Hi Josie,

| I think we'd all agree with this, but isn't this the case
| already? I distinctly remember Laura raising this concern at
| the last meeting too, and, judging by the ideas set out
| already we are focusing as much if not more on the underlying
| dynamics of global capitalism, migration, immigration, border
| regimes and labour markets which animate the MC discourse.
| Could you identify which suggestions you're concerned with?
| Maybe I'm missing something here?

This was just to say that I had a problem with the title 'the
multiculti issue' or whatever (and didn't remember that Laura had also
raised this) because it felt too narrow. Evidently, this created a
problem only for me, as everyone's suggestions recognise that the
theme is much broader, regardless of the title.

So, if the title is also changing, I'll stop worrying about it, since
the article ideas offered so far sound great.

And by the way - I can definitely make Tuesday

dx

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Dear Eds and Deme,

[FIRST OFF: CAN YOU ALL MAKE IT TO A MEETING NEXT TUESDAY, 4PM?????]

As we're all aware, yesterday's meeting never happened due to mass
absenteeism. So the office employees decided to occupy the Kremlim, and
since none of you arrived outside in tanks, waving bottles of vodka and
clutching your prostates, this is what happened...

We had a long chat (over lunch, and then afterwards in the office, with
Ben only present towards the end) - and decided that we couldn't
postpone the decision over the issue's thematic any longer. We agreed
that multiculturalism would indeed be a good choice a) to avoid seeming
repetitious (we already devoted a good chunk of issue 28 to art & regen,
and then repeated precarity material from issue 29 in the pilot), and
figured that leaving it for another issue would help b) risky or not, it
still feels more challenging and exciting to investigate an area that is
relatively untramelled by Mute c) in the aftermath of the Corulla and
French riots this topos is under a great deal of scrutiny as it has
begun to visibly creek with the strain of its own contradictions - we'd
like to jump into the hot-tub with everyone else and d) we do actually
appear to have some increasingly solid and plausible looking
contributions e) the government's Respect agenda has just been lauched
and needs to be put through the shredder

This should not be read as any kind of diss against the many virtues of
a regen/urbanisation/globalisation issue. In fact it offers us the holy
grail of greater lead time to nobble writers such as Mike Davies and
other potential retiring virgins requiring much wooing by our courtly
selves.

Since everyone seemed to be for both topics in the greater scheme of
things, I hope that our going unilateral hasn't caused too much offence.
We need to get the party started, and our copy deadline is early March.

Fresh on the idea pile for the Multiculturalism are:

- Matthew's excellent idea for a genealogy of 'integration' (thanks for
this Matthew! Do you want to write it? Oh go on!)

- The possibility of moving Silvia Federici's piece on New Orleans and
the new enclosures to this issue, since it will serve just as well here.

- Possibly a review by Anthony of the Making Things Public book, edited
by Bruno Latour (haven't asked him yet, but seems like a bon idee!) and
trying to conceive of a completely different form of public space and
political arena which (I'm guessing) gets to grips with the failure of
the democratic project based on enlightenment values, the cogito,
classical political subjects, Rights etc - which clearly
multiculturalism has been bent to conform too, if it didn't
always-already. It sounds, from what Anthony says, like an attempt to
work through a Deleuzo-Guattarian politics of becoming within/agasint
the husk of enlightenment ideals and the spaces of politics it convenes
[nb. this book could also serve as an excellent source for finding other
contributors].

In answer to Demetra's concerns/questions:

>
> i admit i wasn't too excited at first with that choice, and especially
> with 'multiculturalism' as the word that describes the scope of a whole
> issue.

Multiculturalism is just a working title, and will inevitably give way
to a more incisive term as our research develops. Any ideas anyone?

i think that if we move in that direction the theme should be
> broadened to cover issues of race, ethnicity, class, immigration and
> related (cultural/economic/urban/antisocial) policy more broadly, rather
> than the whole issue's core becoming a critique of the variants of
> multiculturalist or integrative policy/rhetoric -- Especially given that
> this broadening was already evident in our discussions at the last meeting.

I think we'd all agree with this, but isn't this the case already? I
distinctly remember Laura raising this concern at the last meeting too,
and, judging by the ideas set out already we are focusing as much if not
more on the underlying dynamics of global capitalism, migration,
immigration, border regimes and labour markets which animate the MC
discourse. Could you identify which suggestions you're concerned with?
Maybe I'm missing something here?
>
> Although this topic is equally interesting, i felt that we seemed better
> prepared, more engaged, and had more ideas, for the shanty/regen/agency
> theme, which was being pushed aside for a second time. I had some
> suggestions that I didn't send out because of this change of direction.
> here they are in case there's still interest (and apologies if they
> don't seem *directly* related):

Thanks for these two interesting suggestions. I'll add them to the suggs
list. It would be great if we could gather some more cultural/activist
projects to add to the multiculti issue too!

Ok, I'll love you and leave you,

xx Josie

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