Eszmélet organised the 1st Theoretical Conference of Journals of Social-critique at the Youth Centre in Csillebérc Budapest on April 10-12, 1991. In this issue, we present selected writings of the participants of the conference (it can be the written version of the speeches made or a different study) and of invited persons who could not come (like Bidet, Laibman, Mészáros or Samary).  We ask our readers to take into account that the original audience of most of the articles translated here were domestic readers of foreign journals, where the authors live. Nevertheless, we hope that articles reflecting the views of British, American, Italian, Austrian, French of Polish authors do have interesting points for Hungarian readers, since most of the studies focus on developments in East Europe, where we live.

In addition to articles related to the conference, we present two writings of André Gunder Frank from the Netherlands. This the continuation of our series presenting the 36 most renowned leftist thinkers that was started with publishing writings from Immanuel Wallerstein and that will be continued soon with articles from Samir Amin. (We have to note that the two articles of Wallerstein, the studies of Gunder Frank and the articles to be published from Amin all were sent to Eszmélet by the authors themselves.)

Table of contents

1. Conference of journals of social-critique, Budapest 1991- Brief account
2. Gus Fagan : Hungary – The collapse of Kadarism
3. Andrea Komlosy, Hannes Hofbauer : Restructuring (Eastern) Europe
4. Luciana Castellina : Remaning an Italian communist – reflections on the “death of socialism”
5. Vietorisz Tamás : The global information economy, privatisation, and the future of socialism
6. Jacques Bidet : A metastructural theory of modernity
7. Barry K. Gills, Andre Gunder Frank : The cumulation of accumulation
8. Andre Gunder Frank : Marketing demokracy in an undemocratic market
9. David Laibman : Toward a working theory of the socialist economy
10. Mészáros István : The decreasing rate of utilisation and the capitalist state
11. Catherine Samary : The necessary self-government
12. Bartosz Julian : Deep down – for undisjoinable values – Theses for the conference in Budapest on April 11-12, 1991
13. Hungarian literaure on the system change 1989-1991
14. Short introduction of journals present at the conference on April 11-12, 1991

Table of contents

1. Bill Lomax : The world turned upside down. The revolutions in Hungary 1956 and 1989
2. Marton Imre : Western Europe in the grip of a rearranging world
3. John Rees : New imperialism
4. Tót Éva : How do the households defend themselves? – Conversation with sociologist Endre Sík
5. Ékes Ildikó : How do we live ten years before the turn of the century? – A survey with questionnaires involving 6,000 households
6. Tátrai Gábor : The 1990 general elections – Conversation with György Wiener
7. Márkus Péter : Modernisation theories in the Hungarian social sciences in the ’80s – A plan
8. Mocsáry József : Hungary and state capitalism – Thesis concerning the interpretation of the economic paradoxes of our history after 1949
9. Szalai Pál : Will ideas of István Bibó win?
10. Vigvári András : Reform and the change of system – A plan to the history of the Hungarian economic policy and reform
11. Szabó András György : Is Marxism modern?
12. Democracy
13. On the Forum of Citizens’ Initiative
14. Power has to be controlled – Conversation with András Hegedűs about the Workers’ Academy now being organised
15. Charter of the Federation for Social Democracy 1990
16. Szak Péter Otmár : Index and bibliography of Eszmélet, volumes 1-8.
17. Kapitány Ágnes, Kapitány Gábor : Politics and/or society