'We present this special edition issue of Social Alternatives to celebrate our 40th anniversary and renewed commitment to the social and political project of 'providing a radical outlet for the communication of new ideas' and 'formulating alternatives to existing policies and structures' (Summy 1977: 4). Contributions for this issue were invited from past and current members of the editorial collective, the advisory board and guest editors. Contributors were asked to give account of the way that the journal has given them the opportunity to speak back to conventional assumptions about social and political issues and to open up new ways of conceptualising solutions.' (Editorial Introduction)
Contents indexed selectively.
'Dow commemorates the 40th anniversary of Social Alternatives by discussing his hopes and disappointments of the past forty years in terms of the politics of economic policy in Australia. He has written in the first issue of Social Alternatives, together with Jon Stanford, the economic crisis then emerging (unemployment and inflation, signaling the end of the long postwar boom) was driven more by policy mistakes, institutional belligerence and political error than by global forces over which Australia had insufficient domestic or deliberative control. Over the ensuing four decades, he haven't altered his diagnosis much; although it does need to be augmented now to reflect his realization that ideas and analyses are insufficient for policy critique.' (Introduction)
'Maddox discusses various political events that took place in Australia since Social Alternatives was launched forty years ago. The very name, Social Alternatives, implies that something is wrong, that change needs to be made. The journal emerged shortly after a political crisis in 1975 that destroyed not only any sensible reading of the Australian Constitution, but also undermined people's faith in the electoral system as a means of allowing fair representation of the people's interests. The crisis put Australian society in a turmoil. It left the progressive side of politics in disarray, if not abject despair.' (Publication abstract)
'Stilwell discusses the need for Social Alternatives, a journal that has been a focal point for progressive thought in Australia since its inception, to continue with analysis and debate with issues concerning peace, equity and sustainability. Concerns with these issues is obvious and ongoing as events and processes currently reshaping the world around us, making it more liable to violence, inequality, and economic and environmental crisis, require our collective attention, analysis and activism.' (Publication abstract)
'The goal of Social Alternatives from its inception in 1977 was to provide a forum for discussing and analyzing problems, with an emphasis on formulating nonviolent alternatives in a quest for peace and social justice. The previous decade had seen great changes both in Australia and overseas; it was a period of student unrest that led to new ways of thinking. Professor Ralph Summy played a major role in the upheaval that took place at the University of Queensland during the sixties and into the seventies. It was in this environment that the idea of a radical journal took root. Ralph gathered a few like-minded friends to work on the first issue of the journal which was launched on Dec 1977. Here, Summy uncovers Ralph's personal story, in an attempt to understand his motivation in pursuing a fair and equitable society, and to discover the evolution of his ideas.' (Publication abstract)
'Synott reflects on the poetry published in Social Alternatives journal in the last forty years. His appointment as poetry editor of the journal from 2002 to 2012 followed in the footsteps of Laurence Burke, John Knight and Wendy Morgan. Their editorial work established that Social Alternatives was not only a publication of critical articles on politics, social movements and cultural debates but a journal that presented poetry from poets involved in those social movements. They published poetry that expressed the voices of poets engaged in the anti-nuclear weapons, anti-conscription and anti-Vietnam war campaigns, the campaigns for women's liberation, the campaigns for Aboriginal Land rights, the movement for environmental protection, and other new left analyses and proposals for change towards a communitarian and ecologically sustainable world.' (Publication abstract)
