Radical America
Encyclopedia
Radical America was a left wing political magazine in the United States established in 1967. The magazine was founded by Paul Buhle
and Mary Jo Buhle, activists in Students for a Democratic Society
and served during its first few years of existence as an unofficial theoretical journal of that organization. During the 1970s and 1980s, the magazine changed to take on more of an academic Marxist flavor. With contributions from academics dwindling during the decade of the 1990s, the magazine was terminated in 1999.
(SDS) in 1967. The initial editors were Paul Buhle
and Mary Jo Buhle in their graduate school days, operating in Madison, Wisconsin
. In the first few years, it served as the "unofficial journal of SDS." Dan Georgakas wrote that its importance lay in that it "was on the scholarly cutting edge of a social movement that often has been accused of lacking intellectual substance.
Initially, subscriptions were sold at a discount rate to national SDS members. The Buhles relocated to the Boston, Massachusetts area, and brought the journal with them. By the time of the Boston move the journal was independent from the SDS.
The journal, published in Somerville, Massachusetts
, focused on topical issues of concern to the left and society at large, such as women's liberation, working class radicalism and busing. Beginning in 1970, each issue had a dedicated focus upon one issue. Mainly, during the 1970s, the journal evolved in a direction concerned with New Left
issues, rather than traditional, Old Left concern with strengthening ties with trade union
s. It was particularly active in the 1970s, as authors related the experiences of feminist activists and autonous work-place activists.
By the 1980s the journal branched to addressing gay issues and rock music. During the late 1980s, article contributions dwindled as academics left the journal.
Paul Buhle
Paul Merlyn Buhle is a Senior Lecturer at Brown University, author or editor of 35 volumes including histories of radicalism in the United States and the Caribbean, studies of popular culture, and a series of nonfiction comic art volumes. He is the authorized biographer of C. L. R...
and Mary Jo Buhle, activists in Students for a Democratic Society
Students for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)
Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
and served during its first few years of existence as an unofficial theoretical journal of that organization. During the 1970s and 1980s, the magazine changed to take on more of an academic Marxist flavor. With contributions from academics dwindling during the decade of the 1990s, the magazine was terminated in 1999.
Publication history
Radical America was founded by members of the Students for a Democratic SocietyStudents for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)
Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
(SDS) in 1967. The initial editors were Paul Buhle
Paul Buhle
Paul Merlyn Buhle is a Senior Lecturer at Brown University, author or editor of 35 volumes including histories of radicalism in the United States and the Caribbean, studies of popular culture, and a series of nonfiction comic art volumes. He is the authorized biographer of C. L. R...
and Mary Jo Buhle in their graduate school days, operating in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. In the first few years, it served as the "unofficial journal of SDS." Dan Georgakas wrote that its importance lay in that it "was on the scholarly cutting edge of a social movement that often has been accused of lacking intellectual substance.
Initially, subscriptions were sold at a discount rate to national SDS members. The Buhles relocated to the Boston, Massachusetts area, and brought the journal with them. By the time of the Boston move the journal was independent from the SDS.
The journal, published in Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
, focused on topical issues of concern to the left and society at large, such as women's liberation, working class radicalism and busing. Beginning in 1970, each issue had a dedicated focus upon one issue. Mainly, during the 1970s, the journal evolved in a direction concerned with New Left
New Left
The New Left was a term used mainly in the United Kingdom and United States in reference to activists, educators, agitators and others in the 1960s and 1970s who sought to implement a broad range of reforms, in contrast to earlier leftist or Marxist movements that had taken a more vanguardist...
issues, rather than traditional, Old Left concern with strengthening ties with trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s. It was particularly active in the 1970s, as authors related the experiences of feminist activists and autonous work-place activists.
By the 1980s the journal branched to addressing gay issues and rock music. During the late 1980s, article contributions dwindled as academics left the journal.
Additional reading
- Paul Buhle (ed.), History and the New Left: Madison, Wisconsin, 1950-1970. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990.
External links
- "Radical America, 1967-1999." Brown University Library Center for Digital Archives.
- "Radical America: Digital Edition," Brown University Library Center for Digital Archives. —Large run of issues in pdf format.
- Derek Seidman, "Radical Continuity: An Interview with Paul Buhle," CounterPunch, March 8, 2004.