The idea of forming the International Gramsci Society was inspired, in very large measure, by a desire to facilitate communication and the exchange of information among the very large number of individuals from all over the world who are interested in Gramsci's life and work and in the presence of his thought in contemporary culture. When a formal proposal to establish the IGS was presented at the concluding session of the international conference "Gramsci nel mondo" held in Formia in October 1989, it was agreed that the Society would: "Publish a bulletin once or twice a year to keep all members informed about publications, meetings, and other activities relevant to the study and the interpretation of Gramsci."
The need to publish an IGS bulletin was reaffirmed at the first public organizational meeting of the lGS which took place in New York in April 1991. On that occasion, the newly elected provisional committee charged with launching and overseeing the activities of the IGS decided that one of the highest priorities was the publication of an IGS Newsletter which will be mailed to all members of the Society.
This issue of the IGS Newsletter, being the first, is somewhat experimental in its general character, its contents, and its format. For the Newsletter to develop into an effective organ of communication which fully addresses the diverse needs of the IGS membership, its editor will have to rely heavily on suggestions, reports, announcements and other relevant communications from its readers. Therefore, everyone is strongly encouraged to send the editor information about publications, conferences, symposia, university courses, exhibits, documentaries and other activities or cultural events which might be of interest to IGS members.
In order to ensure that the IGS Newsletter reaches as broad a spectrum of readers as possible, it may prove necessary (or, at least highly desirable) to publish it in different languages. At present this is difficult to do because of the limited technical and financial resources [END PAGE 1] available to the Society. Ideally, the Newsletter would be published in English, Italian, Spanish and German. For the time being the Newsletter will appear only in English, French and Italian. However, if there are members who are willing to undertake the task of translating the text of the Newsletter and have the technical facility to put the translated text onto a computer disk, then it should be possible to publish each issue in three or four different languages.
During the first week of October 1991, fliers (in English and Italian) containing a brief description of how the IGS was formed and of its main goals as well as an application for membership were mailed to about 300 individuals around the world. So far, over seventy individuals from various countries have joined the IGS and paid the membership fee. In addition to the membership fee, some individuals also made additional contributions to the Society. This is a good start, but obviously a greater effort needs to be made in order to enlarge the membership. For this reason, an application for membership is included in this Newsletter -- readers are encouraged to pass this on to friends and colleagues who share an interest in Gramsci. Members of the IGS could also help in another way: whenever they are organizing or attending conferences at which persons interested in Gramsci are likely to attend, they might wish to distribute copies of these fliers. Anyone wishing to have copies of these fliers could obtain them from Joseph A. Buttigieg, by writing or calling and indicating the number of copies desired in the English and/or Italian versions.
So far the largest numbers of members are from the United States and Italy. Smaller numbers of members have joined from Spain, Germany, France, Hungary, Greece, and Britain. In order for the IGS to have a truly international character a special effort needs to be made to enroll members from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East where very important and interesting work with a Gramscian imprint is being carried out -- work which, because of a lack of information and dissemination, is not receiving the attention it merits in Europe and North America. Current members of the IGS are urged to help in whatever way they can to enlarge the geographic reach and diversity of the Society. [END PAGE 2]
One of the most urgent tasks of the IGS is to make preparations for an international conference to be held some time in 1993. The conference will provide the occasion for an extensive examination of the status of Gramsci's influence in contemporary culture, the diversity of Gramscian studies, the various directions in which the interpretations and the uses of Gramsci's ideas and categories have been developing. The conference will also serve another, more practical purpose: it will bring together the members of the IGS so that they can collectively plan the work of the Society and give its organizational structure a more permanent and solid form. Currently, the activities of the IGS are being carried out by a provisional committee that was elected in April 1991. Al the international conference in 1993 this provisional committee will be dissolved; in its place, the members of the IGS will elect a General Council, an Advisory Board, and an Executive Committee.
Both the date and the place of the international conference have yet to be determined. Indeed, no decisions in this regard can be taken until the provisional committee receives the suggestions and proposals of IGS members. The first and most important thing that needs to be decided is where to hold the conference. The IGS has very limited funds and, therefore, it will have to rely on the support of some institution (a university, a research center, a cultural association, or some other entity) that is willing to host or sponsor the conference. We might also think of the possibility of making the IGS a part of another, larger, conference or convention. In choosing a site for the conference it is also very important to bear in mind the logistics of travel. The conference needs to be held at a location which is relatively easy to reach for the largest possible number of IGS members; otherwise, the high costs of travel will prevent many individuals from attending. Furthermore, the conference needs to be held in a place where local members of the IGS are willing to help with the organization, planning, and practical arrangements for the event.
Each member of the IGS is strongly urged not only to send suggestions and ideas concerning the place and dates for the conference [END PAGE 3], but also to consider seriously the possibility of taking the initiative and playing a leading role in organizing the conference. Obviously, it is important to start preparing for the conference as soon as possible in order to ensure that it can be held successfully next year.