New Left Review

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New Left Review
Type Journal
Format Magazine
Owner
Editor Perry Anderson
Susan Watkins
Founded 1960
Political allegiance Socialist/Marxist
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Website: www.newleftreview.org/

The New Left Review is a political journal, founded in 1960 in the UK after the editors of the New Reasoner and the Universities and Left Review merged their boards. The Universities and Left Review had grown out of the Suez crisis in 1956; their journal centred on a rejection of the dominant 'revisionist' orthodoxy within the Labour Party, from a Marxist perspective. Together they would be at the forefront of the New Left in Britain, with the New Left Review as their theoretical journal. Through the journal, the members of the New Left would create 'New Left Clubs', and began working towards the reestablishment of Socialism as a viable force in English working-class politics.[1]

The name "New Left" came from radical American sociologist C. Wright Mills. He wrote an "Open letter to the New Left", 1960. He disclaimed the "Old Left", both Communist and Reformist, as well as radical Liberals, who betrayed the ideals of freedom and justice. He made a great impact on young intellectuals.

The journal was initially edited by Stuart Hall, but he was replaced in 1962 by Perry Anderson, who in his first period as editor expanded the focus of the review to debates within Western Marxism. Robin Blackburn took over from Anderson in 1982, and continued in this role until a redesign and relaunch in 2000. The period of Blackburn's editorship was marked by a major rift on the editorial committee which culminated in the resignation of the majority of its members in 1993,[2] a fact that is not mentioned in the official history on the New Left Review website.[3] Perry Anderson became the editor again, briefly; Susan Watkins took over the role of editor in 2003.

In its new form, NLR has led with major articles on the United States, China, Japan, Europe, Britain, Indonesia, Cuba, Iraq, Mexico, India and Palestine. It has featured major analyses of the global economy, the post-Seattle anti-corporate globalization activism, discussions of world literature and cinema, cultural criticism and the avant-garde.

[edit] Further reading

  • Lin, Chun (1993). The British New Left. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0748604227. 

[edit] References

  1. ^ The precursors of the New Left Review, The New Reasoner and Universities & Left Review, have their contents archived at the Amiel Melburn Trust Internet Archive.
  2. ^ Text of the March 1993 resignation of the majority of the editorial committee.
  3. ^ NLR's article on its history here.

[edit] External links