Academia in Ireland

National Semi-versity of Ireland


I am cross-posting this article in the Jerusalem Post, which I received from my colleague, Tammi Benjamin at the University of California at Santa Cruz (one of the few sane voices in that institution). It concerns the boycott of Israeli academics by academics in Ireland. In other words, no collaboration goes on between academics and universities of those two nations. Why? Because of the Israeli incursion into Gaza a few months back. So a bunch of spoiled, petty Irish academic types have decided not to do academic business with Israel. The article below illustrates to what ridiculous lengths that policy in Ireland has taken.


Do not call me
Jul. 7, 2009
Amnon Rubinstein , THE JERUSALEM POST

A student of mine in a class on multiculturalism was writing a paper on Hispanic culture in the US. The definitive article on the subject was published by Prof. David Branwell of the National University of Ireland, so my student e-mailed Branwell asking whether his position on bilingual education in America remained unaltered, to which the professor replied: "I am sorry, we imposed an academic boycott of Israel at the time of the Israeli invasion of Gaza."

I, too, have e-mailed Branwell asking about the body imposing the boycott and whether there are any conditions under which it would end. I am still waiting for a reply - unless the boycott applies also to relevant information about it.

There are of course all the other unanswered questions: where were the Irish professors when Israel's civilians were constantly bombarded for eight painful years from within Gaza? And where are they now with regard to Gilad Schalit - against whom a variety of war crimes are being perpetrated?

But to me the fact that a distinguished professor refuses to answer a student's query is the best evidence of the noxious nature of these boycotts: not only are they one-sided and bigoted, but the very concept of an academic boycott is an oxymoron. The whole idea of academic freedom is of a free exchange of knowledge and information; refusing to answer a student's query testifies to the depth of hatred which motivates the Irish boycott.

This fact of life is not made any easier by the knowledge that Jews and Israelis are part of this hate campaign. Indeed, one cannot think of any other country - including brutal dictatorships - against which such an unmitigated campaign of venom is being conducted.

SHOULD ISRAEL respond to such boycotts? Or should it relegate them to the dustbin of the history of prejudice? Reacting to the boycott may draw attention to its perpetrators but doing nothing may encourage the spread of this phenomenon. Perhaps the best, and natural, response is to cut off academic ties with any institution of higher learning which adopts a boycott policy against Israeli academics: "If you don't want to speak to me, I will not speak to you."

This response should not be initiated by the government as this truly is an academic matter. Instead, it should be undertaken by the universities themselves or through the council of higher education.

Names of institutions and academics who participate in this boycott should be published, so that they not be invited to conferences in Israel or enjoy other benefits of academic co-operation with Israeli scholars and institutions of higher learning. Indeed, my personal response to the boycotters is: Don't call me, and I won't call you.

The writer is a Professor of Law at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (Israel), a former Minister of Education and Knesset Member, as well as the recipient of the 2006 Israel Prize in Law [www.amnonrubinstein.org].
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Fousesquawk comment: leaving aside the question of how Prof Branwell in Ireland is the preeminent voice in Hispanic culture in the US, this just shows what a shadow of themselves universites have become not only in the US, but apparently in Europe as well. Perhaps, Professor Branwell should re-examine the meaning of the word "university". For a group of universities to shut off any contribution of scholarship from a particular country strips away the meaning of university itself. For the learned professor to snub an inquiring student asking a simple question shows his arrogance-not exactly in short supply in academia these days. Is this what happened to universities in Northern Ireland not so long ago when Belfast was Gaza?

So what are we to call these so-called institutions of higher learning in Ireland now- demi-versities? Or perhaps, semi-versities?