Re: Question concerning Vygotsky

From: N*** (vygotsky@nateweb.info)
Date: Mon Feb 23 2004 - 03:37:05 PST


Thanks.

Bruce Robinson wrote:
> Nate,
>
> There is a long (now extinct) tradition of independent trade union education
> in the UK. Particularly interesting is the Plebs League / National Council
> of Labour Colleges, which was founded as a result of the student strike at
> Ruskin College, Oxford in 1910. Ruskin was set up as a college for working
> men as a result of the feeling that if workers were to have the vote they
> needed to be educated. The revolt was over the sacking of the principal, but
> the underlying issue was one of the curriculum. The strikers wanted a
> curriculum that would aid in their self-emancipation, including Marxism.
> (This was also the period of the 'labour revolt' with a massive strike wave
> and an influence of syndicalist ideas.)
>
> The result was the setting up of the Plebs League and the Labour Colleges
> movement which upheld the principle of 'independent working class
> education', organising residential and local courses for trade unionists,
> largely bankrolled by support from unions - particularly the railwaymen's
> union and the South Wales miners. It also produced a fascinating series of
> publications which served as the basis for courses (I have one of the two
> different versions of their 'Introduction to Psychology'). The teachers were
> largely sympathetic intellectuals or Marxist activists.
>
> The NCLC educated several generations of leading trade unionists - the
> leader of the engineering union in the 60s and early 70s, Hugh (later Lord!)
> Scanlon wrote in his 'Who's Who' entry that he received his education from
> an elementary school in Manchester and the NCLC.
>
> The whole history is complicated and fascinating. It survived as long as the
> 60s when it was swallowed up by the TUC.
>
> Wasn't the 'New School' or City College in NYC formed for adult education of
> a similar type? Or is my memory playing tricks?
>
> Bruce
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "N***" <vygotsky who-is-at nateweb.info>
> To: <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
> Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 8:21 PM
> Subject: Re: Question concerning Vygotsky
>
>
>
>>Alisa,
>>
>>If I understand you correctly, you are pointing towards a "non-academic"
>>intellectual tradition.
>>
>>I think in the US, these two are seen as one and the same, which is
>>actually pretty sad (ZBD's).
>>
>>What I would be curious about is examples of an intellectual tradition
>>at a higher level than individual, yet not "academic" (colleges and
>>universities). One example that comes to mind is the Socialist Sunday
>>Schools in the early 1900's.
>>
>>It is probally not an overstatement to say the most intelligent and
>>highly educated folks you'll ever meet can be found in prisons and
>>homeless shelters. I live in a pretty educated town and it is common to
>>see those with PHD's at local shelters.
>>
>>Nate
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>eliza@pob.huji.ac.il wrote:
>>
>>>Hi Mike,
>>>The cases of self-educated work-men I know are native speakers of Hebrew
>
> and
>
>>>read and write in Hebrew - a phonetic script, which they either learnt
>
> at home
>
>>>(like my husband who was taught by his father as soon as he learnt to
>
> speak at
>
>>>the age of 3-4) or at school.
>>>Concerning English - linguistically it is actually a mutation, because
>
> it has
>
>>>almost none of the morphological features typical of a indo-germanic
>
> language
>
>>>(except for the 3rd pers. sing.).
>>>
>>>Alisa
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>-------------------------------------------------
>>>This mail sent through IMP: http://horde.org/imp/
>>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>Nate Schmolze
>>Homepage: http://nateweb.info
>>Vygotsky Project: http://vygotsky.nateweb.info
>>Email: nateatdotinfo
>>
>>*******************************************************
>>The flag is only a symbol of the fact that man is still a herd animal.
>>
>>Albert Einstein
>>*******************************************************
>
>
>
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-- 
Nate Schmolze
Homepage: http://nateweb.info
Vygotsky Project: http://vygotsky.nateweb.info
Email: nateatdotinfo

******************************************************* The flag is only a symbol of the fact that man is still a herd animal.

Albert Einstein *******************************************************



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