Aftershocks ….
March 8, 2008 on 11:14 pm | In Academic Freedom, ContextWard Churchill’s case is of national significance because it illustrates the lengths to which the right-wing will go in attempting to discredit professors who challenge the status quo.
Even Nobel peace prize winner Desmond Tutu isn’t immune, as this illustrates:
“Profs shy away from controversial issues . . . .
by Jon Collins, Minnesota Dailylast year, South African civil-rights leader Desmond Tutu was scheduled to speak at the University of St. Thomas to high school students about “turning enemies into friends.” Wanting to avoid controversy from a 2002 statement Tutu made against Israeli occupation of Palestine, the St. Thomas administration revoked the invitation.
When St. Thomas political science professor Cris Toffolo registered her discontent with the administration’s decision, she was dismissed as director of the Justice and Peace Studies program.
Because of this and other cases around the country, Toffolo and others said academics might feel pressured not to talk about potentially controversial issues, whether as private citizens or as professors, for fear of attracting negative attention that may threaten their jobs or tenure. . . . read more.
