2 SOCIAL SCIENTIST questions such as these must not be interpreted merely as an attempt to sit in judgement over the actions of socialist countries and parties. An objective assessment of the implications of what they are doing, a dialectical analysis of the course they have begun to pursue, is crucial for our own struggle; this alone can give us the self-clarification that would enable us to move forward. To discuss these questions which are uppermost in the minds of socialists all over the world. Social Scientist had organised a three-day workshop in Delhi in March. To be sure, in India our knowledge of what is going on in the socialist countries is unfortunately limited. But the basic premise behind the workshop was that the discussion of these issues cannot simply await greater information. We have to make do with what we have, otherwise we would be waiting for ever. We can change our minds in the light of new information and new developments, but we cannot keep our minds blank. We would like to bring to our readers the papers presented at that workshop, as well as the written comments of some of the discussants. The current number of Social Scientist carries the first instalment of the papers presented at the workshop. Subsequent issues will carry the remaining papers and comments. We hope these papers will bring to the readers a whiff of the stimulating atmosphere which prevailed at the workshop. The workshop was dedicated to the memory of Muzaffar Ahmed, an outstanding communist, a pioneer of the communist movement in India, and an accused in the famous Meerut conspiracy case, whose centenary is being celebrated this year. The current number of Social Scientist is also dedicated to his memory.