote:

"We ... do make a practice of discussing any substantive changes with the writers." Could you please explain why this practice wasn't followed in the present case?

I asked the Board of Directors' co-chairs to make sure that five actions are taken in order to correct the error. I would like to hear back from them about that request before discussing the matter further.

Andrew Kliman

====================

5: Correct course announcement for Winter 2004, with instruction not to "alter it in any way" without consent

-----Original Message-----

From: Drewk [mailto:Andrew_Kliman@msn.com]

Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2003 11:14 AM

To: Lvan[...]; Liz Mestres

Cc: ELI[...]

Subject: catalog write-up

Dear Lincoln and Liz,

Here's the blurb, for the upcoming BF catalog, of our _Capital_ course. Please do check with me ahead of time if you wish to alter it in any way or not use it.

Thanks in advance,

Andrew Kliman

==============================

CAPITAL, MARX’S _CAPITAL_, AND ALTERNATIVES TO CAPITAL

A THREE-TERM SEMINAR LED BY ANDREW KLIMAN

MONDAYS 7:30-9:30 P.M.

This seminar on Volume I of _Capital_ began in the Fall, and will continue through the Spring. New participants may enter with the permission of the seminar leader. Please contact Andrew_Kliman@msn.com.

We are engaged in a careful study of _Capital_, but not of the book "in general." We are studying it as a work that's concerned with the following questions: Can capitalism be reformed for the better?; Is market socialism a viable alternative?; What specific social and economic changes are necessary if humanity is to free itself from the power of capital?; and Is such freedom possible?

All seminar participants are expected to do the readings for each class. We take turns in making presentations and leading the discussion.

******************************************************************************

Andrew Kliman teaches economics at a local college. At the Brecht Forum, he has recently taught courses on Volumes II and III of _Capital_, on Marx’s commentaries on _Capital_, and on economic crisis and crisis theory. He is co-editor of the forthcoming collection, _The New Value Controversy and the Foundations of Economics_, and his work has appeared in the _Cambridge Journal of Economics_, _Capital and Class_, _Historical Materialism_, and elsewhere. His latest project is a book-length critique of radical political economics.

====================

6: Brecht Forum's altered course announcement for Winter 2004

Monday, January 26

7:30-9:30 pm

ONGOING CLASS

CAPITAL, MARX’S CAPITAL, & ALTERNATIVES TO CAPITAL

ANDREW KLIMAN

This three-term seminar began in the Fall, and will continue through the Spring. New participants may enter with the permission of the seminar leader. Please contact Andrew_Kliman@msn.com.

We are engaged in a careful study of _Capital_, but not of the book "in general." We are studying it as a work that's concerned with the following questions: Can capitalism be reformed for the better? Is market socialism a viable alternative? What specific social and economic changes are necessary if humanity is to free itself from the power of capital? And, is such freedom possible?

All seminar participants are expected to do the readings for each class. We take turns in making presentations and leading the discussion.

Sliding scale: $65-$85

(for second term)

===================

7: Seminar leader's (and class's) complaints to Brecht Forum and response, 1/31/04 - 2/4/04

-----Original Message-----

From: Drewk [mailto:Andrew_Kliman@msn.com]

Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 1:58 PM

To: Liz Mestres

Cc: Eli Messinger; Joshua Howard

Subject: Capital seminar

Dear Liz,

All I'm asking for is a letter from the Brecht that contains an appropriate apology for altering my copy without my knowledge or consent after I had said not to, and that reassures me that this will not happen again.

I would like to discuss this with you. If you are willing to discuss it, please give me a phone number and time for me to call. Or you can call me at [...] (home) or [...] (cell phone) at any time.

Comradely,

Andrew Kliman

-----Original Message-----

From: Liz Mestres [mailto: [...]]

Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2004 3:53 PM

To: 'Drewk'

Cc: Susie Kraglievich; Adolph Freda; Anne Jaclard; Bill Cali; Cristobal Senior; Eli Messinger; Forrest Heidel; Frank Rosengarten (Frank Rosengarten); Harry Kristy; James Klicker; James Moy; John Ernst; Joshua Howard; Luke Brindle; Peter Panken; Rocky Tenney; Ryan Block; Sara

Wollan; Seth Weiss; Steven Matthews

Subject: RE: Capital seminar

Dear Andrew,

I am sorry that our copyediting of your course description upset you. It was certainly not our intention. However, as I explained to you last term, we reserve the right to edit for style, clarity and space considerations. We do consult with writers of submitted class descriptions when time permits and especially when substantive changes are to be made -which was not the case in this instance. Given the time pressure we are usually under when we are editing our schedule, it would be impossible for us to discuss all stylistic edits.

As to your bio, we simply used what appeared last term since that is what is in our database. Had we known that you did not want News and Letters to be listed among your writing credits we would not have included it - even though we think it would be of interest to prospective students. But, as you do publish under your own name and it is public information, we had no reason to imagine that you wouldn't be pleased to have it mentioned.

I feel compelled to tell you that in the almost 30-year history of our organization, working with teachers from many left political perspectives throughout the US and around the world, we have never had a teacher ask his students to pass a resolution on a matter such as this or any other type of problem. We work hard to maintain a good relationship with our teachers based on mutual respect and solidarity. On the rare occasions when problems have arisen, teachers have brought them to our attention directly and they have been resolved. The fact that you brought this into your class and handled it in the manner that you did is disturbing to us and, we feel, entirely inappropriate.

If you would like to discuss this further, you can reach our Education Coordinator, Lincoln Van Sluytman, in our office at 212-242-4201. He is usually in after 2:00 pm, three days a week-often Monday, Wednesday and Thursday although his schedule is flexible.

Best,

Liz

-----Original Message-----

From: Drewk [mailto:Andrew_Kliman@msn.com]

Sent: Monday, February 02, 2004 8:46 AM

To: Lvan[...]

Cc: Liz Mestres; JH[...]; billc[...]; rblock[...]; tcarry[...]; bob[...]; frosen[...]; steve[...]; ernst[...];

forrest[...]; eli[...]; weiss[...]; im[...]t; sara[...]; sahe[...]; susan[...]; james[...]; moy[...]; jos[...]; freda[...]; dsinger[...]; lbrindle[...]; drwd[...]; Anne[...]

Subject: Dear Lincoln

Dear Lincoln,

Liz Mestres says that you are the one with whom I should discuss this. If you have the authority to write such a letter on behalf of the Brecht, or to authorize that it be written, I would like to discuss this with you.

If you, too, are willing to discuss it, please give me a time for me to call you at the Brecht. Or you can call me at [...] (home) or [...] (cell phone) at any time.

Comradely,

Andrew Kliman

-----Original Message-----

From: Drewk [mailto:Andrew_Kliman@msn.com]

Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2004 10:23 AM

To: Lvan[...]

Cc: Liz Mestres

Subject: Please contact me

Dear Lincoln,

Hi. I was expected a call from you yesterday. Please do call me at [...] (home) or [...] (cell phone) at any time, so we can pick up where we left off. I too am hoping the matter can be resolved and that the seminar can remain at the Brecht Forum. All I'm asking for is a letter from the Brecht that contains an appropriate apology for altering my copy without my knowledge or consent after I had said not to, and that reassures me that this will not happen again.

The class authorized me to let you know about the motion it passed on Monday. The content of the motion is this: The class wants the Brecht Forum to say in writing that (1) it is sorry for making unauthorized changes to the course description, including biography, after having been instructed not to do so, and that (2) it will not do this again.

I would also like to discuss with you your interruption of the class on Monday, some aspects of which I find quite disturbing. (This complaint is not a *personal* complaint against you. It is an instructor's complaint against the Brecht Forum administration.)

Andrew Kliman

===================

8. Brecht Forum expels seminar leader, e-mail message of 2/9/04

-----Original Message-----
From: Liz Mestres [mailto:lmestres[...]]
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 4:11 PM
To: Drewk
Subject:

Dear Andrew,

We are sorry that you feel disrespected. However, as was explained to you last term, we edit all our copy and will continue to do so. The listing of New and Letters among the writing credits in your bio was an unfortunate oversight on our part. We were honestly unaware that you objected to this and will not repeat it in the future. Given our obvious differences, it is clear that this is not a workable relationship and it may be best that you do not continue to teach here after you complete your obligation to this class. If you choose to leave earlier, we would not object.

The Brecht Forum Board of Directors

Liz Mestres

Executive Director, The Brecht Forum

====================

9: Seminar leader's explication of expulsion message, 2/11/04

-----Original Message-----

From: Drewk [mailto:Andrew_Kliman@msn.com]

Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 5:58 AM

To: forrest[...]; Howard[...]; eli[...]; anne[...]; bill[...]; tcarry[...]; bob[...]; frosen[...]; steve[...]; ernst[...]; sara[...]; sah[...]; susan[...]; james[...]; mo[...]; josa[...]; freda[...]; dsinger[...];

lbrindl[...]; drwd[...]; robert[...]; weiss[...]; rblock[...]; Drewk

Subject: The purge message

Dear members and ex-members of the Capital seminar,

Below are the full text of the Brecht's letter that purges me from their institution and some explication.

Andrew Kliman

-----Original Message-----

From: Liz Mestres [mailto:lmestres[...]]

Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 4:11 PM

To: Drewk

Subject:

Dear Andrew,

not a workable relationship and it may be best that you do not continue to teach here after you complete your obligation to this class. If you choose to leave earlier, we would not object.

The Brecht Forum Board of Directors

Liz Mestres

Executive Director, The Brecht Forum

"We are sorry that you feel disrespected." This sentence rebuffs the class's and my request that the Brecht say it is sorry for what IT did -- make substantive alterations, two terms in a row -- to the instructor's course description without his knowledge or consent..

"... we edit all our copy and will continue to do so." This rebuffs the class's and my other request, that the Brecht assure us that it will stop altering course announcements WITHOUT THE INSTRUCTOR'S KNOWLEDGE AND CONSENT.

"The listing of New and Letters among the writing credits in your bio was an unfortunate oversight on our part." This is of course a lie. DELETION of information may be due to an oversight; INSERTION of something new is not.

"We were honestly unaware that you objected to this ... ." The September 26, 2003 e-mail message from Eli to Liz Mestres and Liz Roberts, distributed in class, informed them of this and other objections of mine, two months BEFORE I submitted the announcement for the Winter term.

"Given our obvious differences, ... do not continue to teach here ...." This says that I am being purged due to differences over whether the Brecht should be allowed to alter my course announcements without my knowledge and consent. That's a reason to purge someone? They obviously have a real reason that they don't want to put in writing.

"The Brecht Forum Board of Directors" Names of members of the Board are conspicuously absent. There's no indication that a meeting of the Board was actually held or that a poll of its members was taken.

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