Unfortunately, it won’t always be what you want it to be. As this blog reported back in April, the leadership of Britain’s Association of University Teachers (AUT) has proposed, in its “progressive” majesty, to boycott some Israeli universities, including, of all places, Haifa University, arguably the most genuinely progressive educational institution in the entire Middle East. This disgustingly bigoted proposal (I’ll be one of those awful blunt Americans and call it what it is) will be decided on in two days. Manchester professor Norman Geras has been covering this assiduously on his blog with guest posts from Eve Garrard. Go here, here, here and here.
PS: One of Ms. Gerrard’s posts, “Plagiarism,” is meant to be an allegory for the boycott.
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13 Comments
1. richard mcenroe:In a faint ray of hope, many British academicians have already announced they will ignore the boycott.
May 24, 2005 - 8:30 am 2. David Thomson:I suspect that a majority of Jews in Great Britain are rather indifferent towards the shenanigans of Britain’s Association of University Teachers (AUT). The enemy is supposedly always to the right. Liberals might get a bit goofy, but itís those right wingers who are the real danger. Is anybody even paying attention? I would bet money that no more than 40% of the Jewish-British population even gives a damn about this outrage.
May 24, 2005 - 8:30 am 3. JBR:Here is a link to an online petition that can be signed to protest the boycott. Over 44,000 people have signed. http://www.petitiononline.com/isboy05/petition.html
May 24, 2005 - 8:34 am 4. Ron:We have the same thing starting on our campuses here but people are not worried it seems. The Stalinists have taken over and are teaching from the newthink text book. Islamic Fascists have taken over whole departments, look at what has occurred at Columbia University and others. Its ordained apparently that we must have wars periodically to kill the barbarians, it doesn’t seem that we can learn from the past. Lets not wait to long like we did in the 30’s.
May 24, 2005 - 8:45 am 5. ricpic:Mustn’t a specific statement or act attributable to an institution be cited to justify a boycott against it? This boycott doesn’t even say that Haifa University is bad. It only says that Israel is bad.
May 24, 2005 - 9:06 am 6. David Thomson:Over 44,000 people have signed? Is that all? A second rate soccer game gets more interest than that. Oh gosh, why couldnít the boycott had been initiated by an ultra right-wing organization? That would definitely get the juices flowing. The Association of University Teachers is a liberal group. Why worry?
Isnít the enemy always to the right?
May 24, 2005 - 9:09 am 7. WichitaBoy:I never thought I would live to see blatant antisemitism rear its ugly head again, sanctioned by civilized Western Europe (again). I thought that was all ancient history, like the Roman Empire. It boggles the mind, it really does. Live and learn I guess.
May 24, 2005 - 12:47 pm 8. Terrye:I honestly can not imagine how sane people can behave like such idots.
The Soviets killed and maimed and enslaved how many people without so much as a kiss my arse from these hypocrites.
And now that the Soviets are gone they are sucking up to Islamic fascists.
I think the English may be a dying breed.
May 24, 2005 - 1:11 pm 9. PeterUK:Terrye,
“I think the English may be a dying breed.”
It just remains to be seen ,”Were we pushed or did we fall?”
May 24, 2005 - 1:34 pm 10. Terrye:Peter:
I would feel much better if I thought you were the rule, rather than the exception.
I had ancestors who came here from England. They turned rebel and fought the King. I hope all is forgiven.
May 24, 2005 - 2:46 pm 11. Rhod:The Redbricks produced Philby and Blount and the others…and Moseley too. Something in the masonry probably.
May 24, 2005 - 3:38 pm 12. chuck:WichitaBoy,
I thought that was all ancient history, like the Roman Empire.
I read somewhere that the boundaries of Catholic Europe pretty much follow the boundaries of the Roman Empire. Perhaps many things we think new are just shoots growing from ancient roots.
Anyway, I am keeping an eye on France and Germany, their behaviour in the next few years could be crucial.
May 24, 2005 - 3:59 pm 13. PeterUK:Rhod,
Oxbridge would be horrified to think that they were called Redbricks,that epithet is reserved for the lesser halls of Academe
The Marxists were beavering away in our institutions,as discessed in Only the Red thread.Interestingly on of the leaders of the British Communist Party instructed many not to join the Party, but get jobs where they could work for the cause on the inside.
May 24, 2005 - 4:41 pm