Professors Discuss Marxism During Sociology Conference

The debate on the academic left continued this weekend in a conference on "Sociology and History," which featured as speakers the Marxist historians Christopher Lasch '54, Eugene Genovese and the well-known sociologist Norbert Elias.

The conference, sponsored by the Sociology Department in honor of Talcott Parsons, professor of Sociology Emeritus attracted about 200 people to listen to discussions on the relationships between history, sociology and Marxism.

Basch and Genovese, professors of history at the University of Rochester, discussed the roles of the Marxist intellectual as critic and activist and the relationship of social sciences and Marxism.

Parsons briefly addressed the conference on Saturday afternoon. In apparent reference to the participation of historians who sharply disagree with his views on sociology, he said Saturday, "I am rather an interloper in this conference, because I had no part in its planning, nor have been scheduled as a speaker."

Lasch said Friday he believes social science today--as well as social scientists--contain an implicit status quo bias.

He added he believes that Marxist intellectuals who continue to stress revolution may neglect their role as social critics in analyzing the exploitative practices of capitalist society.

Genovese said Saturday the Marxist intellectual has a commitment to both activism and criticism.

"Marxism demands the utmost in political engagement by intellectuals as a guarantee against injustice, oppression and decadence," Genovese added.

Genovese said one of the continuing problems of socialism is to reconcile the need for a socialist party to gain and maintain power with the need to preserve "the historical traditions of freedom and democracy."

Elias, in his Saturday address, stressed the need to avoid viewing history and sociology as entirely independent of each other, and discussed the continuing controversy between a deterministic view of history supported by those outside of power and the "voluntaristic" view of history supported by those in power, who do not change.

The conference coincided with the publication of the first issue of "Marxist Perspectives," a quarterly journal of history that focuses on leftist historical interpretations. Genovese, Lasch and John Womack '59, professor of History, are all supporters of the quarterly.