Over the past year, I’ve found that completing my doctorate resembled a process, rather than a moment or event. I submitted early this year, but that wasn’t completion, as the thesis still needed to be examined (in Australia, examiners are external). I’ve had the examiners’ reports back for some months now, and they required no corrections – but that still wasn’t completion, as there were various mechanical and bureaucratic tasks to complete before I could submit. I submitted the archival copies of the thesis some weeks back – but that wasn’t completion either, since a committee needed to endorse the submission… A couple of weeks ago, I finally received a letter (with a holographic seal, no less), telling me that I am now allowed to assume the title of “Doctor”. Arguably, this isn’t completion either – I still haven’t actually graduated – I believe that happens in December… But perhaps I am far enough along the process that I can now draw a line under it and declare the doctorate complete?
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Congratulations! I’m looking forward to reading your book.
Congratulations 🙂
Congratulations!
Very very great news! I just made a remark on your comment on my blog about how much I wanted your Marx work to burst upon the world. Pepperelian Marxists of the world can now unite!
Hey folks – many thanks 🙂
dettman and roger – It’ll still be a bit until the whole thing is available (and the “whole thing”, unfortunately, isn’t the whole thing… the current book is essentially an introduction… more will need to follow…), but it will be nice at least to see what I’ve been blogging about over the past few years available in some systematic form…
Now back to revisions! 🙂
Just thought I would chime in too: Congratulations N! Wonderful news all around!
Hey Alexei! Good to see you 🙂 It will feel a bit more wonderful when the book is properly out in the world 🙂 I feel a bit like the blog presents a sort of kaleidoscopic version of the argument – I gave up at a certain point posting further refinements of the drafts, because each incremental change was very small. Over time, though, the offline version of the argument has gotten much clearer and more efficient than what I’ve posted here… So I’m chafing to have a proper presentation in the world…
A little late–but congratulations. I too think that your book is going to profoundly change the ways that people read Marx and, hopefully, the ways in which they imagine acting in the world.
Hey John – many thanks for your support and questions through the whole process. 🙂
I don’t know how much you will want to update to mentionrecent work, but Marx-Engels Jahrbuch 2009 published this past June has some relevant discussion. “Der Band dokumentiert in einem Schwerpunkt Beiträge der Tagung Marxens Konzeptualisierungen und Beschreibungen von Akteuren.” five articles on different aspects of the topic.
Hi Chuckie K – I’m still revising, although trying to keep the revisions as slight as I can – but still tucking in some new things where I can… If nothing else, I’m hoping to start work soon on the next book (and finally escape from the opening chapters of Capital…), so as a last resort I can revisit new work there… Many thanks for the recommendations…