CV/RESUME
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Scholarly Voices Translation Service
James Howard Membrez
Poultney, VT 05764
I specialize in translating scholarly works in the social sciences and humanities from French into English.
Education
Special seminar on dialectical philosophy with Henri Lefebvre, 1984, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Graduate work in History of Consciousness, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1981-83
Focus: French Marxist and postmodernist theory; Louis Althusser; Michel Foucault; Lucien Sève; Jacques Derrida; Sartre’s Critique of Dialectical Reason (read and analyzed with Fredric Jameson).
B.A. in International Relations, Hamline University, St. Paul, MN, 1980
Focus: political economy of underdevelopment in Africa and Asia.
Senior thesis: “Politics, Social Classes and Economic Dependence in Egypt: An Introductory Essay on Egypt from 1800 to 1952”.
Junior Thesis: “Nonalignment in World Affairs”
Summer School in Social Theory, Boston University, 1979.
Focus: Marxist theory of the State; theory of underdevelopment; Samir Amin; André Gunder Frank; Ernest Mandel.
Special Semester at the United Nations, 1971
Research project on the Jarring Mission to the Middle East.
Translations
Published
Articles
Samir Amin. “The Center Will Not Hold: The Rise and Decline of Liberalism”, Monthly Review, v. 63, no. 8 (January 2012), p. 45-57. (Original: “Commentaires sur Wallerstein Modern World System IV.)
Samir Amin. “Comments on Tariq Amin-Khan’s Text: ‘Analyzing Political Islam: A Critique of Traditional Historical Materialist Analytic’” Monthly Review Website (http://www.monthlyreview.org/090330amin.php)
Samir Amin. “Empire and Multitude,” Monthly Review, v. 57, no. 6 (November 2005), p. 1-12. (Original: “Empire et Multitude: la banalité du discours dominant ou l’art d’esquiver les vraies questions”.)
Samir Amin. “The Millennium Development Goals: A Critique from the South”, Monthly Review, v. 57, no. 10 (March 2006), p. 1-15. (Original: “Les objectifs de développement du millénaire: un point de vue du sud”)
Samir Amin. “Political Islam in the Service of Imperialism,” Monthly Review, v. 59, no. 7 (December 2007), p. 1-19.
Georges-Henri Bricet des Vallons. “Less-Lethal Weapons, Crowd Control and Fourth Generation Conflicts, Inflexion, no. 5 (publication of the Armée de Terre and Ministère de la Défense) (Original: “Armes à létalité réduite, contrôle des foules et conflits de quatrième génération”.)
Jean-Claude Paye. “’Enemy Combatant’ or Enemy of the Government, Monthly Review, v. 59, no. 4 (September 2007), p. 1-11. (Original: “’Ennemi combattant’ ou ennemi du gouvernement”).
Jean-Claude Paye. “The European Union under U.S. Sovereignty,” Anarcho-Syndicalist Review, No. 53 (Winter 2010), p. 29-32.
Jean-Claude Paye. “From the State of Emergency to the Permanent State of Exception”, TELOS, no. 136 (Fall 2006), p. 154-166.
Jean-Claude Paye. “Great Britain and the End of Habeas Corpus,” Monthly Review. v. 57, no. 6 (November 2005), p. 34-43. (Original: “Grande-Bretagne: la fin de l’habeas corpus”.)
Jean-Claude Paye. “An Imperial Transatlantic Market”, MRZine, March 10, 2009
Jean-Claude Paye, “A Permanent State of Emergency”, Monthly Review v. 58, no. 6 (November 2006), p. 29-37.(Original: “Un état d’urgence permanent”)
Books
Samir Amin, Eurocentrism. 2nd ed. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2009. [Second edition of Eurocentrism; translated new portions of book. Original: Modernité, religion et démocratie. Lyon: Parangon, 2008.]
Samir Amin. The Liberal Virus: Permanent War and the Americanization of the World. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2004. 140 pp. (Original: Le virus libéral: La guerre permanente et l’américanisation du monde. Pantin: Le Temps des Cerises, 2003.)
Samir Amin. The World We Wish to See: Revolutionary Objectives in the Twenty-First Century. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2008. (Original: Pour la cinquième internationale. Pantin: Le Temps des Cerises, 2006.)
Olivier Besancenot and Michael Löwy. Che Guevara: His Revolutionary Legacy. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2009. (Original: Che Guevara: une braise qui brûle encore.)
Marcel Mazoyer and Laurence Roudart. History of World Agriculture: From the Neolithic Age to the Current Crisis. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2006. 500 pp. (Original: Histoire des agricultures du monde: Du néolithique à la crise contemporaine. Paris: Seuil, 2002.)
Jean-Claude Paye. The Global War on Liberty. New York: TELOS Press, 2007. (Original: La Fin de l’état de droit: la lutte antiterroriste, de l’état d’exception à la dictature. Paris: La Dispute, 2004.)
Forthcoming
Articles
Samir Amin. “Financial Crisis or Systemic Crisis?”, Monthly Review.
Samir Amin. “The World in 2025 According to the CIA,” Monthly Review.
Georges-Henri Bricet des Vallons. “Non-Lethal Weapons in the Military Strategy of the United States: Strategic Imagination and Genesis of the Weapons, International Peacekeeping (forthcoming). (Original: “L’arme non-létale dans la stratégie militaire des États-Unis: imaginaire stratégique et génèse de l’armement”.)
Books
Other Publications
Abstracts of 10 articles published in Inflexion (publication of the French Armée de la Terre and Ministère de la Défense).
Files for DGA (Délégation générale pour l’armement, Ministère de la Défense, France) websites.
Fifteen articles for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Notes du Jeudi (Thursday Notes) collection.
First Nations, Royal Collections: First Encounters with the Indians of North America from the 17th to 18th Century. Exhibition program for the Musée du quai Branly, Paris. (Original: Premières nations, collections royales: Du XVIIe au XVIIIe siècle, premières rencontres avec les Indiens d’Amérique du Nord.)
The 30-Year Prospective Plan (v. 1 and part of v. 2). Paris: Ministère de la Défense, 2006. (Original: Le plan prospectif à 30 ans.)
The 30-Year Prospective Plan (v. 1) Paris: Ministère de la Défense, 2007. (Original: Le plan prospectif à 30 ans.)
La Tribune du CID articles (Collège interarmées de défense, Ministère de la Défense, France):
Major Baverey. “Network-Centered Operations: Battle Horse or Trojan Horse?” (Original: “Les opérations réseaux centrées: cheval de bataille ou cheval de troie?).
Major Becker. “The Legal Redefinition of ‘Prisoner’: An Ethical and Operational Necessity” (Original: La redéfinition juridique du prisonnier: une nécessité éthique et opérationnelle”).
Principal Engineer Berthelier. “Sustainable Development and Defense: Do and Inform” (Original: “Développement durable et défense: faire et faire savoir”).
Chef d’Escadron Boughani. “Affirmative Action: A Spurious Solution” (Original: “La discrimination positive: une fausse bonne idée).
Major Calmant. “2010: Swan Song for Benelux?” (Original: “2010: le chant du cygne pour le Benelux?”).
Commissioner Major Castillon. “The Appeals Commission for Military Personnel: Defense of Individual Rights or Strengthening Dialogue?” (Original: “La commission de recours des militaires, défense des droits individuels ou renforcement de la concertation?).
Lieutenant-Colonel Dabadie. “Heavy Bombers Too Quickly Forgotten” (Original: “Bombardiers lourds trop vite oublies”).
Lieutenant-Colonel Diop Birame. “The Stability of Sub-Saharan Africa Requires the Reform of its Armed Forces and the Creation of a Police Force with a Military Status” (Original: “La stabilité de l’Afrique subsaharienne passe par la réforme de ses armées et par la création de forces de police à statut militaire”).
Lieutenant-Colonel Donnet.“EEAW: Embryonic Component of Future European Air Combat?” (Original: “EEAW: composante embryonnaire d’une future force aérienne de combat européenne?”).
Major Durieux. “The Fascination of the Infinitely Small: The Stakes of Military Nanotechnologies” (Original: “Vertige de l’infiniment petit: enjeux des nanotechnologies militaires”).
Lieutenant-Commander de Guibert. “From the ‘Young School’ to the NCW: For a Reasonable Approach to the Use of Technology” (Original: “De la ‘Jeune école’ à la NCW: pour une approche raisonnable de la course technologique”).
Colonel Kaumbu-Yankolé. “Is Migration a Threat?” (Original: “Le phénomène migratoire constitue-t-il une menace?).
Médecin-en-Chef Leonce. “Bioterrorism: Can We and Should We Protect Ourselves From It?” (Original: “Bioterrorisme: Peut-on et doit-on s’en prémunir?”).
Commander Lucas. “Should Europe Fear a Return of the United States to Multilateralism?” (Original: “L’Europe doit-elle craindre un retour des États-Unis au multilatéralisme”).
Colonel Mignot, “Crowd Control or Maintenance of Law and Order?” (Original: “Contrôle de foule ou maintien de l’ordre?”)
Lieutenant-Commander de Saint-Germain. “What is the Future of the French Nuclear Deterrent?” (Original: “Quel avenir pour la dissuasion nucléaire français?”).
Major Wallaert, “’To Win Hearts and Minds’: American Rediscoveries” (Original: “’Gagner les coeurs et les esprits’: re-decouvertes américaines”
Lieutenant-Colonel Wood. “The Legality of the War in Iraq 2003: A British Perspective” (Original: La légalité de la guerre en Irak 2003: une perspective britannique”).
Unpublished
•Ongoing translation project of selected shorter works by Samir Amin, 2003-:
Samir Amin. “Marx and Democracy”, (Original: “Marx et la démocratie”, La Pensée, no. 328 (Dec. 2001), p. 101-106.)
Samir Amin. “What Alternatives are there to the Destructive Aspects of Capital Accumulation?” (Original: “Quelles alternatives à la dimension destructrice de l’accumulation du capital? Alternatives Sud, v. 8 (2001), p. 27-50.)
Samir Amin. “1492: The Polarization of the World: Interview with Samir Amin” (Original: “1492: La polarization des mondes” Entretien avec Samir Amin. Cahiers des Sciences Humaines: Trente ans (1963-1992).)
Samir Amin. “Los Angeles, United States of Plastika” (Original: “Los Angeles, United States of Plastika”, L’Homme et la société, no. 33-34 (juillet-déc. 1974), p. 181-210.)
•Lucien Sève translation projects:
Lucien Sève, “What is the Human Person?” (Original: “Qu’est-ce que la personne humaine?”, in Qu’est-ce que la personne humaine? Bioéthique et démocratie. Paris: La Dispute, 2006, p. 35-82.)
Lucien Sève. “Form, Formation, Transformation” (Original: “Forme, formation, transformation”, in Structuralisme et dialectique. Paris: Éditions Sociales, 1984).
A cooperative translation project of selected works by Lucien Sève, coordinated by Carl Shames, Berkeley, 1998. Responsible for translating the article above and editing translations of other selections.
Lucien Sève. (Chapter 4: Marxism and Philosophy (Original: Une introduction à la philosophie marxiste. Paris: Éditions Sociales, 1980. Chapter 4: Marxisme et philosophie).
A cooperative translation project coordinated by Carl Shames, Berkeley, 1982-1983. Responsible for translating Chapter 4 (ca. 90 p.)
•Other works:
Laurent Cordonnier. “Consumer at Work”, Le Monde diplomatique, June 2011, p. 32. (Original: “Consommateur au labeur”).
Sandrine Garcia. “In the Name of the Child’s Well-Being”, Le Monde diplomatique, May 2011, p. 22-23. (Original: “Au nom du bien-être de l’enfant”).
Yvon Quiniou. “The Fraud of Moral Capitalism”, Le Monde diplomatique, July 2010, p. 3. (Original: “L’imposture du capitalisme moral”).
Philippe Rivière. “Facebook, Magic Mirror: An Insatiable Social Network”, Le Monde diplomatique, December 2010, p. 28. (Original: “Facebook, miroir magique”).
Former Employment
Head of Copy Cataloging, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1992-2004.
Duties: Supervised copy cataloging staff. Wrote performance evaluations, training manuals and regular memos outlining procedures and policies. Coordinated database and computer-related matters for the department. Also was responsible for cataloging books in all disciplines, particularly those published in major European languages.
Cataloger, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1980-1992.
Duties: Cataloged books in all disciplines.
Memberships
American Translators Association, 2004-
References
Available upon request.