September 2012
For many scholars, a fitting way
to honor a deceased colleague is to produce an anthology of related work. At the
Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, that was
the thinking behind plans for a volume of fiction and other writing by women in
the Middle East. The anthology was to honor the late Elizabeth Fernea, who in
her years at Texas had helped build up the study of the region and who promoted
the publication in translation of works from the many countries there.
In the last week, however, the
project fell apart — as the movement to boycott Israel in every possible way
left Texas officials believing that they couldn’t complete the work.
The anthology was to have been
published in conjunction with the University of Texas Press, and 29 authors
agreed to have works included. Then one of the women found out that two of the
authors were Israelis. She then notified the others that she would withdraw her
piece unless Texas excluded the two Israelis. When the university refused to do
so, a total of 13 authors pulled out. A few others wouldn’t tell the center
whether they were willing to go ahead with the project, and without assent from
those authors, it was not clear that the anthology would include a single Arab
author. (The other authors besides the Israelis were from non-Arab parts of the
Middle East.)
Kamran Scot Aghaie, director of
the center at UT, said that it "would not have been academically sound" to do
the book without any Arab authors, but that it wouldn’t have been academically
or ethically sound to exclude the Israelis. Since the Arab authors wouldn’t
participate, the book was scrapped.
Aghaie said that several of the
authors who pulled out told him that they objected to his not telling them in
advance that there would be Israelis in the volume. He said he rejected that
idea — not only for this book but for any future work.
"My view is that it’s not proper
to single out individual contributors for other contributors to veto. We were
not willing to give any group special treatment," he said.
Further, Aghaie said that he does
not believe academic institutions should be involved in boycotts of academics or
writers in other countries. Aghaie said he understands the idea behind boycotts
generally. He describes himself as someone who is "highly critical of the
tactics Israelis and Palestinians have been using against each other." But
whatever one thinks of Israel, he said, there is no reason to refuse to work
with Israeli academics or authors — or to expect other universities to assist
in such a boycott — as some of the authors expected Texas to do with regard to
calls by some pro-Palestinian groups to boycott anything or anyone connected to
Israel.
"As an academic institution, we
cannot censor people for the country they are from," he said. And he also noted
that the boycott of Israel is a boycott of Jewish Israelis, not other Israelis,
whose participation does not raise objections. Even if one feels boycotts are
appropriate for, say, companies that engage in particular activities, "academics
need to be an exception," he said. "As a publishing press or as a program, it’s
not appropriate for us to single out anyone based on religion or national
origin," he said. "To do so is simply discrimination, and it’s wrong."
"The last thing you want to do is
cut off dialogue. That’s the stupidest thing one would do," he said. Not only
should academics and authors be talking across borders, they should recognize
that they don’t necessarily represent their governments’ views. Many American
academics, for example, opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and would not want to
be boycotted because they couldn’t prevent that invasion from taking place.
Academics need to be seen as individuals, he said, including Israeli Jewish
academics.
"When Iran executes a gay man, I’m
not guilty of that," said Aghaie, an Iranian-American. "I didn’t do that. I
would never support that."
Aghaie said that, as leader of a
center that tries to involve people from many countries and perspectives in its
programs, he worries about intolerance. He said that he has, in the past, fended
off complaints from some people who view with distrust Muslim speakers he has
invited to campus. The idea that the academic boycott of Israel is taking hold
in ways that affect places like the University of Texas bothers him. "That’s
what really worries me," he said. "It’s so self-defeating on so many levels to
try to keep people out. We have to have academic engagement with all sides."
Aghaie views the events of the last few weeks with sadness, but others view them
as a victory.
Gulf News
ran an editorial praising Huzama Habayeb, the Palestinian writer who organized
the boycott from Abu Dhabi, where she lives. The editorial describes her as
smiling upon finding out that the anthology had been called off.
"Habayeb’s actions are those of a
resistance fighter — never giving an inch to Israel, which has illegally
occupied her homeland," says the editorial. "But there’s also a bigger issue —
one whereby academics the world over need to ensure that Israel is isolated for
its immoral and illegal actions in occupying Palestine and repressing the
Palestinian people. The pen is mightier than the sword."
In
an interview
with Gulf News, Habayeb said she was thrilled that her efforts had killed
the anthology. “I am so proud of having the book canceled,” she said. "I am a
Palestinian and to achieve this, to be able to resist the illegal Israeli
occupation of my homeland is something that I will cherish forever. It is my own
victory in the struggle."
Inside Higher Ed, May 31, 2012.
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