Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), a social science research organisation, is organising an international conference “Karl Marx — life, Ideas, Influence: A Critical Examination on the Bicentenary’ from June 16 to 20 here. The aim is to not only remember Marx but to rethink and interrogate all that is sources to Marx.
“Marxism is not as alive today as it was during the two preceding centuries. But, even now ideas of Karl Marx continue to engage intellect, imagination and conscience of human minds across the world from perspectives that are understandably very diverse,” said ADRI head Shaibal Gupta on Wednesday.
He said the theme of the conference is indeed broad and its deliberations could encompass many strands — his life struggles; he and his lifelong collaborator Engels; enormous span of his writings covering economics, history, sociology, political theory, literature and other social issues; his political activities starting from, say, First International; or the continuation of his academic and political legacy by scholars and political leaders, opening new frontiers of Marxism.
A total of 53 academics from all the continents of the world would be gathering at the 5-day conference, Gupta said. World renowned academics including Gayatri Spivak, Samuel Hollander, Samir Amin, Jan Toporowski, Riccardo Bellofiore, Julio Boltvinik and Elvira Concheiro would be speaking on some of the most interesting topics at the conference.
Spivak, a University Professor at the University of Columbia would be talking on “How Can We Use Marxism TodayIJ” The lecture of Hollander, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto is titled “On Revolutionary Credentials of Karl Marx and the Marx-John Stuart Mill Intellectual Relationship”. Samir Amin, and economist currently based in Senegal, will speak on “The Communist Manifesto (1848), 170 Years later”. Toporowski, Professor, SOAS would be talking on “Marx’s Critical Notes on the Classical Theory of Interest”. Bellofiore, professor, University of Bergamo will speak on “Is There life on MarxIJ — The Critique of Political Economy as a Macro-Monetary Theory of Capitalist Production”.
The international conference on Karl Marx is being organised in the memory of Pijushendu Gupta and Radha Krishna Chaudhary who were instrumental in organising a conference on Marx on his 150th birth anniversary in Begusarai in 1967 — about which, renowned scholar Mohit Sen commented that it was the finest and largest conference organised in India at that time. The conference was also attended by Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya and RS Sharma.