'nother couple o' questions: Damen and Organisational work

My first question is basically why Onorato Damen is not better known, or his works more translated. I only found out about Damen because Alf reccomended him to me, and I found a couple of articles on the ICT's website. I found a site called the Istituto Onorato Damen with a couple of Damen's texts, but in Italian. Damen seems like a pretty crucial figure in the PCInt, especially since his faction has remained to this day without splitting up into a thousand different groups like the Bordigists. I'm just sort of curious as to why there isn't more of an effort to get Damen's works translated, in the same way that a ton of people, even outside the Left-Communist milieu, seem to be interested in the work of Bordiga.

The other thing is I'm also looking to get in contact with and involved in Internationalist organisations. I'm just not sure exactly how to get started, I've never really been involved in political activity up till now. I'm also uncertain of what problems my location might cause, as my means of transportation is extremely limited.

My first question is basically why Onorato Damen is not better known, or his works more translated. I only found out about Damen because Alf reccomended him to me, and I found a couple of articles on the ICT's website. I found a site called the Istituto Onorato Damen with a couple of Damen's texts, but in Italian. Damen seems like a pretty crucial figure in the PCInt, especially since his faction has remained to this day without splitting up into a thousand different groups like the Bordigists. I'm just sort of curious as to why there isn't more of an effort to get Damen's works translated, in the same way that a ton of people, even outside the Left-Communist milieu, seem to be interested in the work of Bordiga.

Funnily enough I was talk about this to somebody on the ICT international bureau last week. The 'Istituto Onorato Damen' is actually the first split from the PCInt since it was formed in 1952.

I would imagine that the best people to ask about translations would be the CWO. I would imagine they probably have a few old ones around that they haven't managed to get on-line, which they would send you if you asked.

The other thing is I'm also looking to get in contact with and involved in Internationalist organisations. I'm just not sure exactly how to get started, I've never really been involved in political activity up till now. I'm also uncertain of what problems my location might cause, as my means of transportation is extremely limited.

I notice from your profile that you have your location down as UK. You could start by going to a meeting, or if that is difficult for you, I am sure we could send someone to you to discuss it. Send an e-mail to WR, or pm Alf on here.

Devrim

Well, where are meetings usually held?

To be slightly more specific about my location, I live in the Wiltshire/Swindon area and can only travel as far as the Buses will take me.

Also, I am not entirely sure if I'd be suitable for the ICC.

Probably the nearest places to you are London or Exeter. I am not exactly sure where Swindon is except between London and Bristol.

If you are not interested in the ICC, you could try the CWO.

Devrim

Zanthorus - not sure what you mean about not being 'suitable for the ICC'. We are talking about getting to know each other, not marriage!
The nearest comrades to you are in Exeter, Plymouth, Cardiff, London and Birmingham. But if you want to meet us and you can't get to one of our meetings, we could come to you. Also we sometimes go to the Commune meetings in Bristol. Meetings are usually advertised on the website, libcom and sometimes on revleft.

If you are not interested in the ICC, you could try the CWO.

I am interested, but I don't really know much about how the ICC (Or the CWO) actually functions in reality.

Zanthorus - not sure what you mean about not being 'suitable for the ICC'. We are talking about getting to know each other, not marriage!

Well I disagree with several points of the ICC's basic positions, most notably the assertion that capitalism has been a 'decadent' social system since the first world war. Theoretically (Not necessarily politically) at least, I tend to agree with a lot of the tendencies characterised as 'academic' by the ICC.

The nearest comrades to you are in Exeter, Plymouth, Cardiff, London and Birmingham.

With my current means of transport I can't really get to any of those places.

I should add this may change in a month or so, though I wouldn't necessarily count on it.

But if you want to meet us and you can't get to one of our meetings, we could come to you.

What exactly would this involve?

I'm just sort of curious as to why there isn't more of an effort to get Damen's works translated, in the same way that a ton of people, even outside the Left-Communist milieu, seem to be interested in the work of Bordiga.

Well, Bordiga was the founding leader of the Communist Party of Italy, and by extension, one of the leaders of the Communist International, in the congresses of which he actively participated and argued against the positions of Lenin and Bukharin, told Stalin that he was the grave-digger of the revolution and so forth. Damen was rather a leading militant of the the left fraction of the Italian Communist Party. It is I think more or less natural that Bordiga is more famous, Lenin for example is obviously more famous than Bukharin, Zinoviev, Radek etc. As for texts, I have always been under the impression that Damen was more focused on organizational issues than to theoretical ones, so I am under the impression that his writings are mostly related to subjects revolving around the organization of the day. I might be wrong though, the only article I read from Damen was this one: http://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2...r-the-party-no Apparently part of a book, full of his texts all relating to the 1952 split.

Given your specific political positions, may I suggest giving the International Bureau for the Revolutionary Party / Internationalist Communist Tendency a look? The responses here so far are from the ICC bunch.

in the same way that a ton of people, even outside the Left-Communist milieu, seem to be interested in the work of Bordiga

Reasons:

1) Critique of Stalin's 1952 work
2) Transnationalism
3) Based on #2: programmatic centralism (useful for anti-coalitionist/anti-ministerial currents even in as not-so-left projects as the Fifth Socialist International)
4) Flaws in his "anti-democratic" thinking

Zanthorus: it would involve a day trip by one or two of us, and a fairly informal meeting in a cafe or something like that, just to introduce each other, and see what kind of things we might discuss in the future. We could discuss it via PMs

Alf, you might want to check your PM's

Zanthorus
I have just signed up to this forum so am just reading this exchange forthe first time. The CWO is now (at long last tackling the work of translating Damen's most important texts. He, like Bordiga, is difficult to read even for Italians but we have begun with his text on Bordiga (Beyond the Myth and the Rhetoric) which is the bok Leo referred to above. If you want to know what else we have send me a PM

I thought I would revive this thread. Since users Savage and Kadir Ateş had previously asked about the availability of Onorato Damen's text and thanks to Jock's hard labour Damen's book, 'Amadeo Bordiga - Beyond the Myth and the Rtheoric' is being published in serial form on the ICT website:

Part 1 - 'Bordiga - Beyond the Myth and the Rhetoric' - Damen's obituary on Bordiga.

Part 2 - 'Bordgia - Beyond the Myth' - is the 'Outline of the Disagreement' between Damen and Bordiga which provides the context to the PCInt split in 1952 and to the 'Five Letters' between them which IIRC have been translated and will be the next installment in this series.