Preface.
James, Joy
IN APRIL 2002, WE ORGANIZED THE "IMPRISONED INTELLECTUALS: A
DIALOGUE WITH Scholars, Activists and (Former) U.S. Political Prisoners
on War, Dissent, and Social Justice," which was held at Brown
University. Preparation of the conference proceedings for publication
received invaluable assistance from Brady Heiner, Christopher Muller,
and Hana Tauber, as well as Brown University's UTRA (University
Teaching and Research Assistance) program.
The April 13 through 14 "Imprisoned Intellectuals"
conference was originally conceived as a forum on the contributions of
incarcerated, progressive authors and theorists to critical thinking and
social justice. Their collected writings (some 700 manuscript pages,
edited into the anthologies, Imprisoned Intellectuals: U.S. Political
Prisoners and Social Justice and Abolitionists (forthcoming),
established the foundation for the conference, although the major
discussions during the conference weekend centered on incarceration politics, the conditions of prisoners, including political prisoners,
and the levels of dissent and civil disobedience in opposition to U.S.
military interventions. (Amnesty International has documented the
existence of approximately 100 U.S. political prisoners, most imprisoned
for anti-racist and anti-intervention or antiwar activism.)
The scope of this conference grew after September 11, 2001. In
particular, two panels were redesigned in response to requests from
activists that we address part of the aftermath of that tragedy: the
"lockdown" of U.S. political prisoners and the expansion of
domestic police.
On the first day (Saturday), panels were organized into five units
that reflect the sections of this special issue of Social Justice:
"Black Liberationists," "Internationalists and
Anti-Imperialists," "Prison Reform and Abolition,"
"Human Rights Activism and the 'War on Terrorism,'"
and "Cyberspace in Prison: Communication, Community, and Human
Rights." The event was constructed around the writings and work of
U.S. political prisoners and their advocates. The loci of the last two
panels departed somewhat from the "imprisoned intellectual"
theme. This first examined war, activism, and human rights in the
post-September 11 period, while the second covered cyber advocacy and
education for the human rights of prisoners, and the use of technology
to restore diminishing communication rights and communities.
To facilitate intellectual and political discourse, we organized a
space for a dialogue. Papers were presented along with
commentators' observations. The gathering was designed to encourage
discussions on complex and controversial political/ethical issues.
Recent Brown University graduates who had conducted research on, or
organized around, the "prison-industrial complex" and
prisoners' rights were commentators for the various panels. Panels
reflected diverse voices from various ethnic backgrounds and progressive
political ideologies: scholars, activists, former political prisoners,
women, men, and youth. Young scholars and activists constituted a strong
presence on panels.
This special issue is dedicated to Safiya Bukhari, a former Black
Panther Party leader who was incarcerated for eight years and co-founded
the Jericho Movement for the freedom of political prisoners.
Safiya's contributions have benefited many in struggle for justice
and liberation.
Joy James, Brown University, 2003
JOY JAMES, the Guest Editor of this issue, is Professor of Africana
Studies at Brown University (Providence RI 02912; e-mail:
joy_ann_james@brown.edu).
