Wednesday 6 February 2013

Conference Programme: The Durban Moment - Revisiting Politics, Labour, Youth and Resistance in the 1970s

Rhodes University  21–23 February 2013


Thursday 21st February        
Venue: Centre for Continuing Education
First Session
9.00 – 9.30Registration
9.30 – 9.45Welcome by Professor Saleem Badat, Vice Rector
9.45 – 10.00
Welcome and announcements by Omar Badsha
10.00 – 11.30 The Meaning of the Durban Moment Now 
Richard Pithouse: The Meaning of the Durban Moment Now 
11.30 – 11.45Tea
Second session
11.50 – 1.00BROAD HISTORICAL DISCUSSIONS ON LABOUR
Alex Lichtenstein: From Durban to Wiehahn - Black Workers, Employers, and the State in South Africa during the 1970s
Nicole Ulrich: The Emerging Unions and the South African State in the 1970s and 1980s - strategic engagement, or a path to co-optation
13.00 – 14.30Lunch
Third Session   
14.30 – 16.00MORE SPECIFIC LABOUR PAPERS
Raymond van Diemel: Who kept the fire burning? A Comparison of the Durban (Native) Riots of 1929 and those of 1973
John Mawbey: Locating Municipal Workers In the Moment of 1973
Tolga Tören: Trade Union Imperialism in South Africa: US Labour Relations with the Trade Union Council of South Africa – 1960 - 1973
17.30 – 19.00 
Opening of exhibition and book launch:
Speaker/s 
Cocktails and supper
Friday 22nd February             
Venue: Centre for Continuing Education
First Session  
9.30 – 11.30Session is still to be named
Andrew Nash: The Moral Culture of Left Activism across Three Generations
Halton Cheadle: Reflections on the Legal Aspects of the Durban Moment
Edward Webster: Hidden Voices - The Promise and the Pitfalls of the Durban Moment
11.30 – 11.45Tea
Second Session
12.50 – 13.30STUDENT POLITICS AND THE REALIGNMENT IN SOUTH AFRICAN POLITICS
Xolela Mangu: Rereading Biko
Saths Cooper: An overview of the significance and role of black consciousness
13.45 – 14.30Lunch
Third Session   
14.30 – 17.00RICK TURNER AND BIKO
Steven Friedman: From Class Room TO Class Struggle Radical Academics and the Rebirth of Trade Unionism in the 1970’s
Ian Macqueen: Collaboration and Debate in the ‘Durban Moment’: Steve Biko, Richard Turner and the politics of Black Consciousness, 1970-1973
Taylor Sparrow: WHAT'S WRONG WITH WHITE PEOPLE? Rick Turner and the Experiment with 'White Consciousness'

Saturday 23rd February                                 
Venue: Centre for Continuing Education
First Session
9.30 – 11.00IMPACT OF DURBAN MOMENT OUTSIDE NATAL
Dr Cornelius Thomas: Finding the ‘Durban Moment’ in Cape Town - Henry Isaacs and Leonardo Appies and the New Student Activism in the Western Cape, 1973-1976
Wesley Seale: From Resistance to Reconstruction - Reconfiguring the political Culture in South Africa with a special focus on the Eastern Cape
Sian Byrne:  “Building Tomorrow Today”: a re-examination of the character of the controversial “workerist” tendency associated with the Federation of South African Trade Unions (Fosatu) in South Africa, 1979 – 1985.
11.15 – 11.30  Tea
11.30 – 13.30Parallel session A  STUDENT AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION/ POLITICS
Barney Pityana
Sharad Chari: Remains of a Moment - Questioning revolution, expertise and community
Brown Bavusile Maaba: The Black Consciousness Movement in the 1970s: Challenges and Debates
   
Parallel session B    PAPERS ON BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS
Judaline Mulqueeny: The Battle of Ideas – Black Consciousness, Utopian Socialism, Gandhism and communism from the 1960’s – to mid 1970’s
Sam Moodley: The Durban Moment : Black Theatre an Expression of Black Consciousness
Alf Karrim: Mass organisation and the radicalisation of the student movement in the 1970’s
Goolam Vahed: The Natal Indian Congress, 1971-94
13.30 – 14.30Closing Remarks and Lunch