Academic freedom just got a little less free.
Last Friday, the president of DePaul University denied tenure to Norman Finkelstein, a political science professor, after a protracted and public battle over his academic credentials and the political nature of his scholarship. Finkelstein, author of "The Holocaust Industry" and "Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History," is a fierce critic of Israel's treatment of Palestinians as well as the cynical use of the Holocaust to silence such critiques. Supporters of the decision called it a victory against "[Finkelstein's] hateful and bigoted ideas," but his termination is instead the result of an effort to silence scholars critical of Israel who speak vociferously for the embattled Palestinian people.
Critics of Finkelstein call him a "Holocaust denier," a "self-hating Jew," and "celebrated by Neo-Nazi groups." But his supporters see his critiques of Israel as a necessary contribution. For instance, Finkelstein first rose to prominence when he coherently discredited Joan Peters' book "From Time Immemorial," in which she dismissed Palestinian claims to land expropriated in 1948, to the point that it is now regarded as intellectual tripe on both sides of the Palestinian-Israeli divide.
Although both the political science department and the College Personnel Committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of tenure, the administration voted 4-3 to deny Finkelstein job security. The board praised Finkelstein as "an excellent teacher, popular and effective with his students in the classroom," but condemned "his inflammatory style and personal attacks."
Indeed, Finkelstein frequently makes personal attacks against his antagonists, but his cantankerous nature is wholly secondary to his scholarship and never should have factored into whether or not he may continue research and publication. Outside reviews from experts in his field were all positive, and Finkelstein even received public praise from Jewish Holocaust scholars Raul Hilberg and Avi Shlaim. However, outside influence from another scholar may have had an effect on the tenure process.
Finkelstein's greatest enemy, who some say is his perfect foil, is Alan Dershowitz, a law professor at Harvard University and an ardent defender of Israel. In 2006, Dershowitz sent unsolicited packets of "Finkelstein's most egregious academic sins ... lies, misquotations and distortions" to members of DePaul's political science department. This unheard-of maneuver led DePaul's Faculty Governance Council to write a letter to Harvard administrators, expressing "dismay at Professor Dershowitz's interference in Finkelstein's tenure and promotion case." In May, Dershowitz wrote an op-ed column in the Wall Street Journal calling for the dismissal of the DePaul professor.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Finkelstein's academic career was sunk by a very public, very heated campaign to discredit his intellectual work by scrutinizing his personalistic foibles.
The social and educational value of Finkelstein's claims, not the internal politics of his career track, should be debated publicly. Thanks to this decision, DePaul has effectively put a gag order on critical research on Palestine and Israel. No scholar, especially one involved in this conflict, is neutral, nor should they be. Finkelstein, the son of Jewish Holocaust survivors, works to draw attention to injustice and he has, in that sense, performed responsibly.
On Tuesday, DePaul shockingly denied tenure to Mehrene Larudee, a professor who publicly supported Finkelstein's tenure bid. About to be made director of DePaul's international studies department, Larudee is convinced that her participation in a committee to defend Finkelstein is what turned the administration against her.
If Finkelstein and Larudee can no longer contribute to political scholarship, then American universities have lost important voices. The battle of ideas must be waged in the classrooms constructed for free inquiry. But if an idea is silenced before it can enter the building, the battle cannot be fought at all.
Be the first to comment on this article!